Kiley McDaniel Chat – 2/14/18

Kiley McDaniel: A few minutes late after being taken on a circuitous route by my dog, it’s Kiley chat

A big dumb idiot: *extremely seinfeld voice* Whaaaaats the deal with prospects

PAC-12 FAN: You seem lower on Toglia and higher on Rutschman than some other outlets (D1, BP) were this past summer. Obviously you can’t speak for them but do you have any idea on what you may dislike/like with these two prospects that other evaluators may not?

Kiley McDaniel: Didn’t think I’d get questions parsing the specific rankings of the 2019 MLB Draft list but here we are. Main difference here is Toglia (1B/RF, UCLA) is bat-only and doesn’t have huge power whereas Rutschman (C, Oregon State) has comparable, above average raw power and is a better athlete who can catch.

Geebs: Is this another chat dominated by prospect conversation? If so please tell us now so I can leave, I’ve had my fill.

Kiley McDaniel: This chat is what you make of it and it seems like you’re a Debbie Downer

Erik: The best thing about the launch-angle revolution: mid-career power breakouts can now be trusted, when in previous decades there would always be the cloud of steroid speculation hanging over guys like Alonso, Smoak, Turner, or Murphy. Does that change the way you view the steroid era? Might a bunch of the sudden breaktout guys have actually just been swing changers?

Kiley McDaniel: Obviously it’s possible but not sure there’s the clear evidence of GB-oriented guys becoming FB-oriented guys. And if it was that simple I feel like some of these guys would be pointing this out.

Doug: Do GMs get hung up on prospect ratings as much as fans do? I get why the Marlins would ask for Robles or Tucker for Realmuto. But the Nats and Astros have many other good prospects. Is not getting their top guy worth killing a deal over?

Kiley McDaniel: You’d be surprised how much they care and some outwardly lobby. In a similar way how college football coaches are judged by the star system because it’s so widely used and the only objective analysis out there, the opinions of the top couple analysts on MLB stuff is courted along with prospect people. Sometimes it’s as simple as being nice/accessible and hoping that works, some try a little more transparently.

Brian: What kind of profile is best suited for Albies? Should he focus on grounders or does the major league ball give him sufficient pop for 20-25 homers? Does he have gap to gap power? Lastly, is Albies a 70 grade runner like Longenhagen had last year. Thanks Kiley

Kiley McDaniel: I think the Altuve/Dozier/Betts sort of “smaller guy that doesn’t have huge power but enough bat control to tap into it when he gets the right pitch” is the right move here. He is a 70 runner and can play shortstop. Some see the arm as short b/c he so often flips it over when he’s not rushed, but it’s a 60 arm.

Freddy: Can Alex Jackson be an every day corner OF if he can’t stick behind the plate? Is the bat enough?

Kiley McDaniel: He’s gotten bigger to where he’d have to slim down to do that. Real chance to catch though, or at least be a 1B/DH/pinch hitter/backup C that plays most days and you try to find ABs for. Same for Cumberland in that same system.

Alex Reyes : Should I start the season in the AAA rotation or the Cardinal bullpen? Which is better for my development?

Kiley McDaniel: I’m conservative with these types and would say AAA but maybe he’s the type that needs to be challenged and learn on the job. We’ve seen plenty of those lately where the AAA stats don’t always reflect the talent when there’s huge tools. Albies was kinda one of those.

Devil Ray Jay Johnson: Is AJ Puk up after the Super 2 “deadline”?

Kiley McDaniel: If he does what he did last year, then yeah probably. 2017 was enough of an outlier where he got better in so many ways, I wonder if he backs up just a little bit.

Batflips for BBs: Do you believe it would be the right move for the Phillies to move on from Cesar Hernandez (a fairly reliable above-average player) in order to give Kingery a shot at the bigs?

Kiley McDaniel: It could be bias against guys that didn’t have premium prospect pedigree but it feels like a sell high situation with Hernandez. He would’ve been moved already if teams thought he was a 3-win guy going forward. Probably a solid 2-win guy?

