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Craig Edwards FanGraphs Chat--9/3/2020
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bomber bats
2:40
so the yanks don't look too good right now..........
Craig Edwards
2:43
It's really difficult to put a season like this in perspective. If this were a regular July and the Yankees had won 57% of their games but had some injuries and a small losing streak, would we even hear much about it. They've won four of their last 6 before losing seven in a row before winning six in a row. The Yankees are just a wild ride this year.
Franimal
2:44
I'm the mvp this year and it's not even close.
Craig Edwards
2:46
Sorry. You have to play better defense with a 156 wRC+ in a shortened season. Even among bat-only players, Nelson Cruz, Luke Voit, and Jose Abreu are having better seasons. https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=al&qual=y&...
Chamaco
2:46
With some of the Marlins prospects acquired via trade making their debuts (Sixto, Harrison, Chisholm), how does their recent fire sale look now?
Craig Edwards
2:49
It's still crazy to think they could have Stanton, Yelich, Ozuna, and Realmuto all on the same team the past three seasons. Overall, it still doesn't look good because of the amount of talent they gave up. Stanton they obviously took a hit on the return with his no-trade, but you would think you might have 16 prospects that turn into 5-8 regulars, and that still isn't close to happening yet.
Guest
2:50
Who is Brad Miller and why is he so enfuego?
Craig Edwards
2:51
I don't know for sure. Maybe he's lulling teams into a false sense of security by only swinging at 50% of pitches in the strike zone and then he just occasionally smacks one deep.
Bullpen or Stable?
2:52
Have we seen Adames turn the corner into one of the best shortstops in MLB?
Craig Edwards
2:54
Probably not. He's got a .458 BABIP and the statcast numbers say he's a lot closer to an average hitter. That's good, but it is more Paul DeJong good than Bogaerts, Story, Semien, Lindor.
DJ
2:55
Are there other Jake Cronenworth's in the prospect universe that we don't know about yet? If so, how do we find them?
Craig Edwards
2:57
Yes, there are. It's one of the reasons Carson Cistulli now works for a team. Finding diamonds in the rough is great for organizations and they make for compelling baseball stories as fans as well. As far as finding them, it is a mix of finding stats that might lead to future success if other talents are unlocked and determining how likely a player is to unlock them.
Marko from Tropoja
2:57
On a scale from Hampton/Price (1) to Kershaw (extension)/Scherzer (10), how do you see the Cole and Strasburg deals working out?
Craig Edwards
2:59
I think that's not a good characterization of the Price deal given he had one very good season, one decent season, two decent half seasons and played an important role on a World Series winning team, but I think Strasburg is probably 3-4 while Cole is more like 6-7.
Armadillofury
3:00
Does pitcher WAR include their hitting and fielding?
Craig Edwards
3:00
It does not, however, you can click on the batting link for any pitcher and find it out. For example: https://www.fangraphs.com/players/zack-greinke/1943/stats?position=PB
3:01
We also have a combined leaderboard that does account for pitcher batting, though it isn't super-useful this season. https://www.fangraphs.com/warleaders.aspx?season=2020&team=all
3:02
it does allow you to pick a runs-based version of WAR or a 50/50 blend of FIP and runs-based for pitchers if you want.
V2micca
3:02
More proof of the Myth of protection. Marcel Ozuna is Currently the hottest clean up hitter that Freddie Freeman has ever had batting behind him. Freeman is currently setting a career high walk rate.
Craig Edwards
3:03
Yes, "protection" only works in the sense that after a walk, which is a hitter skill as well as for pitchers, runs get scored because the protector hitter is also good.
clh2011
3:04
Kirilloff, Kelenic, Vaughn, Rutchman & J. Rodriguez - odds on each being on major league rosters in April 2021 ?
Craig Edwards
3:05
I think it is probably pretty low for all of those guys if you are talking about opening day. By the end of the month, I think Rutschman, Vaughn would be most likely, with Kelenic and Kiriloff further down with Rodriguez further than that.
Guest
3:06
Was there some preseason memo to all the booths to not talk about the astros cheating and how their current hitting slump might be legit
Craig Edwards
3:07
I think most of the players are still hitting pretty well, with the exception of Altuve. Not having Alvarez hurts as well. They are basically hitting at 2018 levels, just not at 2017 or 2019 levels.
Scotty
3:08
how are you feeling about Kwang Hyun Kim? Legit or just lucky?
Craig Edwards
3:09
The 0.83 ERA is partially luck. He's going to have to strike out more batters to keep pitching at a decent level because the homer rate, strand rate, and BABIP aren't going to stay like this.
Gunther Centralperk
3:09
Do you buy into Kershaw’s velocity resurgence? If so, do you think he can win a CYA again?
Craig Edwards
3:10
It's definitely real, though it is still a couple ticks down from his prime. I wouldn't bet on him winning another Cy Young, but he has had trouble staying healthy and the increased velocity is a good sign that he's healthier than he's been in a while.
AstrosTrashCans
3:11
Hi Craig, wondering what your thoughts are on two Red Sox developments: How legit is Verdugo, do you think the Red Sox made out well in the trade? He's been having an All-Star caliber season so far, leading the team in WAR and several offensive categories. Additionally, there's been chatter in Boston media (which is notoriously reactive and short-sighted) that Marcell Ozuna's performance at Fenway this past series highlights that he's a good player for Boston (based on some brief glances at his spray chart, that seems to be true). Should the Sox target him this offseason knowing that they will likely need to plug some holes in the outfield?
Craig Edwards
3:14
I think the Red Sox did well in terms of value in the trade getting Downs and Verdugo and having the Dodgers take on half of Price's contract. I question why they would ever need to get that kind of value from one of the best player's in baseball given their financial situation. Ozuna would be a solid target for a lot of teams. I liked him as a bounceback guy heading into last offseason so I'm not totally surprised at how he's hitting. It might take him a really long time to learn to play left in Boston, though.
That's all I've got time for today. Thanks for all the questions.
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