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Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat - 7/25/19
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AvatarJay Jaffe
1:38
I wasn't taking the 95-97 part literally, particularly in comparing them to the Indians. Both had incredible 1995-2001 runs, though at least CLE got to the World Series twice.
Woogie
1:38
The Montreal Expos with Pedro, Vlad Sr. and a host of other talent...thanks Strike year
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:39
Vlad didn't debut until 1996 or become a regular until '97 but Larry Walker was a big part of that 1994 team.
TarzanStretch
1:39
Friends and I were talking about Trout possibly being the best hitter ever.  But then I looked at Ted Williams stats and the guy raked through two wars and pre/post color barrier.  Are there some valid ways to compare across eras?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:40
i mean, that's what wRC+ (or OPS+) and WAR are for, in part — to provide a context-neutral means of comparing players.
JustCurious
1:40
How accurate are historical defensive metrics? I have a hard time buying that Ruth was a better defender then Ted Williams
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:42
I mean, we don't have ABSOLUTE answers, but based upon the Total Zone system, Ruth was about 110 runs better than Williams defensively over the course of the two players' careers. Ruth's alternation of outfield corners based on the sun and other factors, and Williams contending with the Fenway Park wall — those are confounding factors. But any h2h comparison also needs to remember that Ruth was a hell of a pitcher before becoming the game's top slugger.
James
1:43
How close do you think Angels are to be legitimate world series contenders? If they pick up another top tier arm in addition to the return of Ohtani could they contend as early as next year?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:44
Their lack of elite pitching leads me to say nowhere close. I think a healthy, well-built version of this Angels core can contend for a playoff spot, but so long as Pujols is dragging them down with his lousy performance and huge contract, they're going to be hampered.
Brian
1:45
How much of a component is race in HOF election?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:48
Far less now than in the past. I can't even begin to figure out what the hell was going on with the voters' reception of Larry Doby, who polled below 5% in 1966-67 and wasn't even included on the 1968 ballot despite the fact that the actual 5% rule didn't come into existence until 1979.
1:50
OK folks, the banh mi has arrived, and I'm too hungry to eat and type at the same time. I'll be back next week to discuss the deadline fallout and so forth. until then, have a great one!
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