TopJimmy: The astute FG prospect analysts are skyyyy highhh on Miguel Andujar (#14) compared to all the other lists I have seen: #65 is the highest I have seen him on other lists. He’s the highest non-pitcher on my Dev draft list (based on FG, KATOH, my gut). Please soothe my jangled nerves on Andujar. Dude has tools, but no love outside FG???

Kiley McDaniel: I can’t speak for other outlets but the fact that NYY won’t budge on him or Florial and will offer Frazier+ in these packages kinds gives you an idea where NYY and other teams generally value these guys. Andujar comfortable top 50, Florial comfortable top 100, Frazier somewhat below that (isn’t eligible obviously). So use that as another source.

Dmitry: Any fit for a Clint frazier for a Braves pitching prospect? Seems winwin

Kiley McDaniel: I get the impression fans think of Clint Frazier more highly than clubs do. I think NYY is hoping those things align and will be happy to keep him as depth until that happens or they need to make a move to upgrade.

Astros Fan: Hi Kiley!! Love your work. What are your thoughts on Freudis Nova? It’s hard to find any meaningful info out there on him right now

Kiley McDaniel: Real toolsy, somewhat prototypical Latin big bonus SS with some present power, speed and flashy D. Some questions on the game contact but still young enough to think that could improve.

Outta my way, Gyorkass: I just found out that your number 10 entry on the 2018 draft board plays high school ball practically in my back yard. Tell me a reason why I should take the short trip over to catch a game of Jarred Kelenic’s (not that I actually need any convincing, just want to know what theatrics I should expect to be wowed by!)

Kiley McDaniel: + run, + arm, has hit everywhere, surprising pop at least avg, CF fit, pretty twitchy athletic kid that’s been on the radar as a top guy for years despite cold weather background

v2micca: Teams have been pretty brazen about keeping a top prospect down in AAA for the first few weeks of a season to gain a year of control.  Is there anything stopping teams from using minor league options on a top level pre-arb player to further manipulate his service time?

Kiley McDaniel: The only players where that saves you money are the good ones making real money in arb and once they’re proven to be good, you really want to send them down to save a couple million? Braves would’ve missed the playoffs one year if they kept Heyward down for 9 days to get another year of service. Knowing that would you go back in time and do it differently?

Big Shrimpin: Do you have any takes on Dustin May? I know some are high on him but you seem not particularly as high.

Kiley McDaniel: Bit of a wait and see projection arm with some present velo and a good breaker, big RPMs on the curveball.

Big Joe Mufferaw: Can you clarify the low grade on Florial’s Defense? Every other major publication has him as a plus defender now and FV.

Kiley McDaniel: He’s a toolsy, somewhat raw prospect who we think will be average in center field. That’s pretty good. He was -1 runs in 79 games in CF last year if you want to know what the metrics say http://claydavenport.com/stats/webpages/2017/2017pageNYYrealALL.shtml

Kiley McDaniel: That’s -1 relative to average for the level

Outta my way, Gyorkass: Question about Shohei Ohtani – is there anything other than bad PR that would prevent LAA from stashing him in the minors for a couple of weeks to game an extra year of service time out of him? Obviously, a contract negotiation based on “sign me to a $200M deal in a year” was verboten, but was “start me in the majors right away and don’t F with my service time clock” fair game?

Kiley McDaniel: Don’t punch a gift horse in the mouth

Xolo: What’s your take on “untouchable” prospects? Are teams too precious with them slash is it an opening a savvy team could exploit?

Kiley McDaniel: The ones that are it’s usually 1) small market where they could never get this player on the open market or 2) close to the majors with 60 FV or higher upside to where it’s too much value about to realize value that they can’t pass it up

Kiley McDaniel: I’m fine with either of those, just make sure you aren’t wrong

ChiSox2020: What are some under covered  story lines to look out for in spring training?

Kiley McDaniel: Will The Athletic use its resources to ban blurry spring training photos from the Internet?

Outta my way, Gyorkass: What general level of production do you see from Lewis Brinson in Miami this year with a seemingly clear path to extended playing time?

