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Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat – 8/19/25
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next for HoF?
1:02
Sorry, probably an often asked question, but now that Hodges, Santo, Allen, Oliva, etc are in, who do you see as the best or most deserving to get in via committee?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:04
Among AL and NL guys, it's Bonds and Clemens. If you want to look past PED-linked guys, I'd still say Whitaker and Grich on performance but would probably put Curt Flood above them for his sacrifice towards ending the reserve clause.
Your Name
1:04
The Pirates currently have no players with a wRC+ of 100 or above. Not even someone who went 1 for 1 and got hurt for the real, or someone who started hot and got traded at the deadline (hypothetical examples). Has any team finished a year with 0 players putting up an at least average wRC+?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:08
Somebody noted yesterday they didn't have a single above-average hitter and I meant to check that. It's much easier to do with OPS+, where among post-integration teams the 1980 Mariners, 1981 Twins, and these Pirates have just 1 guy with 1 PA and an OPS+ of 11 (Liover Peguero, in 58 PA for the Bucs)
I can't find any with 0 such players going back to 1900 or 1871 though.
Guest
1:08
Do you have Larry Lucchino on your HOF radar?  Lots to like there, from ballpark revivals to mentoring to championships and charitable endeavors...
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:10
no, because he was a business-side guy who never served as a GM. Those types generally haven't been rewarded with Hall consideration, at least not lately.
MF Luder
1:10
Does Carlos Rodon start in a Yankees playoff series?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:11
if they get there and he's healthy, i don't see how they couldn't start him
1:12
I don't even get why that's a question, the guy has a 3.25 ERA and 3.85 FIP and unlike Max Fried, he hasn't stunk on ice lately.
SDG
1:12
Has Kyle Tucker hurt his free agency?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:14
all of those people talking about Tucker getting $400 million or more are kind of quiet now, aren't they? He's in a slump but I think he'll be fine. More in the $200-million contract area (as ZiPS suggested https://blogs.fangraphs.com/kyle-tuckers-walk-year-is-off-to-a-strong-...) than the $400 million one, though.
Jon
1:14
Why won't the MLBPA at least entertain a cap-and-floor system that sets total player share of revenue higher than its current level? Concerns over manipulation of baseball revenue? Is it that the PA weighs superstars more than the younger/middle-class types who would benefit? Something else I'm missing?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:17
Because the math doesn't work for the players, particularly if the owners won't go for a floor.

As Joe Sheehan pointed out, the only leagues that have cap-and-floor systems are one where the owners have basically broken the union. The MLBPA isn't as strong as it once was but it's far more powerful than the NFL, NBA or NHL unions.
Insert Witty Name Here
1:17
Fangraphs @ 20! What’s your fondest and what’s your weirdest moment working for the site?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:22
My fondest memories of FG are the times we can get together as a group, most notably the winter meetings and our 2021 November AFL trip. The 2019 winters, where our fancy staff dinners kept getting interrupted by major free agent signings that forced one of us to leave mid-meal were memorable; there was a funny moment in the one that didn't, where Dan Szymborski and I ordered ridiculously expensive Old Fashioneds on the company dime, that I've recounted elsewhere. Will try to dig up that link post-chat instead of retelling it here.

The early months of the pandemic were absolutely surreal. Getting a crash course in the KBO and suddenly getting to be on ESPN because of our coverage — that was weird as hell.
I know you've...
1:23
...probably answered this before, but I can't find any reference, so I'll ask (again). Why do you use bWAR as the default in your HOF discussions? Bonus: Does anyone at fGRAPHS give you crap for that?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:25
I've never been satisfied with fWAR as a long-term historical measure, as it seems to break down in low-HR, low-strikeout environments such as the Dead Ball era. When I was hired, David Appelman and I agreed that I'd never have to move JAWS to fWAR-based if I didn't want to. We've played around with an fJAWS behind the scenes but aside from framing-inclusive catcher stuff, it's unofficial.
Nasty Nate
1:26
Why don't we talk about Eovaldi's season more? Lack of electric stuff in his age 35 season? DeGrom a sexier name to talk about on the same team? I was watching one of his recent starts and the announcers mentioned he was calling his own game. Surely that adds cool points! I know underlying metrics indicate he is getting a bit lucky, but he's still pitching his brains out.
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:27
he's worth a look! I think i'll put a claim in on writing about him soon — I'm not really sure what's going on there yet.
Slew(Seattle)
1:27
Would Kenny Lofton get your HOF vote?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:27
yes, in a vacuum. Would depend who he's alongside on an Era Committee ballot, though.
Bobby Jenks, on the roster
1:29
Kyle Tucker:  hurt, or just the coldest thing since Vanilla Ice and Cleveland Spiders?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:30
Vanilla Ice and the Cleveland Spiders sounds like the 1890s/1990s mashup we need.
BumpHadley
1:30
Thanks so much for creating JAWS. One of my favorite things to do is look at JAWS broken down by position. In general, finishing in the top 15-20 in JAWS means a guy is a surefire Hall of Famer. Over the last few years, we've seen the Veterans' Committee putting in guys like Parker and
Baines who fall outside the top 30. If you were voting and had to choose, what retired players who fall outside the top 30 would you consider voting for?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:32
Flood (46th in CF) tops the list. There are a lot of decent starting pitcher candidates outside the top 30 of course
1:34
Strictly on performance... Stanton is 36th in RF (40.9 JAWS) and has work to do to get to 30th (Brian Giles at 44.2) but I'd like to see him make it to 500 and into the Hall.
Ok folks, that's it from me for this week. Thanks so much for stopping by! We'll do this again soon.
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