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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 5/12/17
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Birdtown
11:02
Are Spring Training games as enjoyable to attend as MLB games?
Jeff Sullivan
11:02
I don't think so, but I understand why some people might disagree if they like beer, sunshine, and low stakes
Brent
11:02
Are you buying J.C. Ramirez's start to the season? 4.20 ERA but his K% has jumped 4.6%, walks have stayed steady and he's managing to maintain his velocity as a starter.
Jeff Sullivan
11:03
I'm buying him as a pitcher of legitimate interest. I'm not yet buying him as good
Tanner
11:03
is LoMo at the tipping point, of how good a player needs to be before they get a nickname?
Jeff Sullivan
11:03
I think it probably has a lot to do with how he was one of the earliest adopters of social media. He made himself really accessible, which in turn made him popular
Now everyone's on Twitter and so the individuals don't stand out so much
Sergio Leone for Third
11:04
I got a feeling that if Cleveland ever changed its name, it would go with something stupid like "Rock-n-Rollers"
Jeff Sullivan
11:04
The Cleveland Baseballs
Their logo would be a baseball
Their mascot would be a baseball
Danny Salazar
11:05
Speaking of hype- what do I need to do to finally start living up to mine?
Jeff Sullivan
11:05
Learn to manage contact, you weirdo
Matty Ice
11:05
Is Vincent velasquez destined for the bullpen in philly? Or do you think he fixes his HR problem
Jeff Sullivan
11:05
I don't think it's home runs that will make the difference there
He seems like a long-term reliever to me at present
Sergio Leone for Third
11:06
"Dante's Peak" or "Volcano"?
Jeff Sullivan
11:06
Dante's Peak for visuals, Volcano for a demonstration of how lava can actually work
Moltar
11:06
The Mets have a closer in Reed, they need middle relievers. Or ideally a multi-inning guy like Devenski or Bradley. Swarzak maybe?
Jeff Sullivan
11:07
Swarzak would be an interesting and highly boring get from a PR perspective
Everyone out there might as well try to mine the White Sox bullpen for everything it's worth
Erik
11:07
Why wouldn't a juiced ball help high power hitters? Don't they hit just as many balls to the warning track as low power hitters, if not more?
Jeff Sullivan
11:07
The theory is that the lower-power guys hit more balls around the track. I don't know if it's actually true
mtsw
11:07
Can Scott Schebler keep it up? He's turning into a real asset for the Reds.
Jeff Sullivan
11:08
Basically keeping up what he did in the upper minors. If he's a passable defender, too, then that's something like a 3-win player. Not bad for a low-profile get
Tim
11:08
it has now been 7 1/2 months of bad McCutchen - time to start thinking he is now a league avg player (like Heyward) or not yet?
Jeff Sullivan
11:08
Close
another month and a half of this, for me
Bip
11:09
I think Machado clearly has a higher floor than Harper. Would you say that Harper has a higher ceiling? On the one hand, his peak WAR is higher. On the other, Machado could still turn into an offensive monster, and with his defense, he could enter the 9-10 WAR range.
Jeff Sullivan
11:09
I struggle with this, mostly because we don't have great definitions of what a ceiling really is. Machado is clearly a far more valuable defender than Harper. And I think he has the skills to be just as good a hitter. But Harper has *actually* been an elite hitter for long stretches, and nothing in the game is more valuable than that
Jake
11:10
How would you explain an increased whiff rate, with an increase in hard contact % for a pitcher?
Jeff Sullivan
11:10
If it's not a fluke, it's probably more whiffs out of the zone, with similar contact inside it
caesar_solid
11:10
Which team is most likely to be buying now that wasn't before the start of the season?
Jeff Sullivan
11:10
Well, we can at least say the Orioles won't be tearing down
Colinbaseball
11:10
Why doesn't Carson get a chat?
Jeff Sullivan
11:10
He's probably busy enough having to edit everything
11:11
And he also wouldn't flourish under the FanGraphs chat format
He's far more of a deliberate thinker
...
11:11
I'm concerned the Cubs are going to trade for a rental pitcher, which doesn't really solve any of their problems. Should I be worried?
Jeff Sullivan
11:11
If the Cubs haven't earned the benefit of the doubt from you yet, I don't know what to say
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