Future Redbirds: Prospect Q + A w/Keith Law

When Love Was The Law In Los Angeles

...St. Louis?

Is there a hitter, past or present who you’d compare Colby Rasmus to?

I don’t do the comparison game - most hitters strike me as unique. How often is a Stanford RHP compared to Mike Mussina? Why do we typically only hear white players compared to white players, and black to black? Anyway, Rasmus looks to me like a guy who’ll draw walks, hit for plus power and average, and provide above-average defense in center. That’s nothing you couldn’t glean from his ‘07 stat line. He’s got good wrists, takes a short path to the ball, and centers everything. If he was in the Yankees’ system, we’d all be nauseated from hearing about him all the time.

You didn’t seem all that enthused by the selection of Pete Kozma. Care to elaborate?

I have no problem with taking a high school player in the first round, obviously, but my philosophy is that if you’re willing to take on the development risk associated with a high school player, take a player whose upside will provide you with a suitable return. Kozma is a nice player with a soft swing that’s not going to generate power; he throws the bat at the ball and extends his arms way too early, and gets his weight out front early as well. I know the beta on an 18-year-old is really high, but if you offered me an over/under of .400 on his MLB career slugging percentage and forced me to choose, I’d take the under. That said, he plays a good shortstop and people love his makeup, so he has a low chance of providing a zero return.