Kiley McDaniel: Some growing pains, flashes of brilliance, probably more than a token amount of time in AAA. I’d guess 1-2 WAR.

KB: Would you rather have Tatis jr, or Whittley? I’m doing a prospect draft and have the first pick with those two being the top available players.

Kiley McDaniel: Eric and I put our heads together just now and have your answer: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-top-100-prospects/

Adam: What are your thoughts on Luis Campusano and Blake Hunt, the two Catchers taken by the Padres in the early part of last year’s draft? Neither seem to be appearing on lists of top Catcher rankings.

Kiley McDaniel: We discussed both of them for the 45s we love article, but they were just below those other catchers. A lot of depth to that position in the minors this year.

DBRuns: Kiley, who typically argues arbitration cases on behalf of a club? It’s not like most FO execs are professional litigators.

Kiley McDaniel: Often it’s MLB labor lawyers or outside law firms that the team hires. It’s almost always a lawyer

ATL: Thanks Kiley, can you provide a couple possibilities of who might be a AAA/close to the majors player w/ the potential to breakout, but not a hyped/top 20 prospect?

Kiley McDaniel: You will like multiple features of Prospect Week, but start here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-top-100-prospects/

and then go to the relievers and staring you in the face category here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/heres-some-lower-ranked-prospects-we-l…

Conrad: Are the physical abilities of Bobby Witt at least worthy of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout? Seems legit

Kiley McDaniel: He’s really good but not that good. Harper was the best tools of maybe any high school player since Josh Hamilton and Trout may have been the best minor league prospect in recent memory aside from Harper. You don’t get those guys more than once or twice a decade.

A Tribe Called Kipnis: Are the Mariners missing a legitimate shot at a wild card by not adding another roughly league average starting pitcher?

Kiley McDaniel: There’s a lot a free agents still, lets see where they go

Actually Michael Wacha’s brother: Hey was wondering who you think are players to watch this year in the Big Ten? Heard it was a solid recruiting class. Thanks

Kiley McDaniel: Oh boy do we have a lot of answers for you here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/mlb-draft-rankings-2018-2019-and-2020/

Big Joe Mufferaw: Where would this player rank in your 2018 draft list? Bob Smith: 6’5, 220 pounds, very athletic, sound, smooth delivery, has an 80 FB: sits at 100mph, hits 105. Has shown the ability to spin quality breaking balls, but rarely uses it and toys with a change up has avg control and command. Has never pitched in competitive baseball, only in Local Canadian Highschool league (he’s 18) and has about 100 innings under his belt.

Kiley McDaniel: That’s pretty close to Hunter Greene, who was drafted last June.

Jane: Michel Baez will be pitching in Petco by season’s end. Possible? Likely?

Kiley McDaniel: Very unlikely

Wally Post: Are you buying the Matt Olsen breakout? Or what are your expectations for him this season? Thanks!

Kiley McDaniel: I think he’s a 2-3 win guy that will probably be streaky given the contact rates and homers. Non-zero chance he’s a notch better than that.

Barry from San Fran: Hey man love your show. Was calling in to hear your thoughts on Anthony Molina. Once the #1 PG prospect (for whatever that’s worth), now doesn’t appear to be playing. What happened? Did the stuff back up that bad? Thanks! I’m going to hang up and listen

Kiley McDaniel: Stuff didn’t progress, had lots of off-the-field issues

Mike: It seems like there are a lot of names at the top of this draft who could go #1. Would you say it’s a bigger than normal pool of players this year for those top spots? Or is this pretty common going into the season?

Kiley McDaniel: Usually there’s a more clear #1 but not super unusual to have it unsettled up top

D-503: What is “Valentine’s Day”, in the One State we love everyone the same everyday. Quite irrational to love someone more on one day. Also which Breaux brother do you prefer: Joe or Josh?

Kiley McDaniel: There’s actually a kid named Kale Breaux, which sounds like a Cajun insult toward an aggressive hippie

Mat O’Malley: Roses are red, violets are blue, oh my dear Kiley how I missed you <3

Arby’s: There is no such thing as love. We all leave in the same state we arrive, alone. Eat Arby’s.

