JotCast | FanGraphs After Dark Chat

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Paul Swydan

9:45

I think Benintendi is the Opening Day left fielder and will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 PA, as he will lose some playing time to Chris Young. I think Moncada will be up after the Super 2 deadline passes, and will be the full-time starting third baseman by the end of the season, as Pablo Sandoval either is moved to first base/DH or is cut.

Brad

9:45

Would you stop being a Red Sox fan if Joe Maddon managed them?

Paul Swydan

9:45

No. I mean, I can't stand John Farrell either, in case you haven't noticed.

Van

9:45

As someone who works closely with baseball analytics, do you ever feel emotional about the game? I'd imagine it would be more difficult to see it as magical if you're constantly looking at the statistics but I don't know.

Paul Swydan

9:46

I still get emotional about awesome things, but much less so about bad losses and things like that. I'm able to put that behind me a lot quicker. To be honest though, I think that has just as much to do with being a dad and not being able to waste a weekend stewing about losses the way I did in 2003.

Noah

9:47

Why don't you like Joe Madden?

Paul Swydan

9:47

Because he thinks he's the smartest man alive and very clearly is not.

But the media CONSTANTLY treats him as such.

Magikarpet

9:47

What did you have for Thanksgiving dinner?

Paul Swydan

9:48

Oh, fun question. Turkey, obviously, and stuffing. But we usually also have mac and cheese, green beans, cranberry sauce, pineapple, pumpkin pie, and biscuits. Sometimes there is ham. It depends on who is doing the cooking these days, and where I am. That was the menu growing up when we had Thanksgiving at the same place every year though.

9:49

We also would have Kibbee, which is a Lebanese dish - we have it both raw and cooked - and meat and rice stuffed grape leaves, which are on the short list for the greatest dish in the history of the world.

Dank

9:49

Maddon is over rated. Contreras bat has to be in this lineup everyday.

Paul Swydan

9:50

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of personal catchers.

Zmccoy

9:50

Who's the best manager, in your opinion?

Paul Swydan

9:51

I don't think any one manager is consistently better than the rest of them. Managers simply don't have that much tangible effect on the game. They certainly have FAR less impact on the outcome than the coaches in basketball, football and hockey.

Russell

9:51

Now that we've some action, how long does Hill get to stay in?

Paul Swydan

9:52

I think they'll probably let him get to 100 pitches. He's only at 80. So he's got at least one more inning.

Mad macks

9:52

Does the fact that Osuna actively wants to be reserved for the closer role mean anything? Should the Blue Jays attempt to develop him as a starter anyway?

Paul Swydan

9:52

I think it's always a bad idea to let the inmates run the asylum. It's a moot point now, but I would have given him a season as a starter.

Slider

9:52

How many games do you expect the ALCS to last? Tribe shouldn't be favored in either of the next two games!

Paul Swydan

9:53

I'll say 6.

Brandon Eckley

9:53

Do you ever get bored of baseball?

Paul Swydan

9:53

Oh sure, all the time. But it's the thing in my life that is most consistently entertaining.

Rick

9:53

Do you find the Dodgers' or the Indians' resiliency in the face of starting rotation injury more impressive?

Paul Swydan

9:54

Both? I guess the Indians, if I have to choose. Kluber is good, but he's no Kershaw. The Dodgers know they at least have Kershaw.

Rick

9:54

Re: baseball and boredom--baseball is the single most boring game to watch for long stretches at a time, until, suddenly, it isn't; and then you're on your edge of your seat with every pitch

Paul Swydan

9:55

It's also the best sport to watch while you're doing something, which helps alleviate the boredom. It's hard to half-watch basketball, football or hockey, because the players are constantly in motion and it's harder to understand the context of each play if you're not paying attention.

Bobbi

9:55

What should the Blue Jays do with Osuna and Biagini? What will they probably do?

Paul Swydan

9:55

Nothing? I'm not sure I understand the question. Both are under contract for awhile.

Zmccoy

9:55

Where should Arrieta be drafted next year? Do you see command issues continuing?

Paul Swydan

9:56

His BB% this year is a lot closer to his career BB% than his 2015 performance was, so...

Lord above

9:56

How underrated is Nick Markakis?

Paul Swydan

9:57

Not at all underrated. He's been worth 2 WAR or more only one time in the last six seasons.

Madrid, Spain

9:57

Did you play baseball? If so, how long?

Paul Swydan

9:58

I played through Babe Ruth league, which in my area was the league after Little League. So, until 14-15. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I stopped playing once I realized I couldn't differentiate between a fastball and curveball. :-)

Zmccoy

9:58

Who is your fantasy MVP for '16 (taking where you drafted him into consideration)?

Paul Swydan

9:59

I only do auction drafts these days, but my fantasy MVPs in terms of cost consideration were drafting Mike Napoli ($3) and holding onto Jackie Bradley Jr. ($6). Both scored 800+ points for me in Ottoneu.

Clao

10:00

Do you see Mookie Betts repeating the power he's displayed this season?

Paul Swydan

10:00

I see him continuing it within the realm of how much power changes across the game, yes. In other words, if the ball was juiced, and it isn't next year, he'll come down some, but no more or less than anyone else would.

Vafaei

10:01

Why do catchers have big ol' booties?

Connecting…