JotCast | Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat

Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat - 1/6/20

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Jay Jaffe

1:19

yes, quite clearly. MVP (and annual down-ballot consideration), ROY, 2 championships, perennial All-Star, multiple Gold Gloves. He made the mistake of not getting along with the media before dying young, and that has really torpedoed his chances

Guest

1:19

As a NYY guy, thoughts about how Clemens' bat-throwing incident affects his legacy?

Jay Jaffe

1:20

i get a good laugh out of it when i see the tabloid covers hanging at Foley's. Mets fans will always hate him. Yankees fans are glad he helped them win a couple.

Three Fingers Brown

1:20

Is there room for the proverbial intangibles in the JAWS system? If not, should there be?

Jay Jaffe

1:21

JAWS is a tool to help a voter, not a vote unto itself. There's plenty that it doesn't cover — postseason, awards, historical context, PED usage — whose value and weighting vary from voter to voter.

Guest

1:21

You seem a bit dismissive of people who prefer longevity over peak; care to comment?

Jay Jaffe

1:23

Not dismissive, just understanding of the reality, especially as to how it goes down in those committee discussions and in ballot explainers. Longevity clearly outweighs peak in the minds of most voters.

Cheating Expert

1:23

Still not sure if you mean cornball sentimentality or actual corn, as Field of Dreams has a ton of both.

Jay Jaffe

1:24

I meant the sentimentality. I like corn on the cob.

v2micca

1:24

Regarding the Canadian question, do Freddie Freeman count, or do they need to be born in Canada to qualify for the list?

Jay Jaffe

1:24

I was going by players born in Canada.

Gumbo Watkins

1:24

Is Ichiro #4 in the top 5 leadoff hitters?

Jay Jaffe

1:28

I'd have to think he's a candidate. Would need to think how I define it though, esp as to how long a player lasted at the spot and how important SB% is. Molitor, Boggs, Ashburn, Biggio, Combs, Stan Hack — most of those guys would draw consideration along with those mentioned.

Happy New Year, etc.

1:28

Any recommendations for trying to find out the status of a guy who was DFA'd two weeks ago? Google refuses to help. Is it possible he's still in limbo, or is it just that no news has been made public?

Jay Jaffe

1:29

If he was DFA'd 2 weeks ago it would have resolved by now, since a player needs to be put on waivers, traded, released or outrighted within 7 days.

Cashman, Brian

1:29

Me again. Am I a Hall of Fame GM?

Jay Jaffe

1:29

most definitely

Trent

1:29

What's your prediction for how many minor league teams will in fact be eliminated in the next PBA?

Jay Jaffe

1:29

20ish, maybe even 30 (one per team?) and more gradually.

Frustrated Grad Student

1:29

Atypical question here, but I'm a grad student struggling to write my thesis at a consistent pace. Any tips on how best to proceed with writing?

Jay Jaffe

1:31

good writing doesn't necessarily happen at a consistent pace, but you can usually find ways to make forward progress even when you're not at your sharpest. Like, spend some time on the gruntwork – organizing, notes, citations, etc — if you're not feeling it one day, or write from the middle of what you're going for instead of trying to take a linear tack. Writing is not a live broadcast, you can always cut and paste something into more coherent form later.

Sean

1:32

4/$110 for Donaldson a good deal for Braves/Twins?

Or is that woah, crazy crazy for a 34 year old?

Jay Jaffe

1:32

I think he gets something in that range but it does seem high for a guy with his injury history.

Ben

1:33

Which will be resolved first--the investigation and discipline regarding the Astros' sign-stealing scandal or Kris Bryant's grievance?

Jay Jaffe

1:33

I'd guess Bryant, by the end of this month, but that's a guess.

Scott

1:33

Did your views towards any of the players change when preparing this year's Hall of Fame materials?

Jay Jaffe

1:34

Well, I found room for Sheffield this time, though I'd generally always considered him to be a possibility down the road. Expected I'd be able to convince myself more firmly about Abreu but I just couldn't get there.

Gumbo Watkins

1:34

What do you think of retrospective catcher defensive WAR? Do you think we should be seriously considering players like Martin and McCann as HOF candidates? Do you think there should be a place in the HOF for extreme, freaky players? (see Jeff Sullivan post for more on most extreme players idea).

Jay Jaffe

1:35

I do think McCann and Martin deserve consideration alongside Molina. Have written about it in the past.

Bond, James Bond

1:35

Would you rather have root canal or watch the 2020 Orioles?

Jay Jaffe

1:35

Does watching the Orioles come with anaesthesia?

Matt

1:36

If the Yanks are to trade Frazier, what kind of return are we looking at? One would think some sort of a pitcher, but there aren't really any holes on the team large enough that would warrant a Frazier-sized trade, no?

Jay Jaffe

1:37

with the exception of the bullpen and maybe the bench, the Yankees' 25-man roster is so packed right now that I don't see them using Frazier for a significant 2020 piece so much as something that could have bigger value down the road

Trent

1:38

Which is the worse trade: the Reds trading away Frank Robinson the year before he won the Triple Crown, the MVP, and the World Series MVP? Or the Cardinals trading away Steve Carlton before he won the pitching Triple Crown, the Cy Young (and, in later years, three more Cy Youngs)?

Jay Jaffe

1:40

Both were pretty imbalanced, and the players the other team received had relatively short stays. I'd say the Robinson one was the bigger imbalance because of the success the Orioles enjoyed after acquiring him

Harvey Keitel

1:42

Is the pizza better in Brooklyn or the Bronx?

Jay Jaffe

1:42

I can't say I've had much Bronx pizza but I'm sure there's good stuff to be had there

mmddyyyy

1:42

Does your last name rhyme with cafe or coffee or taffy or something else?

Jay Jaffe

1:42

Jaffe like taffy

Ben

1:42

Between Ichiro and Beltre, who is more likely to be a unanimous Hall of Famer?

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