JotCast | Chat With MLBTR's Steve Adams: 4/22/19

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Steve Adams

4:14

He may also have won games with that same tactic over the past couple of years. Even Snell, as great as he was in 2018, had these splits:

4:16

1st time facing opponent: .159/.237/.247
2nd time: .172/.249/.283
3rd time: .226/.293/.436 (148 plate appearances)

You're talking a jump from a .484 OPS to a .729 OPS -- it's not insignificant.

JAK

4:16

When does Forrest Whitley get the call? You think he'll move in to the rotation or be best used out of the pen?

Steve Adams

4:17

Doubt it'll be any time soon. They'll want him to get some work in at Triple-A. It's hard to see him having a starter's workload down the stretch. Maybe they want that to be the case, but if they're looking at somewhere not too far north of 100 IP -- he had 52 between the regular season and AFL last year -- it's hard to see him in the rotation late in the year.

Cards

4:17

Think Alex Reyes will step up for us and be a starter?

Steve Adams

4:18

Guy has never thrown 120 innings in a professional season. I wouldn't bet on him until he proves he can do otherwise.

Tax

4:19

Compared to the NFL and NHL, why is there so much less talk of differing state income tax rates when players are choosing their free agent destinations? For example, can Tampa recruit players more cheaply because of low taxes in Florida?

Steve Adams

4:19

Salaries in MLB tend to be way larger, particularly in terms of guaranteed money. Not sure how much that plays into things, but I have to imagine it's some kind of component.

Pitching limits

4:20

Why do we still speak of innings pitched per year instead of pitches thrown, when assessing how many pitches a young pitcher can be expected to contribute?

Steve Adams

4:21

Generally speaking, I agree, we should be talking about the number of high-stress, competitive pitches and looking at the pitcher's workload as a whole. Even a bullpen session takes some kind of toll on an arm. Throwing 30 pitches, even if it's not max effort, is still throwing 30 pitches.

For the purposes of this chat, when I'm trying to answer as many questions as I can quickly, innings is a good simple number to track. That's also an easy, digestible number for GMs and the like to throw out to the media/to fans. I would wager that internally, things are tracked far more closely.

Tim Anderson

4:22

Let the kids play right? What is wrong with a little bat flip or arm pump? Do you have an issue with the kids?

Steve Adams

4:25

I have more of an issue upholding the meatheaded "HE'S DISRESPECTING THE GAME AND SHOWING UP THE PITCHER" tropes. Anderson was trying to fire up his teammates, and if Keller took exception to it, I'd have zero issues with him doing a damn backflip off the mound following a strikeout of Anderson. In fact, I'd welcome it.

More emotion, less hucking 95 mph projectiles at people. I know the pitcher is never going to aim for the head or for a guy's wrist, but we see pitchers miss by 2 feet when they're trying to throw a strike, don't we? At some point some guy's going to take a pitch to the dome or break his hamate or kneecap -- and why? Because some pitcher was too sensitive when the guy flipped his bat? Who really needs to grow up in this situation? It's not the guy hitting the dinger as far as I'm concerned.

4:27

Yankees just signed Brad Miller to a minor league deal -- I'm going to call this for the week and go write that up. Tim will chat tomorrow at 2pm-ish CT. Hopefully you'll all join him for that! Jeff's up on Thursday and Mark will chat Sunday. I'm on Twitter @Adams_Steve for more questions/comments/insults if you are so inclined. Have a good week everyone!

WOAH WOAH WOAH CALM DOWN!!!

4:27

I agree with your assessment on the bat flip. No need to get heated though! I'm worried you might start throwing punches in a second.

Steve Adams

4:27

Ha! Heated answer not directed at you

Just a topic that I feel strongly about. :)

4:28

OK now I'm done for realz. Have a good week everyone!

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