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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 1/15/16
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Cory S.
10:23
Can some of Boston's pitching woes last year be attributed to their sudden mess at catcher to start the year? They had an old guy new to the team, a young guy new to the team and a younger guy who was a rookie.
Jeff Sullivan
10:23
I imagine it was a definite factor. Hard to quantify, but I don't want to underrate the importance of the C/P relationship
Jack Glasscock's Cup
10:27
If Bryce Harper had remained at catcher, how much MLB service time would he have now?
Jeff Sullivan
10:27
The youngest regular or semi-regular catcher from the last several decades was Ivan Rodriguez, who was 19
10:28
Rodriguez played his first year of affiliated baseball at 17. Harper was 18
Just based on that, let's have Harper hypothetically debut at 20
The bat forces him up, like with Schwarber, even when the defense isn't quite ready yet
10:29
So right now we'd have Harper a little below 3 years of service, instead of a little below 4
Zonk
10:30
$4 mil for Alexei Ramirez? He's isn't great, but that's a pittance. Doesn't that indicate the Padres weren't bidding against anyone? Which by extension, isn't that worrisome for Ian Desmond and Howie Kendrick?
Jeff Sullivan
10:30
Ramirez is 34, and last year he was terrible. Desmond is 30, with a better peak, and Kendrick is 32, with greater consistency. Different tiers of players
Mike
10:31
I was just in Vegas and the Cubs were 3/2 to win the NL. On a scale of 1-10 how ridiculous is that?
Jeff Sullivan
10:31
I don't understand much about odds because I've never been a gambler, but if that means what I think that means, you should not bet that
10:32
Take the Dodgers, as long as they're being underrated
Andrew
10:32
Astros should sign Upton, right? (1) Gomez & Rasmus gone after '16; (2) Correa/Springer/Altuve still dirt cheap (more payroll flexibility now than later); (3) Upton/Rasmus better DH option (with more defensive flexibility) than Gattis, who becomes expendable; (4) Upton still only 28. Make sense?
Jeff Sullivan
10:33
They're a fit. I could even see them trade Gomez
Out of my way, Gyorkass!
10:33
What's your take on the Chris Correa/Cardinals hacking situation? Do you think MLB steps in and dishes out a punishment to the organization? If so, how severe? One would think that with MLB having grandstanded heavily on the issue of PEDs and the integrity of the game, to be consistent with that ethos, they need to punish the Cardinals, right?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
I expect the Cardinals to get hit pretty hard. This will be a precedent-setter, for all teams and all sports, and it's almost impossible to believe Correa kept that information to himself. I'd think the Cardinals should anticipate they'll be out a few high draft picks
10:35
Which would be just. I don't pay much attention but I feel like NFL teams lose draft picks all the time for disciplinary reasons. Now it's the Cardinals' turn
TF Fredrik
10:35
Do you ever see a day when the average fan will understand how much volatility, uncertainty, & luck there are/is in sports?
Jeff Sullivan
10:36
More people probably understand it than you think. But that kind of makes the experience less fun. I don't think the average fan will ever highly prioritize being "right" about sports, because it's just sports. Fans will enjoy them in whatever way they find to be most entertaining
Dinger
10:37
Is there any reason for optimism on catcher Tony Sanchez, or has that ship sailed?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
He's four months away from being 28. The ship is out there on the horizon. Better be a fast swimmer
el crapo
10:38
any expectations at all for Michael Saunders this year?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
With a good knee, I like him as a slightly above-average corner outfielder, who needs a good fourth outfielder behind him
10:39
Full disclosure: I've always loved Michael Saunders
J
10:39
Ignoring sustainability, which pitching combo would you consider the most effective: high K% and high GB%, high K% and low BB%, or low BB% and high GB%?
Jeff Sullivan
10:40
Give me high K% and high GB%. Almost impossible to not be a good pitcher that way
10:42
Doesn't mean you're up on the Kershaw or Felix tier, but you're in the neighborhood
<>
10:42
Let's say that every major-league player becomes a free agent tomorrow. What would that do to contracts?
Jeff Sullivan
10:43
Amount of money spent on players would remain basically the same, so you'd just have it distributed differently. Top salaries come down
10:44
Once you have those pre-arb players suddenly available on the market, that changes everything
Sean P
10:44
What other teams other than the Rangers do you think could match up with the Brewers in a deal for Lucroy?
Jeff Sullivan
10:44
Nationals, Astros
The Cincinnati Kid
10:44
Couldn't teams hide a defensive liability in the OF by swapping LF-RF for hitters that have profiles that lead to one side or the other on balls in play? It seems like this is a wrinkle to "the shift" that teams are using/exploiting
Jeff Sullivan
10:45
Yeah, I've wondered about this for years. Seems simple. Kind of annoying, but simple
Maybe the benefit gets erased by the outfielders getting tired from constantly jogging back and forth
If they don't jog, then they're walking really slow and fans would freak out
Kevin
10:46
After reading August's article on Britton's blown saves and watching him all year as well, I was wondering whether for a guy like Britton it may make sense to play the infield in more often (eg. when a fast slap hitter is up)?
Jeff Sullivan
10:46
With a guy like Britton it probably makes sense to play five infielders. He's so extreme. If it makes sense for anyone, it makes sense for Britton
GSon
10:46
Reasonable expectations from Mike Napoli in 2016.. 400 AB's.. 20/80; .265/.340/.440?
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