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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 4/20/18
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Jeff Sullivan
9:05
Hello friends
Welcome to Friday baseball chat
I was away and off the grid Thursday, and missing one day of baseball always makes me feel like I missed a hundred. Let's see how this goes!
BJOGC
9:06
So…. About Carson’s Chat. I wish I hadn’t have been there because now I realize how empty and meaningless life will be without the prospect of him doing weekly chats.
Jeff Sullivan
9:06
It sounds as if he has been successful
In that this is one more person who is going to live feeling like life is empty and meaningless
J
9:07
How does xwoba treat foul outs?  Any idea?
Jeff Sullivan
9:07
No idea, but I'll try to find out!
walewander
9:07
do you have anything to say about the Tigers?
Jeff Sullivan
9:07
They are bad, but not so bad that they can't beat other bad teams
9:09
I'm becoming very very modestly interested in Dixon Machado?
Eric
9:09
Charlie Morton has been outrageously good so far.  Can he keep this up, or is he over his head?
Jeff Sullivan
9:10
He's somehow throwing even harder by almost a mile per hour, which indicates good things about his health, arm strength, and mechanics. More velocity is a good thing for performance, so as long as this keeps up, he should be terrific
Matt
9:11
Analysis Idea: Compare Stanton's slow start to Judge's July 2017 slump
Jeff Sullivan
9:11
I'm not going to worry about Stanton having a 97 wRC+ until we figure out why Votto has a 63 wRC+
Xolo
9:12
What are the chances that Villanueva's actually an above-average player?
Jeff Sullivan
9:13
I don't yet really trust his plate discipline, and he has an extremely pull-heavy approach, but at the very least he's clearly more interesting over there than Chase Headley would be. Right now, I could buy Villanueva as being an overall average player. His stock is on the rise
Bartolo Semi-Colon
9:15
Could Mitch Haniger by the midst of a Donaldson (mid-to-late 20's breakout)?
Jeff Sullivan
9:16
I don't think Haniger quite has Donaldson's max power level, but this is why we found Haniger so interesting at the time of the trade to the Mariners -- he was a definite swing-changer who could play defense and hit the ball out of the yard, and now he's playing every day
Haniger's good. His season got somewhat derailed a year ago because of injury, but he had an amazing April in 2017 as well
FRANCHY!
9:17
What do you make of Franchy's first few games . . . will he make it despite his K rate?
Jeff Sullivan
9:18
Five players this year have hit at least two balls at 115+ miles per hour: Giancarlo Stanton, Nelson Cruz, Joey Gallo, Aaron Judge, and Franchy Cordero
Cordero remains very exciting to me, because of his strength and athleticism, and I think he could make it as a regular player even with a strikeout rate around 30-35%. His other skills are that good
THE Average Sports Fan
9:19
What is your opinion of the Reds front office?  As a fan is there hope this rebuild is actually going to work out?
Jeff Sullivan
9:20
Speaking in very general terms, I think when it comes to roster-building, the Reds are below average. But the farm is strong, Senzel is coming, and you can squint and almost see the makings of most of a starting rotation
This month has been a disaster, and I'd prefer that there be some other group of executives steering the ship, but the Reds aren't as far away as their record would indicate. It's not hopeless
Rock Kickass
9:21
Berrios, Snell, and Corbin are showing off a lot of their promise.  Which of these do you think can sustain their success for the rest of the season?
Jeff Sullivan
9:21
I think all three are good, but, with Berrios and Corbin, these current levels are unsustainably perfect
9:22
I really love how Corbin has developed his slider. It's covering a range of like 10-15 miles per hour!
John
9:22
Braves are obviously high variance, but if you believe in Ozzie and Dansby, are they actually pretty good? Too early to pursue Machado?
Jeff Sullivan
9:23
It's never too early to try to pursue a 25-year-old superstar at a position of need
9:24
I don't think the Braves can actually pitch well enough to hang around for all six months, but I'm always willing to give young pitchers the opportunity to earn my trust. I'd love it if Newcomb were actually able to throw strikes now
Bill Rott
9:25
What are the chances that Junior Guerra recaptured some 2016 magic?
Jeff Sullivan
9:25
His velocity is up, so if that's for real, that's reason enough to believe he could stick at the back end of the rotation
9:26
Four-seamer lost almost two ticks last season. It's already back up by 1.2
Sharp
9:27
Is this how sabr fans appear to outsiders? https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/moneybattle
Jeff Sullivan
9:27
Yes
Egg
9:28
If you're the Mets, what's your next move with Harvey?
Jeff Sullivan
9:29
I'd put him in the bullpen for at least a start or two. I know he's stubborn and reluctant, saying he's a starting pitcher and everything, but he's the least-deserving starter right now to stay in the five, and it would be important to me to see if he could handle such a decision without melting down
John Oleruds Helmet
9:29
Am I the only one getting really tired of every player throwing a celebration to the dugout every time they drive in a run now??
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