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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 5/11/18
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Jeff Sullivan
10:39
But if he starts to get himself into bad habits, maybe out of frustration, then you could see him get demoted for a few weeks
I know the Phillies absolutely love him. They haven't lost any faith
Ronnie
10:41
Who is the best CF you've ever seen? Has Trout done enough already to take Griffey's spot on the Sullivan Squad? Another tough one for me is 2B. Do you take Utley's all around game or Cano with the sweet swing & durability?
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
It's Mike Trout
Griffey was sensational, but, it's Mike Trout
Phaithful
10:42
Dallas Keuchel, uptick in velocity on everything. Just getting unlucky so far?
Jeff Sullivan
10:42
Don't think it's just a matter of luck. His contact rate has gone up by more than six points
10:43
Much of that falls on his slider
10:44
Keuchel's good enough that I wouldn't be worried yet. He knows how to readjust himself
Ryan
10:45
Hi Jeff.  What are some websites or info that you use daily?
Jeff Sullivan
10:45
Every single weekday, I spend a bunch of time on FG, BR, Brooks Baseball, Baseball Savant, and Rotoworld (for injury/news updates)
10:46
Twitter, of course. And I watch a hell of a lot of video through MLB.com
Then for further research it becomes a matter of Googling, to see if something has already been written about
Schmoo
10:46
Yonder Alonso reached out to Eno (which, the way I see it, is beyond cool). Which player would you most like to reach out to you?
Jeff Sullivan
10:46
Mike Trout with a cease and desist, so I could print it and frame it
Bill G
10:48
Any insight into JBJ's struggles?
Jeff Sullivan
10:48
Been completely and utterly abused by lefties
Like, far worse than usual
10:49
It's a small sample but something to watch
Otherwise, Bradley's expected wOBAs by year:
10:50
2015: .289
2016: .333
2017: .320
2018: .314
Same player as last year. He'll get warmer
Ichiro
10:51
Thoughts on Luzardo...will he break into the A's rotation this year? He's pitching well so far.
Jeff Sullivan
10:51
The only thing standing in his way is his own lack of experience. Hardly any professional innings, and this year he's exceeded 80 pitches just once
Think he's more of a guy to watch next spring training
Jake
10:53
What's going on with Marcus Stroman? Has the league sent a memo out saying to just lay off his pitches? It seems like no one wants to swing
Jeff Sullivan
10:54
Stroman's best pitch last year was his slider. This year it's let him down, to the point where, in his last start against the Mariners, he hardly even threw it. He's started to replace his sliders with cutters
Batters used to swing at the slider more than half the time. This year that swing rate is 38%. It's just been unreliable
10:55
Until he has that feel for his slider, I think he's too limited
The Candy Man Can
10:56
Hi Jeff, have you ever looked at what velocity gain is the most important or indicative of future success? 92-94, 94-96, etc?
Jeff Sullivan
10:56
Every case is different, of course, but I think overall, the most impactful gain would be from like 90 to 92
But then, it depends on the explanation. Is the pitcher stronger? Does he have more efficient mechanics?
GraphsFan
10:57
Why isn't anybody talking about Kevin Pillar? The dude is hitting the piss out of the ball and running a 138 wRC+
Jeff Sullivan
10:57
You're talking about Kevin Pillar
There are just so many players doing interesting things. It's hard to give them all their due. Like, there's Pillar, but there's also Teoscar Hernandez and Yangervis Solarte. Ahhh!
NotBurtReynolds
10:58
In Zack Eflin's first 2 starts, he has seemed to dramatically change his pitch mix. Could this be a case of a change in approach leading to a sustainable breakout? Or is it 2 games?
Jeff Sullivan
10:58
Yes
10:59
Maybe the most important thing: Eflin's velocity is up about two ticks
11:00
It's good to see him missing any bats at all. Although it's worth noting that in four starts in Triple-A, his K% was about 18%
Phaithful
11:00
What's up with Zack Godley? Is he just returning to earth and the past 2 years have been lucky?
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