Keith Law Top 100

[joelala]

49 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

I think the only high draft pick outfielder drafted so far with a "swing issue" was Dylan Beavers.   We could probably throw Hudson Haskin in there too.   Cowser and Kjerstad didn't have swing issues.

Then were the big adjustments he was making last year solely related to swing decisions?

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, joelala said:

Then were the big adjustments he was making last year solely related to swing decisions?

No, I think you can change your weight shift, hip turn, lots of adjustments without actually changing your swing.   I believe Cowser said in interviews that the technical changes were minor.

[Frobby]

23 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Lawlar was the pick!!!!!

Are you missing @nelsoncruuuuuz?

[joelala]

5 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

No, I think you can change your weight shift, hip turn, lots of adjustments without actually changing your swing.   I believe Cowser said in interviews that the technical changes were minor.

Hmmm I think those are all crucial aspects of the swing as a whole though. 

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, joelala said:

Hmmm I think those are all crucial aspects of the swing as a whole though. 

Your entitled to your opinion.  IMO, whether a hitter uses a toe tap or lifts his knee up doesn't change the actual mechanics of the swing.   I'm not saying that's what Cowser did (toe tap or not) but I got the impression that he didn't make any significant changes to his actual swing.

[Moose Milligan]

17 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Are you missing @nelsoncruuuuuz?

No, I'm just ribbing SG as he likes to remind everyone both overtly and passive aggressively that Lawlar should have been the pick.

I agree with him but I'm also fine with Cowser.  I'm encouraged by the way Cowser has adjusted each step of the way in his minor league career and I hope that he can iron out whatever issue he has against lefties.  

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, RZNJ said:

I think the only high draft pick outfielder drafted so far with a "swing issue" was Dylan Beavers.   We could probably throw Hudson Haskin in there too.   Cowser and Kjerstad didn't have swing issues.

Jud Fabian?

[Pat Kelly]

Not trying to stir things up too much but today would Elias trade Cowser straight up for Lawlar?  Would Arizona? 

[joelala]

19 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Your entitled to your opinion.  IMO, whether a hitter uses a toe tap or lifts his knee up doesn't change the actual mechanics of the swing.   I'm not saying that's what Cowser did (toe tap or not) but I got the impression that he didn't make any significant changes to his actual swing.

Agree that a timing mechanism like a toe tap or leg kick isn’t as significant but  a weight transfer and hip turn, imo, are part of the actual swing and much more significant. 

[LookinUp]

3 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

 

"didn’t stop hitting until he reached Triple A in September, where he was overmatched by offspeed stuff of all varieties."

This was a concern for me a bit as well as inability to hit lefties and why I dropped him a bit. My concern is with his approach to get power, is able to get to good offspeed pitches? Was he cheating or guessing well in AA and then when the pitching got better did it expose him him a bit?

I don't know, but this was part of the reason why he fell a bit for me. I sill think he can overcome this, but to what extent? I do think he has a 4th outfielder floor no matter what, but he'll need to make these adjustments while trying to get to his power still.

That's what he'll need to prove this year in AAA. 

 

 

I'm not questioning your reports or people who are also relatively down on Cowser like Law. You both point to reality.

All I'm here to say is anecdotal...I've heard interviews with multiple prospects who talk about the guy like he rakes. I would never believe his stat line in light of what I've heard. So I tend to think it's some combination of swing adjustments, not yet having adjusted to better LHPs, or an old fashioned slump in a small sample size.

But if he's as natural of a hitter as they say, he should be really good in 2023. Let's hope so.

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by LookinUp

[RZNJ]

15 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Jud Fabian?

I didn't read anything about the swing other than trying to lay off the high fastball out of zone.

[Frobby]

19 minutes ago, Pat Kelly said:

Not trying to stir things up too much but today would Elias trade Cowser straight up for Lawlar?  Would Arizona? 

We would do that, and Arizona would not.  But that wasn’t the whole picture.

In fairness, I don’t think Arizona would trade Lawlar plus their underslot guys for Cowser and our overslot guys.  Those overslot guys haven’t done much.  

[Sports Guy]

40 minutes ago, Pat Kelly said:

Not trying to stir things up too much but today would Elias trade Cowser straight up for Lawlar?  Would Arizona? 

Arizona definitely wouldn’t.

[Sports Guy]

19 minutes ago, Frobby said:

We would do that, and Arizona would not.  But that wasn’t the whole picture.

In fairness, I don’t think Arizona would trade Lawlar plus their underslot guys for Cowser and our overslot guys.  Those overslot guys haven’t done much.  

People point to the bonus demands. Lawlar wasn’t going to college if the Os offered something similar to what Cowser got.  Even if you paid a few hundred K more, it’s stilL not a huge deal.

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

People point to the bonus demands. Lawlar wasn’t going to college if the Os offered something similar to what Cowser got.  Even if you paid a few hundred K more, it’s stilL not a huge deal.

Apparently, you need to speak to the ML teams about the art of negotiating with draftees.  Arizona could have saved millions.