Safety Stegosaurus: I follow MLB and NHL trade rumors near daily. NHL rumors hardly ever lead to anything while MLB ones have significantly better credibility. Why do you think that is?

Kiley McDaniel: Overzealous Canadians that can’t go outside most of the year

Long Live Jeff Frye: If Appelman would foot the bill, what would be your top three international scouting destinations? And, would you go to Venezuela if you had the chance?

Kiley McDaniel: Japan, wherever the MLB European showcase is being held this year, Korea or Taiwan. Wouldn’t go to VZ until it’s safer. Lots of scouts that are fluent and know their way around, have been there a bunch of times won’t go there right now either.

Frank Menechino’s Estranged Dog: Please say SOMETHING (anything) about Austin Beck.

Kiley McDaniel: Boom or bust type with huge tools. The statline should tell you a good bit on him, actually. If he performs close to league average, unless he has like a .450 BABIP, it will be a good outcome for 2018. If you’re rooting for him, don’t live and die in the short-term, look for glimpses of progress for the 2019+ breakout season.

greg: A beat writer recently suggested that Nick Senzel could get a look in CF.  I think that’s crazy talk, but are there any concerns whatsoever about him moving to 2B, or should the team really be looking to make accommodations (change Suarez’ position) for him to be at 3B before all else?

Kiley McDaniel: He’s a 55 runner with pretty good instincts that sometimes will give you plus run times. It’s not crazy but I’d try 3B and 2B first and not just move him to CF because it’s a little more convenient for the big league team.

Shep: Thoughts on Katoh darling, Zach Granite

Kiley McDaniel: Talked about it on Effectively Wild. Zero power, plus contact/plate discipline, solid extra guy but limited upside.

Matt Manning: Buy or sell: I’m a #2 in an MLB rotation in my prime

Kiley McDaniel: Upside is in there, but it’s been rocky in pro ball so far. Long odds but possible.

Kiley McDaniel: So I guess sell if I had to pick one

Sterling Malory Chris Archer: Are you going to any spring training games and having any FG meetups?

Kiley McDaniel: I’m in Orlando so I’m sure I’ll be around pro stuff in March. Not sure it’ll be an MLB game per se but we can gauge interest here. Leave a comment below this if you’ll be in FL and want something like this

We’re Going Streaming: Kirilloff made your top 100 list after missing the entire season. What do you like about him?

Kiley McDaniel: Love the feel for hitting and above average tools, has performed and is a cold weather guy (usually a little more in the tank)

Hunky Dory: If the bust rate of prospects dropped, would the $ valuation of prospects rise proportionally?  Has this already happened?

Kiley McDaniel: It would, but it would take a few years to know that was happening, to have a big enough sample that it wasn’t just a blip

Charlie: Do you think that Josh McDaniels is giving the McDaniel clan a bad name i will hang up and listen.

Kiley McDaniel: He’s a plural we’ve disowned them

Jonathan: Silly hypothetical question, with the understanding that context could change things considerably:  how many borderline 55/50 FV prospects would you require before giving up one strong 65 FV hitting prospect in return?

Kiley McDaniel: 4 I guess? Not sure, but an answer I hope to eventually get more precise about!

Guest: The Orioles evidently have 35 pitchers in camp.  How can they possibly find enough innings to evaluate that many arms?  Do you have to see in game action to get a proper read on a player?

Kiley McDaniel: Lots of spring training games end with 2 innings pitched from guys borrowed from minor league camp to fill in. Good bit of MLB camp guys will throw sim games on back fields. Everyone will get looks but maybe not in MLB games.

one eye: Does Dustin Fowler have a George Springer type ceiling? How much has this injury altered his projection?

Kiley McDaniel: No

Hunky Dory: Did it occur to anyone that the amount of material you and Eric produced for prospect week was totally f’in bonkers?

Kiley McDaniel: We try not to think about it

Sam P.: George Valera’s swing sure is pretty. Ignoring the noisy load, his follow through reminds me a bit of Cano’s. Any thoughts on him?

