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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 3/29/2021
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J.D. Martin
12:41
Are there any areas in which publicly available baseball tools/data are behind what teams have available to them?
Kevin Goldstein
12:42
I think many of the private tools are better, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how small the gap is in working with the public ones.
Guest
12:45
What factors do orgs consider when evaluating catchers? Was completely intrigued when I heard Chandler Rome say the Astros consider Maldonado their MVP... He is a great catcher but it doesn't show up in the numbers, seems almost unfair to compare a catcher to say, a left fielder
Kevin Goldstein
12:46
Like I said earlier, things like game management, pitch calling, working with pitchers, all of that stuff is INSANELY important and nearly impossible to measure without being close to the team.
Jeb
12:49
Regarding the blow your draft budget by 10x strategy...do you think that other teams would interfere with your picks after a certain round in the draft as well? Like, if I see a competitor practicing this strategy, after round 10, maybe I'd purposely make picks (like Leiter a few years back) so that my competitor could not.
Kevin Goldstein
12:49
Also an issue!
Pat
12:49
Mark Appel is back, baby. Have you heard anything about how he looks so far? Does he have any chance of at least making a MLB bullpen in the next couple of years?

P.S. Sugar is imvho a great baseball movie.
Kevin Goldstein
12:49
Sugar is quite good. I've seen nothing other than he's attempting a come back. I have no idea how good (or not good) he looks.
Anthony
12:51
You've dropped some very positive hints about Jairo Solis. Any details or more recent reports? Where do you think he'll rank on your eventual Astros' prospect list?
Kevin Goldstein
12:52
The stuff is VERY good and I'm excited to see what a healthy Solis can do over a full season. It's a shame we didn't get to see that last year, but pandemics have to pandemic I guess.
Jose Altuve
12:53
What do you see as realistic to expect from Alutve this year?  He's on a two year decline, especially last year, but he's only 30.  Any reason to worry or does he rebound?
Kevin Goldstein
12:53
.291/.359/.487. Book it.
Jason
12:54
From your time with the Astros and now after, how did/does the industry view the Pirates organization?
Kevin Goldstein
12:55
The Ben Cherington administration is a short one and they are just at the beginning of trying to get that ship unstuck from the Suez canal. So it's really all very much TBD.
Adam
12:55
For all the great player related moves that Rick Hahn has made as GM of the White Sox, will his legacy be anything beyond being the guy who traded Fernando Tatis Jr for James Shields?
Kevin Goldstein
12:56
It certainly SHOULD be. I think he's a very good GM. He made a mistake. They all do. Do you define Theo Epstein's legacy by some of his big FA contract mistakes?
Ryan
12:57
Can torkelson stick at 3B?
Kevin Goldstein
12:57
I think he can end up a 40-45 defender at the hot corner.
Jack
12:57
How will most teams handle pitching prospects in this extended spring training?
Kevin Goldstein
12:58
VERY carefully. Injuries and attrition and depth issues are going to define the 2021 MLB season in my opinion.
Bubba
12:58
Why don't more random minor leaguers develop a knuckle ball?
Kevin Goldstein
12:58
Because it's insanely hard to throw good ones consistently.
Cryin' Bashman
12:58
What's the FO industry opinion of Brian Cashman? Would he be successful as the Pirates' GM, for instance?
Kevin Goldstein
12:58
He's one of the most respected GMs in baseball, and with good reason and yes, I think he'd be one of the best GMs in baseball anywhere.
Fred
12:59
Do you see Hunter Brown holding up under a starter's workload?
Kevin Goldstein
12:59
I see no reason to be concerned in that regard.
Bubba
12:59
Is throwing a knuckle ball consistently more difficult than other types of pitches?
Kevin Goldstein
1:00
It's more the effect of inconsistency. If you miss a knuckleball, it's an absolute meatball of a pitch. You miss a slider and it might just not be as good as your usual slider but still decent enough.
Josh
1:00
Is there hope for Francis Martes to ever be more than a pen arm?
Kevin Goldstein
1:00
No, but he still might end up a decent pen arm.
Pat
1:01
Is there any hope left for Brady Aiken? Obviously his stats are grim and he's hurt constantly, but is there any potential left in the arm? (Not trying to fixate on former top Astros picks, just top picks in general whose careers went wrong)
Kevin Goldstein
1:02
Almost certainly not. It makes me sad. He was absolutely electric in high school. I thought it was Kershaw-esque upside.
Cryin' Bashman
1:02
Thoughts on Jasson Dominguez? How have scouts gotten insight into his skills without any pro competition yet? How would you handle his development being so young and having missed a year of ball.
Kevin Goldstein
1:02
Based on what I know about the tools and the makeup, I'd throw him to the wolves and start him this year in Low-A.
elGuapo
1:03
Do you have any thoughts on Aquino now that he's stuck in no options purgatory in Cincinati? There's one hot month and a lot of strikeouts. But there's also an .850+ OPS in AAA/MLB games (~600PAs all together). And yes I know AAA is different but seems to point to some level of "performance" no? 4th OF and nothing more, middle order corner guy with a real chance? Something in between? Thanks!
Kevin Goldstein
1:03
Pure power goof. Wily Mo Pena esque.
Matt
1:03
Where do you see Austin Martin setting in defensively? Is he passable at 3B/2B for you?
Kevin Goldstein
1:04
Passable? Probably, but would still be he ends up in the outfield.
BarryBondsJuicedForOurSins
1:04
It's just spring training yada yada yada but Logan Webb looks like a legit frontline guy.  Buy in?
Kevin Goldstein
1:04
It's just spring training . . .
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