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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 3/17/17
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Jeff Sullivan
10:32
But also Nola I guess because healthy Nola is outstanding
Cason Jollette
10:33
Do you think Sano will bounce back?
Jeff Sullivan
10:33
I think as he matures, he'll develop a fuller understanding of the strike zone, and his strikeouts will come down even as his contact rate remains bad
Naveen
10:33
Who was playing third base when you were campaigning on Justin Leone's behalf? Jeff Cirillo?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
And Scott god damned Spiezio
Brett W
10:34
Most likely to "blow it up" at the trade deadline: Miami, Arizona, Detroit, Kansas City, Baltimore, or Seattle?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
KC
Terry's Sarape
10:34
What, besides speed, are the biggest factors in an OF's high UZR?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
Throwing arm, I guess
Look what it just did for Adam Eaton
Nelson
10:34
I read a few things that said Quintana's performance in the WBC enhanced his trade value. Do you agree?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
He didn't need the help
R
10:35
If you think Bryce is a high 20s HR guy you've never seen him play.
Jeff Sullivan
10:35
In fairness he has exceeded 24 homers once
His career average is 26 homers per 600 PA
Joe
10:35
How has your enjoyment of the WBC been compared to what you expected going in?
Jeff Sullivan
10:35
I already liked the WBC, but it had been so long I needed a refresher course. It's so much fun
bosoxforlife
10:36
The Yankees appear to be improving rapidly but the Red Sox are already there. Who is going to hold the hammer between 2018-2021?
Jeff Sullivan
10:36
there's no way I can pretend to know what the league is going to look like in two to six years
The answer is probably both of them, because they are similarly resourced
Super Weenie Hut Jr.
10:36
Does it surprise you of the perception change in the WBC? It has gone to silly to must-watch postseason baseball in the preseason.
Jeff Sullivan
10:37
People who said it was silly were wrong. They just misunderstood the point
Kevin
10:37
Obviously either can work, but with Travis exploring the idea of Atlanta drafting a ton of pitchers to brace for attrition, it got me thinkin'. Which makes more sense: the Cubs' approach of developing young position players and then buying pitching, or the Mets' approach of developing young pitchers and then buying position players? Yes this is an over-simplification of those two teams' recent histories, but set that aside for now: which is better?
Jeff Sullivan
10:37
Always better to bet on young position players, and then go buy proven pitching. But in reality circumstances aren't that black and white; a good young position player and a good young pitcher are not equivalently easy to acquire
Maxamuz
10:37
Does Franco ever take the step forward to be a superstar?
Jeff Sullivan
10:37
Superstar? No
Nobody Knows
10:38
Who will be the most interesting Dodger to watch this year? Hill, Urias, Bellinger, Dayton, Seager, someone else?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
Hill is objectively the most interesting, but Seager is the best, so it's a matter of personal taste I suppose
Tim Tebow's Thunder Thighs
10:38
If the Braves have their eyes on competing in 2018 who do they target on the trade or free agent markets next winter?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
Someone Archer-y
Cason Jollette
10:38
Is health the only thing holding Stanton back at this point? Isn't improbable to consider a young hitter injury prone?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
Stanton + health = superhero
JKD
10:39
Regardless of how the Christian Bethancourt experiment works out, is there really any downside to marginal players who are positionally limited, seeing if they can pitch passably? Being a second backup 1B with league-average-ish hitting line means you're rarely rostered, but a league-average backup 1B with league-average-ish hitting and below-average-but-useful pitching is a very very good use of a roster spot.
Jeff Sullivan
10:40
It's a question of balance. It's hard to be decent at hitting and pitching at the same time. Especially if you aren't unusually talented, and the players with the most talent are already starters somewhere. Bethancourt might be able to learn to pitch fairly well, but will that come at the expense of his already mediocre offense? Not sure. But I love to see the attempt
Kelly
10:40
Encouraging to see (as a Mariners fan) about Smyly's velocity. How sustainable have these velocity spikes proven to be in the past? Related, as a pessimistic Mariners fan, any chance those Petco readings were off?
Jeff Sullivan
10:40
Felix's readings looked normal in the same game, so I think Smyly's boost was real. Adrenaline was some kind of factor, as he reached his peak velocity with his final fastball, but I buy him as having improved a tick or two
Galvanic
10:41
I will ask a question about my non favorite team, when does Altuve start being bad at baseball?
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
Seven or eight years
Reptar
10:41
One of the highlights of my trip to the Philippines was visiting Taal Volcano. It features what is technically an island inside a lake inside an island inside a lake inside an island. The Earth is awesome.
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
It's a volcanic nesting doll!
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