JotCast | FanGraphs After Dark Chat

Paul Swydan

4:25

What is your strongest opinion on the TB-LA trade?

Friedman is just plundering his old team (1.5% | 4 votes)

TB did well to get De Leon (50.8% | 134 votes)

Boy do the Twins have egg on their face (38.6% | 102 votes)

Something else (9.1% | 24 votes)

Total Votes: 264

4:28

What do you think is Andruw Jones' biggest legacy in baseball?

His playing career (37.1% | 75 votes)

How he has inspired kids in Curacao/Aruba to play baseball (15.8% | 32 votes)

Hard to choose, they're both pretty great (47% | 95 votes)

Total Votes: 202

4:29

Will you be watching the World Baseball Classic?

Hell yes! (19.3% | 46 votes)

Probably (32.4% | 77 votes)

Meh (19.3% | 46 votes)

Probably not (18.9% | 45 votes)

Definitely not (8% | 19 votes)

What's the World Baseball Classic? (2.1% | 5 votes)

Total Votes: 238

4:33

Which movie would get your vote for Best Picture?

Arrival (13% | 29 votes)

Fences (1.8% | 4 votes)

Hacksaw Ridge (6.3% | 14 votes)

Hell or High Water (4.5% | 10 votes)

Hidden Figures (2.7% | 6 votes)

La La Land (11.7% | 26 votes)

Lion (1.3% | 3 votes)

Manchester By The Sea (4.9% | 11 votes)

Moonlight (5.4% | 12 votes)

Who cares what a group of 80-year-old men think? (48.4% | 108 votes)

Total Votes: 223

9:00

Hi everybody!

Dave in London

9:01

Love your chats Paul! Have you seen any studies on the success or failure of unusually tall hitters (6'5" or taller)? As an example, I've heard some analysts say that pitchers will prey on Judge because of his huge strike zone -- do you agree?

Paul Swydan

9:01

I think that's a natural thing to say. I can't specifically recall any studies on tall hitters, however. The study that always comes to mind when someone mentions height is Jeff's piece a couple years back on how short pitchers are underrated.

Doug

9:02

Better keeper in a 4X4 Roto league Samardzjia or Wei-Yin Chen?

Paul Swydan

9:02

Samardzija. As Sullivan said last week, AT&T really depresses those homers.

Jeff Z will be late tonight, by the way. He's coaching his daughter's basketball team.

Dave in London

9:02

From a fantasy perspective, thoughts on H. Kim? Not a lot of power and no speed, but he appears to be a solid hitter w/ good strike zone judgment -- a guy who can help a fantasy team's batting average. I've heard that the rap on him is that he hits too many grounders

Paul Swydan

9:03

Well, that's certainly a fair criticism. He hit more grounders than anyone else on the Orioles last year: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=200&type=2&season=2016&month=0&season1=2016&ind=0&team=2&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=5,d

9:04

And playing in that park, ground balls are certainly suboptimal. Having said that, I like Kim. I like him better in an AL-only league, but he's good enough to be a 4th OF in mixed leagues.

Maybe even a 3rd OF if your infield is strong.

Ben

9:04

Is the Braves' mission to build the best 84 win team in the history of baseball?

Paul Swydan

9:04

The Braves' mission is to appear respectable so the good people of Cobb County don't burn their new ballpark to the ground.

Andy

9:04

Puig or Benintendi in a keeper league?

Paul Swydan

9:05

Benintendi. It's not even clear that Puig is a starter at this juncture.

John

9:05

What do you think of maikel Franco? Is he more of 2015 or more of 2016?

Paul Swydan

9:05

More 2016.

njs

9:05

if you're the d'backs: would you rather have ty walker (and give up segura +) or jose de leon (straight up for segura)?

Paul Swydan

9:06

Well, I don't know that that is a fair comp, because the Dodgers probably had no interest in trading with the Dbacks.

I'd consider the two pitchers to be essentially a wash. From the Dbacks perspective (aka including salaries), probably De Leon is more desirable.

Blue

9:06

As great as Andruw Jones was, he needs another category for us Dodger fans. After signing a 2-year, 32 million dollar contract in 2008, he put up a 38 wRC+ and -1.1 WAR before being cut next January. He was great elsewhere, but he legacy in LA is one of frustration and disappointment.

Paul Swydan

9:07

Certainly it wasn't his finest hour, but I trust you to evaluate his career outside of that two-year context.

Alex Billy MaysJones

9:07

What kids of fruit would you put on opposite sides of a pen?

Paul Swydan

9:07

Wha?

CA Poke

9:07

What's your opinion of moving Strasburg to an Andrew Miller type roll? The Nats currently don't have a closer and this could prolong his career. I realize his salary is that of a starter, but if he gets hurt he is getting paid regardless.

Paul Swydan

9:07

I think asking a pitcher who gets hurt when his rest schedule is totally predictable is a poor candidate for a rest schedule that is unpredictable.

Sterling Malory Chris Archer

9:08

I'll be on a first date tonight and miss the chat. I think an extra poll should be how will it end up? A) Troutian where I'm smooth in all aspects of my game B ) Ryan Howard-esque where I'm too old and still striking out or C) Joey Bats Style where she didn't really want me except on an expensive one date deal?

Paul Swydan

9:08

No need, I'm sure the answer is A!

DJ Kitty

9:08

Rays seem to like guys who throw high in the zone taking the good (k's) with the bad (hr's). Any reason to think part of reason they valued De Leon more than Twins?

Paul Swydan

9:08

No, I think it probably had more to do with a more realistic valuation of Forsythe.

Travis

9:09

George Brett or Chipper Jones? Andruw Jones or Jim Edmonds? Freddie Freeman or Mark Teixeira? Dale Murphy or JD Drew?

Paul Swydan

9:09

Brett, Andruw, Teixeira, Murphy

Scott

9:09

Is defense cumulative? i.e., does having more good defenders make each of them better? How good do they have to be to trigger such an effect?

Paul Swydan

9:10

That's a good question. I know Jesse Wolfersberger has found that this is true of hitters. I do not know if the same is true of fielders though. http://www.hardballtimes.com/the-exponential-nature-of-offense/

Dakota McKee

9:10

Is Mike trout the last Jedi?

Paul Swydan

9:10

No, Mookie Betts is the last Jedi. Trout is next-to-last.

Stan

9:10

In a Score Sheet keeper league, looking at my 13th keeper slot. Is J Profar's potential worth more than K Morales in 2017 and beyond. Realizing Profar doesn't actually have a position to play.

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