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Jeff Sullivan FanGraphs Chat -- 9/21/18
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Jeff Sullivan
10:01
Last year's home/road split, then, wasn't crazy. This year's is bigger, but it's still not exceptional; the Astros look like the Cardinals, Mets, A's, and Mariners
I'd mostly blame an artificial BABIP split. Astros at .278 at home and .302 on the road
Zack
10:01
You're Billy Beane / Bob Melvin.  How do you handle the pitching for the WC game?
Jeff Sullivan
10:02
Aggressively
10:03
I'd probably give one turn to Trevor Cahill and bullpen from there. And that's only if Cahill's back seems like it's better
Fangraphs reader
10:04
Would you have Josh James on the playoff roster?
Jeff Sullivan
10:04
I don't know how you don't. You make room if you have to
The Astros already have way too many good pitchers, but you can't in good conscience leave an arm like that at home
Anon21
10:06
Is there anything in Anibal Sanchez's pitch mix, movement, or selection that supports his drastic improvement this year?
Jeff Sullivan
10:06
He's largely converted a bad slider into a good, harder cutter
10:08
He's also dramatically increased his changeups against lefties. He's moved away from his fastballs
10:09
It seems to have helped to mitigate a developing home-run problem. Of course, moving to the NL didn't hurt him, either
10:10
Sanchez, for a while, was *almost* good. I think his improvement is actually kind of subtle, but significant
Sir Mookleton McBetts
10:11
What is your most hated "Playoff Narrative"? Will you pretty please write an article about Playoff Narratives and why they are false, and what, if any, have some credibility? Thanks Jeff!
Jeff Sullivan
Ben Lindbergh has got you covered!
10:13
I hate when commentators suggest that certain players are better equipped to handle the spotlight than others. Broadcast psychology is a complete waste of time
Mike
10:13
After last night's rough start for Tanaka who do you think ends up starting the Wild Card game for the Yankees?
Jeff Sullivan
10:13
Should be Severino, for he is good
stever20
10:14
What did you think about what Arizona did on Wednesday putting in the AAA team if you will vs the Cubs when they were still alive?  and how baseball is it that it actually worked?
Jeff Sullivan
10:15
I didn't think anything of it. A team's obligation is to itself, not to the rest of the league. And if the Diamondbacks wanted to press the reset button or send a message or something, that's up to them to do. God knows the regular lineup hadn't been getting the job done of late
Connor
10:16
Any concern with Jose Ramirez? Only 1 HR in the past 29 games.
Jeff Sullivan
10:16
Last August, Ramirez hit only two home runs, with a wRC+ of 76. His September wRC+ was 243
10:17
My worry is like a 2 out of 10
Bullpens
10:17
Besides the Rays and As, which teams are most built for/most likely to decelop a pitching staff that fully blurs the line between SP and RP?
Jeff Sullivan
10:17
Could see the Padres ending up somewhere like that
10:18
And since the Twins are already experimenting at Double-A, Triple-A, and the majors, they're clearly open-minded
Tugs
10:18
Do you think there is any weight to the argument that MVP and Cy Young being the "only" two "most" prestigious awards "steals" something from position players if a pitcher wins both?  How many people really care who wins the Hank Aaron, or Platinum Glove compared to the MVP and Cy Young?
Jeff Sullivan
10:18
I think it's silly. If a pitcher is the best, he should win both awards
10:19
I don't actually understand how there could be an argument to the contrary
10:20
I know that there *is*, based on historical voting patterns, but it makes zero sense
brian eno
10:20
so...will addison russell play another game for the cubs?
Jeff Sullivan
10:20
Shouldn't any time soon
Michael Moore
10:20
Is Jose Peraza good? Could he get better?
Jeff Sullivan
10:21
Based on his underlying Statcast numbers, he's overachieving. His .301 xwOBA is only 10 points higher than it was a year ago
10:22
That being said, he's a contact hitter with speed, so in this era and especially in that ballpark he could become one of those just-enough-power guys
And then you have a 3-win player
Ian
10:22
Is Tampa a serious contender next season? Will they make any additions to get them there?
Jeff Sullivan
10:23
Very serious WC contender, still a likely underdog compared to New York and Boston. They could use help behind the plate. A Realmuto trade would be fascinating
Bort
10:23
Does Ryon Healy have compromising pictures of Jerry DiPoto or something? How else to explain the team's maddening decision to continue playing him over Vogey?
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