Kiley McDaniel: The bat/power tools are real, not much speed/defense. The performance/game stuff will shed some light on the odds of various outcomes since there isn’t a ton of margin for error.

Jim Clement: I am 27 and have an 80 hit tool and 50 power, in my softball league. What can I do to improve my power?

Kiley McDaniel: Lean (back) and dream

nate: Any guys in the upper minors now that could be similar to what Josh Hader was last year?

Kiley McDaniel: AJ Minter may be your guy, if he’s healthy

Walter: Why won’t Kiebert Ruiz be the next Buster Posey?

Kiley McDaniel: Because we still don’t have another Buster Posey

Rod: Do you believe in Tucker Davidson?  Seems like a real out-of-nowhere guy

Kiley McDaniel: Yep, he’s a guy. Got in better shape and average stuff became above average, better stamina.

M.D. Pepper : Coming from a Front Office and crosschecking background, where does the split of analytics and physical scouting stand for you personally? 50/50? 30/70? etc?

Kiley McDaniel: Varies on the situation, will lean almost 100% to either side in extreme circumstances where I think that captures the truth most effectively and the other side has lots of noise/bias in it

Rayn: What is the buzz for Ronaldo Hernandez like?

Kiley McDaniel: Probably lower upside than the other Ronaldo, but definite guy to monitor

Sterling Malory Chris Archer: Humidor confirmed for Chase Field. How does this affect their team?

Kiley McDaniel: Their cigar game will improve significantly

Corey: It seems like a lot of guys are losing weight this offseason. How much do the teams direct what players do in terms of their physical conditioning? To me it seems like the players are much more autonomous then I’d assume.

Kiley McDaniel: Depends on the player. Many will do what they’re going to do regardless of what you tell them.

Joe: Who are the most screwed teams for the next, oh, 5 years?

Kiley McDaniel: Seattle has certainly pushed their chips in, in a way that most other teams are actively avoiding. Don’t know if that’s screwed per se, but definitely very invested in what happens this year.

walt: Which defensive position has more value? 3b, 2b, CF ?

Kiley McDaniel: WAR (if I remember correctly) adjusts them C, SS, 2B, 3B/CF, in that order

Steve: Kyle Muller is a forgotten arm in that Braves arsenal. Do you think he can make a leap to the forefront of that org?

Kiley McDaniel: There’s a video on insta or twitter or both of him throwing 95 off the mound, 100+ on a pulldown and looking loose and in good shape. Would expect him to be good this year.

Solaire: The #1 guy on your 2019 HS prospect list (Bobby Witt Jr.) plays very close to me. Is it worth it to go see him or is it too early to really see tools shine? And if I go, what should I be on the look out for with him?

Kiley McDaniel: He’s another guy that was jumping off the field at scouts when playing with guys older than him. Above average at most everything on the MLB scale. Any given high school game maybe you don’t see a lot of it, but probably will in most of them.

john wick: let’s assume atlanta calls up acuna after a few weeks down to get the extra year of control. what kind of line do you expect from him this year?

Kiley McDaniel: I’d set the over/under at 107 wRC+ (7% better than MLB average line). You guys can tell me what you think in the comments below this.

Frank Menechino’s Estranged Dad: Can you please explain to me how Ronald Acuna has a 50/55 hit tool? I thought his bat is what makes him special? How does a 19/20 year old hitting .344 in 57 AAA games only project to a 50/55 hit?

Kiley McDaniel: I think he’s gonna go the Justin Upton route. He could be, roughly speaking, a 60 hit/55 power guy or 55 hit/65 power guy and I think he picks the latter

Floyd: Do you predict that any of Buehler, Greene, Gore, M Baez or S Sanchez will reach #1/ace status?

Kiley McDaniel: I don’t think I’ll ever bet that any minor league pitcher will be an ace

Kiley McDaniel: There’s 8-12 at any given time and so there’s only a new one every couple years….so the odds are reeeaaallly low it’s any one player, no matter how good they are.

