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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 2/5/16
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Sean P
10:28
Have you done any outdoors traveling in the Midwest? Where would you be most interested in visiting for an outdoors trip if you could go anywhere in the Midwest?
Jeff Sullivan
10:28
gotta think Black Hills or Badlands
maybe those are too obvious?
Phineas J Whoopee
10:29
I heard Orlando Cepeda interviewed during a Giants game and they showed a clip of him swinging a 40 oz, 36" bat. He said he didn't swing a lighter bat because his bat speed was too fast. Obviously most pitchers throw harder now but are there players today with 80 bat speed who would benefit (i.e. gain power) by using a bigger bat?
Jeff Sullivan
10:30
This is difficult to answer for a couple reasons -- one, we don't really know what players swing, and two, guys with extreme bat speed already have power, because of the bat speed
Someone commented the other day that Billy Burns showed a little more power after starting to use a heavier bat. But then, it's not like Burns put on a laser show or anything
10:31
I'd like to see Ichiro try to swing a super heavy bat, just because
Maybe that would've been more fun a decade ago
Q-Ball
10:31
The Yankees situation also shows how important the farm system is, doesn't it? The great Yankee teams of the early 00's was really built on a foundation of home grown talent. Who do they have now? Gardner? Betances? I think Gardner is the last good position player they developed, and he is 32. Thoughts?
Jeff Sullivan
10:32
Help is starting to show up, as they've put more focus on the farm, but Bird getting injured doesn't improve matters at all
Nick
10:32
Do you think it's tougher to win multiple gold gloves now with the defensive statistics being developed? In the past it might've been easier for a formerly great defender to grab a couple on reputation. Now there are measures, although admittedly imperfect ones.
Jeff Sullivan
10:32
Yeah, with reputation in large part removed, it'll be tougher to be a career Gold Glover
Raindog
10:32
Orioles still need one more basically competent OF/DH and one more basically competent SP. The best solutions to these problems are....?
Jeff Sullivan
10:35
I think Lincecum would be really interesting. And if they're going to stay low-key then I'd take a flier on Will Venable and then re-evaluate in a few months if he's not working out. But I think there's still something left in his bat
BK
10:36
Do you agree it would be wise for the Jays to send Osuna down and work him into the rotation now? His Fastball/Change/Slider mix feels like a starter to me.
Jeff Sullivan
10:37
I think they're stuck, because he's pretty important. If they want to try Osuna as a starter down the road, they should plan ahead of time, notify all parties involved, and get him on a winter throwing program. I don't think this is a decision you make close to ST
greg
10:38
My friends and I are finally going to spring training this year. Is there going to be anything FG related going on in Phoenix/Scottsdale around the fourth week of March?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
This year we're actually not making an Arizona trip. Sorry!
Zonk
10:38
Pitcher and Catchers are reporting in two weeeks. How about the 3 remaining QO guys? Can you project a home for Fowler, Desmond, Gallardo? Seems like the teams with needs are on record as saying they won't surrender a draft pick.
Jeff Sullivan
10:39
Just guessing here, I'll put Desmond on the Rays, Fowler on the White Sox, and Gallardo on the contender that first suffers a spring-training rotation injury
10:40
However, the White Sox also make sense for Desmond. In that event, I'm not sure they also make room for Fowler, although maybe they could do it if Desmond settled for one year and they got someone to take Adam LaRoche
Phineas J Whoopee
10:41
If both the player and team agreed, could a player have an Aug. 1st opt-out written into his contract? I'm thinking of Cliff Lee, who would benefit from such a clause, which would force his team to trade him to a contender at the deadline; and the team, a bottom-feeder, would benefit from getting prospects in return. Salary might be incentive-heavy, which wouldn't pay until after the season, i.e. by the team that trades for him, not the bottom-feeder. Thoughts?
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
Pretty sure that can't be written into a contract. There could be a "mutual understanding" in theory, but then that would require a lot of trust on Lee's part, and maybe he just wouldn't want to have to move a few months into the year, this close to retirement
Alex
10:43
Can Jorge Mateo be the Yankees shortstop version of Jose Altuve?
Jeff Sullivan
10:43
If you're trying for a direct comparison, Altuve always had better bat-to-ball skills
Mateo's advantage is he could conceivably be a shortstop long-term
Jeff
10:43
If I remember correctly you took a trip to Patagonia last year during spring training. Anything planned to get away from spring training this year?
Jeff Sullivan
10:44
Gonna go do another winter climb of St Helens at some point but this year's big trip isn't until November
Zonk
10:44
Fagerstrom had a good article on making a player out of Rusney Castillo. Can you make a player out of Yasmany Tomas? D-Backs need everything to work to contend, including him....
Jeff Sullivan
Phil
10:46
Does the signing of Gavin Floyd by Toronto mean Sanchez is now ticketed back to the 'pen?
Jeff Sullivan
10:46
I don't think Floyd does that, but I think Sanchez is returning to the pen regardless
Jared
10:46
What are you expecting from Tai Walker and Paxton this year? There's talk about Walker possibly taking a big step forward - are you buying that? And Paxton is coming off two injury curtailed seasons. Any hope for something more than solid and unspectacular?
Jeff Sullivan
10:47
I think Walker hits something of a plateau, and I think Paxton looks like a No. 3 given the chance. I don't love either's command but I've always been a bit of a Paxton optimist, despite his strike-throwing issues
10:48
I'd love to see him follow through on what he's said about using high fastballs
Phineas J Whoopee
10:48
I love FanGraphs but I'm still kinda rooting for the D-Backs to have a huge wire-to-wire championship season, just b/c of all the grief they've been taking. Does that make me a complete ignoramus?
Jeff Sullivan
10:48
Nah, root for whatever you want to root for. It's not like we have the game figured out
Craig in Chicago
10:49
LuCroy for Ramos, Roark, and Taylor. Trade K Davis for 3b help. Then, platoon Taylor / Nieu in CF?
Jeff Sullivan
10:50
I don't know what the market is at this point in the offseason for Khris Davis but the general outline works. Maybe bump Santana into some of that CF time instead of Nieuwenhuis
10:51
Also while Roark has his uses I'm sort of biased in favor of Blake Treinen and his power sinker
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