JotCast | Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 3/17/17

Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 3/17/17

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Jeff Sullivan

9:24

I don't think the Indians would have interest in a player as defensively limited as Smith

Big Tuna

9:25

Are Salazar's high walk numbers this spring a sign his elbow might still not be healthy or is he just always going to be very wild?

Jeff Sullivan

9:25

No one has ever confused Danny Salazar for a pitcher with pinpoint command

Matt Damon

9:26

Simple question. Will Kevil Pillar be a better hitter this year than any other year in the bigs?

Jeff Sullivan

9:26

I don't think so. I don't see enough upside in his approach

9:27

Does this spring training feel especially meaningless and draining? Or is it just me?

Jeff Sullivan

9:28

Spring training usually gets to exist in isolation. It's baseball, and there is no other baseball. This time around it's contrasted with the passion of the WBC. The WBC is great! And spring training is unwatchable

Not that spring training itself isn't a worthwhile destination for a week-long trip or whatever, but no one who even goes to spring-training games is closely watching the action

Legs Larry Smith

9:29

What are the chances that a new pitch (defined by a unique grip and/or arm motion) will be added to the current MLB repertoire? What would it likely look like? Which of the current pitches is the newest?

Jeff Sullivan

9:29

Realistically I don't think there's room for a new pitch. Everything has been tried. You could see pitch "comebacks" like with the screwball or the classic forkball, but all the achievable movement profiles already exist

BrotherMan

9:30

Is it irrational to credit Kiley with signing Bartolo and all the other Braves' successes and blame dinosaur FO members for the failures?

Jeff Sullivan

9:30

Yes but who cares

The Cincinnati Kid

9:30

Three players that have genuinely impressed you this Spring are: _________, _________, and shockingly, ____________.

Jeff Sullivan

9:30

Do you think I'm actually paying that close attention to spring training?

If you just mean recent baseball, then I suppose Drew Smyly, Manny Machado, and oh what the hell Bryce Harper

9:31

Machado and Harper were already super good. Smyly left me actually impressed

Matt

9:31

Where is the point where added fastball velocity has diminishing returns?

Jeff Sullivan

9:39

Jesus, sorry about that

Just had a massive power outage and couldn't get back online

That's a first!

9:40

Okay so back to the question from nine minutes ago

I think adding a tick probably makes the biggest difference somewhere around 89 or 90. So anything beyond that would technically show diminishing returns, but I don't think that's what you're asking about. Adding a tick is probably just about negligible close to 105 or 106

Jbo

9:41

What am I missing in Jason Castro's batted-ball profile that says "I'm a .220 hitter"?

Jeff Sullivan

9:41

It's not so much his batted-ball profile as it is his profile of limited batted balls in the first place

9:42

He strikes out almost a third of the time that he hits. Good luck turning that into batting .250

bosoxforlife

9:43

Seth Lugo had another fine start in the WBC. He keeps getting no love from the evaluators despite doing the job last year and having the great spin rate. Is he real?

Jeff Sullivan

9:43

He's fine. I don't think he's actually good yet as a big-league starting pitcher. No. 6 kind of guy

Johnny Walker Black

9:43

He is no longer on 40 man roster but what are the chances Byung Ho Park beats out Kennys Vargas for DH position coming out of ST for Minny? If he does, do you think he holds the position all season and how well do you expect him to perform?

Jeff Sullivan

9:44

So, I don't have inside Twins intel, but it does seem like Park has hit his way back into the picture. And I consider myself a Park optimist. But the fact that he was dropped like he was suggests that, even if he does win the job, he won't have much in the way of job security. If he struggled in April or May, he'd be out of a job again

Mike

9:45

Do you think Franklin Barreto will see major-league time this year?

Jeff Sullivan

9:45

Not enough to matter

Jordan

9:45

Have you been watching much WBC? Dominican reliever Enny Romero has impressed me, but then I look at the career BB/9...

Jeff Sullivan

9:45

Stuff, very clearly, isn't the question with him

Evil Goatee Jeff

9:45

What is your take on the Padres outfield?

Jeff Sullivan

9:45

Underrated, and underratedly interesting. It's not actually *good* good, not right now, but it could be

9:46

It's really easy to write the Padres off as an awful club, and the starting rotation is really quite dreadful. But the more I've looked at the position players, the more intrigued I've become

2-D

9:46

Do you think you can throw harder than Scott Kazmir right now?

Jeff Sullivan

9:46

I know that I cannot

The Cincinnati Kid

9:46

Is Ivan Nova legit in Pittsburgh? '16 2nd half looked great, this Spring looks even better

Jeff Sullivan

9:46

I think he's a zone-pounding No. 3.