Guest: How much velo does a typical HS prospect gain between 18-22? Is there info on that?

Kiley McDaniel: Varies greatly player to player. Strasburg went from 88 to 98. Some have gone the opposite way.

Mike: thanks for the article post prospect scouting reports.  I’d really like to see a few more of these throughout the season.

Kiley McDaniel: That is a focus of ours, to follow that beat more closely

Billy Beane: What separates Rhys Hoskins and Matt Olson for you in the PV/FV rankings? Olson hit better in MLB in a (slightly) larger sample size. Hoskins had better MiLB numbers but Olson was also younger at every level because he did AAA twice. Also, Midland and NAshville are places where LHH fly balls go to die, so that probably affected the raw stats.

Kiley McDaniel: Hoskins is a much better pure hitter. Olson has always been seen as a fringy to average contact guy and he’s leaning into it. That’s a high variance approach in most cases.

Erik: Eric mentioned yesterday that you guys had Ohtani as only a 45 or 50 as a hitter. That seems crazy low for a guy who was considered one of the top hitters in Japan, and who some say is actually a better hitter than a pitcher. Could you go into a little more detail there?

Kiley McDaniel: I have yet to find a human that thinks he’s a better hitter than pitcher. He’s performed some in a lower league and has big tools, but will always be used as pitcher first, so will only give hitting some attention and get some reps when he isn’t pitching. There were contact concerns in Japan but there aren’t as many 95+ arms there. Will be a real problem early on here, even with some tape-measure shots mixed in.

Joe. : Why no hype a Jordan Luplow and Austin Slater? They both seem to have good track records in the minors and both have a shot at playing time.

Kiley McDaniel: Me and Eric disagree on some guys and I’m definitely the high guy on Jordan Luplow. Never really been on Slater much but I think Luplow could be a 45 FV that has a 50 FV season once and hangs around for awhile

Conan: I prefer to think Valentine’s Day is about crushing your enemies and seeing them driven before you, but when you think about it, that’s really every day isn’t it?

Kiley McDaniel: Feels like we’re getting close to the end

Person: Thank you for updating the Cards’ list with Munoz and Schrock! Really appreciate that

Kiley McDaniel: We are doing these things

Stlscott: Fangraphs has so much great FREE content. In no particular order, you and Eric rock! Being only 2 hard working humans, how do you two get so much information? Even with Jedi mind tricks, you can’t be everywhere. How many different scouts do you talk to you?  Aren’t they busy? Simply curious…

Kiley McDaniel: They are! Being at games just like them usually makes it easier to relate and maybe help them with info.  I get more info at games than on the phone. And not being a bad person helps. Also scouting is kinda solitary and some teams don’t listen to their scouts.

Matt: In your opinion, is “Chad Green is a starter” anything more than “eh, we could use some depth, might as well see if all the experience in the ‘pen translates”?

Kiley McDaniel: Yes

Seth: Is Touki Toussaint’s success at AA a turning point or just a flash in the pan?

Kiley McDaniel: Made substantive changes, so I think it’s real

Jack: FV on Jharel Cotton?

Kiley McDaniel: 45

Kiley McDaniel: we discussed 50, so it’s more borderline

Oddball Herrera: See, the tepid response to Granite is why I’m so interested in the widespread love for Verdugo.  They have basically the same bat profile but Granite more consistently has stolen bases in the minors.  I get that Verdugo is a lot younger, but I just don’t see them as, in the long run, turning out to be very different players.  Thoughts?

Kiley McDaniel: Age relative to league is a really big factor when you’re looking at two performers and trying to decide which one will be better

Kiley McDaniel: and having real tools is another one

Jake: Surprised that Kloffenstein didn’t make your draft list. Any specific reasons?

Kiley McDaniel: wasn’t that far off from being mentioned

Guest: Yes, he’s young, but do you think Riley Pint ever gets a handle on his command? Obviously he’s got a big arm, but the few times I’ve seen him pitch he seems to fall into periods where he looks completely lost…

Kiley McDaniel: Never really seen extended periods where he has it, so makes you wonder if it’s ever coming. But he’s crazy athletic and young so I’ll give him more time.

