You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 5/26/17
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Dudley
10:33
can a MLB team compete by spending but at the same time not entering into long-term deals and deals with guys 32+? Is there any way to do both?
Jeff Sullivan
10:34
It would be tough to do both just because it's the older players who tend to earn the most, but you could do it. You'd sign your best younger players to long-term extensions and you'd target younger FA
You'd have trouble spending up to the cap, but that's a nice problem, I guess
Erik
10:35
Who is the best player on the Phillies? Everyone who seemed to have a claim is either hurt or regressing.
Jeff Sullivan
10:35
I think it's Nola, followed by Altherr, followed by a 2008 World Series highlight DVD
Baseball Players
10:36
Why do we hate bat flips so much? What's the big deal? Wouldn't that be like NFL players getting pissy when a guy spikes the ball after a TD?
Jeff Sullivan
10:36
MLB and NFL have very different cultures
10:37
Bat flips are interpreted as guys showing the other team up. Baseball players in particular don't respond well to that
But change is inevitable and well underway
CarrotJuice
10:37
Do you think you'll be incorporating xwOBA for hitters into posts more frequently in the future? How about any other of the newly released Statcast stats?
Jeff Sullivan
10:38
I don't anticipate using xwOBA very much, at least for a while. It would be kind of like citing a guy's line-drive rate. A rate can be really high or really low, but I'm more interested in what's actually sustainable
Let's say there's a guy who rips off a hot streak where he hits a bunch of flares between the infield and the outfield. By xwOBA, he's hitting those balls perfectly for hits, but that's not a skill someone can actually have
Charlie
10:38
What is your process for finding subjects to write about?
Jeff Sullivan
10:39
Desperation
Scott Boras vs. Theo Epstein
10:39
Who's job would you rather have and why?
Jeff Sullivan
10:39
Major pluses and minuses with either. With Boras, there's zero upside from a PR perspective -- people are always going to hate an agent, especially an agent who's good
10:40
But then, I also think Boras has an easier job, in that his players generally sell themselves
Epstein has to hunt for value, constantly. Boras has the value. His players make their own numbers
MLB Agent
10:40
Do I understand/care about sabermetrics and analytics in the game today?
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
Yes if you're good at your job
Chris S
10:41
The Joey Gallo threshold for awesomeness
Jeff Sullivan
10:41
Gallo, April: 34% K, 132 wRC+. Gallo, May: 43% K, 93 wRC+. That doesn't tell the whole story, but it tells a lot of it. What a fascinating player he is
YKnotDisco?!
10:42
Rose Festival: Yay or Nay?
Jeff Sullivan
10:42
I've never actually been, but that's because my own interests take me away from the city, and not deeper into the heart of it
10:43
If you like festivals, you'll like this festival
Travis Kriens
10:43
Manny Machado is not have a bad year, seems to be league average offensively, but a down year for him. Any reasons? Hard hit rate is good. He's not swinging at bad pitches, but his BABIP is in the low .200
Jeff Sullivan
10:43
He's way better than this. I don't want to point to "bad luck" but his actual performance metrics would indicate a far more successful 2017
In dusty we don't trusty
10:44
Do think the Nats starting rotation will holdup throughout the season? They're putting a lot of innings on Stras and Scherzer. I'm worried one of them will have a DL stint sooner rather than later.
Jeff Sullivan
10:44
I don't think Scherzer is worth worrying about any more than anyone else. Strasburg -- well, there's more of a history there
marichal
10:44
Which Rockies starter gets pulled from the rotation when Gray returns in a few weeks?
Jeff Sullivan
10:45
Freeland would probably be my pick, but there are so many young guys in there who will need breaks that they'll be sorting through all of them over the remainder
Chris
10:46
More under appreciated as a Mariner by the fandom, Adrian Beltre or Mike Cameron?
Jeff Sullivan
10:47
Probably Beltre -- lots of people out there who think he was just bad. And Cameron is more closely associated with the team being good. But I still cannot believe that Cameron wound up non-tendered
He was coming off a 5-win season
10:48
Let me say that again; they didn't offer arbitration
Cody
10:48
Would the Marlins trading Stanton make the franchise more or less desirable to a new owner?
Jeff Sullivan
10:49
I think at least in theory it wouldn't change very much since Stanton would be exchanged for a package approximating his current worth
Sam
10:49
Is Jordan Montgomery making strides or are the Royals actually that bad?
Jeff Sullivan
10:49
Yes
Guest
10:49
Folk hero or not, don't the Cubs have to send Schwarber to AAA for awhile? His OBP is below .300 now and the strikeouts are piling up. Not to mention, they aren't exactly short on outfielders.
Connecting…