FanGraphs Audio: Alex Avila and Keith Law Know Their Stuff

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January 29, 2021

Episode 907

This week on FanGraphs Audio, we talk shop with a major league backstop, get into the nuts and bolts of prospect lists, and plug the latest FanGraphs merch.

  • To begin the program, David Laurila is joined by Alex Avila. They discuss how the game has changed since Avila debuted in 2009, from the front office to behind the plate. They also talk about what it was like to catch Zack Greinke, and who of the many great pitchers Avila has played with has had the best “stuff.” Note: this interview was recorded before Avila agreed to a deal with the Washington Nationals. [2:25]
  • Following that, Eric Longenhagen is joined by Keith Law of The Athletic, who recently released his own top 100 prospects list. Eric and Keith discuss what a challenge it has been to evaluate prospect talent with no minor league season, and how unreliable reports from the alternate training sites can be. They also share how they’ve changed their methods since doing their first prospect rankings and how they continue to evolve. [24:26]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 58 minutes play time.)

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Dylan assists in producingFanGraphs Audio, Effectively Wild, and the FanGraphs Live Twitch channel. He also enjoys the Waxahachie Swap (RIP), the Air Bud principle, and the Oxford comma. You can Tweet him about any of those things @dhhiggins.

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