You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Dave Cameron FanGraphs Chat
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Fro
12:40
I get Moncada is down to save another year of team control, but as soon as that date in May hits (May 12th or 13th I believe) do you think he is called up unless he's struggling down in AAA?
Dave Cameron
12:40
He's not a finished product. A half-season in Triple-A won't hurt him.
Doug
12:40
Betts, Bogaerts and Benintendi
Dave Cameron
12:40
Oh, yeah, there's another pretty good under-25 group.
EvanC
12:40
So you prefer Contreras to Schwarber or Baez?
Dave Cameron
12:40
Yes.
Matt
12:41
Chances Baez (or Schwarber) finish the season on the South Side, and Quintana is in Cubby blue?
Dave Cameron
12:41
0.
Sonny
12:41
Arrieta looked off and Cubs have little SP depth, how strong is the urge to scream 'this is why the Dodgers had a higher projected win total!!!'? you know, if you were the screaming type
Dave Cameron
12:42
Arrieta and Lester both way down in velo in first starts. I wouldn't freak out yet, as it's easy to imagine a scenario where the team has prepped guys to back off a bit early in the season in order to save bullets for the end of the year.
But if they're both still down several mph in a month, yeah, it's an issue.
NYtoLA
12:43
Re: Spin rate. Is that something that can be taught? Would think that most would try and go for high spin rate if possible.
Dave Cameron
12:43
From what we know right now, spin seems to be innate.
Pitching
12:44
As it's Chris Sale day in Boston, what is the single trait that makes Sale so dominant?
Dave Cameron
12:44
Command. The stuff is very good, but he puts it where he wants it.
Paul
12:44
I remember you saying that Quintana is "alot" better than Teheran. But I see Julio owns a better career ERA, WHIP, and K/9, I don't see a big gap at all.
Dave Cameron
12:45
Those are bad measures of pitcher value. Also, adjust for park/league.
Al
12:45
In a world where no one hit a ball at Andrelton Simmons all season, he'd rate awfully by the defensive metrics, correct?
Dave Cameron
12:45
No, he'd rate as average.
Erik
12:46
Is being able to throw multiple innings as a reliever a specific skill, or mostly just a function of how your manager uses you?
Dave Cameron
12:46
You need to be able to get both RHPs and LHPs out.
That's a skill.
Erik
12:46
Are there teams out there waiting for the results of the Christian Bethancourt experiment before trying a similar one of their own, or are they evaluating whether or not to try something completely independently of how it works out in San Diego?
Dave Cameron
12:47
If something works, it becomes more accepted, but this is a trend not just in SD. Jordan Schafer was trying this in STL before his elbow blew out.
Colt Holt
12:47
Any idea on the breakeven point of creating more value in a multi inning reliever than mid rotation starter? It seems like the belief is still that Andrew Miller is less valuable than a true number 3...so what is the breaking point?
Dave Cameron
12:48
It's different in the regular season versus the postseason. A dominant multi-inning guy who throws ~80 innings in relief is probably a +3 WAR pitcher, so that's a #3 in how must people use that term. But once the postseason rolls around, that reliever is more valuable than any pitcher besides your ace.
Robin
12:48
Do you think that Wladimir Balentien would be successful if he came back stateside?
Dave Cameron
12:48
Do you consider Jorge Soler successful? Because he'd be that.
JJP
12:49
After reading the Angels farm report, I am sad. Is there anything you can say to cheer me up?
Dave Cameron
12:49
You have Mike Trout.
False Hope?
12:50
Patrick Corbin looked great in spring but looked pretty bad last night in his first real game. Is he the same old Patrick Corbin or is there hope for progress this year?
Dave Cameron
12:50
He has to figure out how to get RHBs out.
Until he does that, not sold.
JRuby
12:50
Regarding Trout or others on the 20-80 scale, I've heard that 50 is a purely average starter and every 10 points is about a standard deviation. So, a 60 player would be top 15% of all starters (maybe top 50 players in the league), a 70 player would be top 3% (top 10 or so), and an 80 would be top .3% (top 1 or 2 players in the league). Is that a useful way to think about it?
Dave Cameron
12:50
That's roughly correct.
CRW
12:51
Sorry, my ignorance of the scouting scale. I had this idea no one could be an 80. I guess because there are so very few. So were his tool appreciably different when you saw him and when he was drafted? Why was he not in the Harper category of hype (SI writing articles about him when he was 15)?
Dave Cameron
12:51
He played in New Jersey, where it was cold and he was harder to see play games than the California kids or the guys who play in the warm weather in the south.
Once everyone saw him playing against other recent draftees, it became clear pretty quickly that he was really good.
tristan
12:53
alexei ramirez used to eat a mayonaise between two krispy kreme donuts as a pregame snack...
Dave Cameron
12:53
He should have had them more often because he's still like 120 pounds.
Connecting…