Hoser: NHL trade rumors are less frequently true due to the restrictive salary cap

Kiley McDaniel: That too, I suppose, ya Hoser

Ryan: Nick Solak, Shed Long, Brandon Lowe. Bullish or bearish?

Kiley McDaniel: Like them all!

Ned : Thoughts on Luis Garcia (WSH) from a fantasy standpoint? I know he may be a glove first type of guy, but is there some Ozzie Albies in him perhaps?

Kiley McDaniel: Surprising power and bat speed for size/position

Wes: During the season, do you travel to different parks? Can I buy you a beer to increase my team’s prospect ratings?

Kiley McDaniel: Don’t drink while I’m working but maybe before/after game. I’ll be at games tomorrow and all this weekend around Florida. I shall tweet updates of what I see.

Mia Khalifa: What’s the chance little Willie Contreras is as good or better than his brash big brother Wilison?  He’s so much better behaved!

Kiley McDaniel: Long way to go to be an everyday big leaguer when he’ll be in Low-A this year, but the tools are there!

Jack: Everyone I’ve seen has 70 raw power on Vlad and he certainly has the frame to match that evaluation but is anybody concerned with how little he elevates the ball right now? Or is it just assumed that he will crank up that launch angle as he gets closer to the majors and start turning his doubles into dingers?

Kiley McDaniel: I’ve brought this up a few times. I assume he will, but he isn’t doing it much now. And the contact/plate discipline stuff will likely back off some when he does do it.

James: Jake Rogers is the only catching propsect in my lifetime that i recall that has 70 arm and 70 glove.  Very rare.  He also outhit OPS, Alfaro, Sisco, Murphy, Ruiz etc.  Katoh had him as top 20 propsect.  Why did he miss the top 100 list?  What am I missing?

Kiley McDaniel: Could argue Austin Hedges was graded like that, too.

Kiley McDaniel: Bat is still a little light, but Rogers was in late contention. Probably makes a top 150-175

Billy Beane: In your role with the BRaves did you ever scout Braves players or were you scouting other teams players? Or is that internal scouting done more by coaching/development staffs?

Kiley McDaniel: Mostly amateurs and our own players. Saw all the affiliates.

AT: Is your cigar answer about the humidor because you don’t have any idea what the effect will be?  or because you don’t think it matters?

Kiley McDaniel: I’m definitely not the person to ask. I guess Coors is the only place to use as a benchmark and it seemed to have a real effect there.

Rollie’s Mustache: Who are you betting on in terms of hitting ability moving forward, Bellinger or Hoskins?

Kiley McDaniel: Bat tool is clearly Hoskins, overall offensive value (hit+power) I’d probably lean Bellinger

Jared: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Kiley McDaniel: oh not this

Paul: Thoughts on Noah Davis from UCSB?

Kiley McDaniel: Velo spike over the fall, up to 97 with some sink, three pitches average or better, wonder a little bit about how hittable he is and durability after a velo jump. Heard he’s banged up right now, oblique I believe.

RES: For your post-prospect list, Luis Castillo and German Marquez were given the same PV and FV.  Is German Marquez being vastly overlooked considering the amount of metaphorical ink spilled about Luis Castillo this offseason?

Kiley McDaniel: Castillo isn’t in Coors and has more GIF-able stuff. His third pitch is a bigger problem but he has more upside. Kinda cancelled out for us.

Mountie Votto: Scott Moss has flown kind of under the radar, but has impressed recently. Do you see him as a high leverage reliever eventually, or more middle relief?

Kiley McDaniel: More middle relief. Eric has him on the Reds list for more info.

Jack: Do you have your old ranking of last year’s draft prospects to link to?

Kiley McDaniel: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2017-top-100-prospects/

Kiley McDaniel: I wasn’t here yet, so this is an Eric-only list

Mountie Votto: A HOT DOG IS A DAMN HOT DOG WHY DO YOU PEOPLE CARE A TACO IS A TACO TOO

Kiley McDaniel: Feels like that’s my time