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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat – 5/17/2021
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Kevin Goldstein
12:13
Yeah, he's not looking good. He's looking GREAT.
Lance
12:13
Do you think Anthony Volpe or Logan Davidson is more likely to have an impact bat?
Kevin Goldstein
12:13
Impact? None of the above.
Tyler
12:13
You stated your personal bias is to not have below average defenders at SS, C or CF.  In isolation, If you had a top 5 defender at each position how low would you go (OPS+ wise) before you would contemplate replacing them?

Additionally, in terms of defensive importance on wins and losses how would you prioritize the 3 up the middle positions?
Kevin Goldstein
12:14
You can't put an offensive zero there, except maybe C. I would go C, SS, CF in terms of importance. I can stomach a big bat 45 CF more than a SS.
purplemini
12:14
Wondering if the astros minor league housing solution that BP wrote about today ever came up during your time there. How would a change like that even go about being implemented, i.e., who would actually bring it up to the owner? The GM? I assume that EVERYONE in the front office would be in favor of making minor leaguers healthier physically and mentally, especially if it doesn't cost that much money, but is this a false assumption? Lastly, do you see this being a market inefficiency that major league clubs will address or are owners really that cheap?
Kevin Goldstein
12:15
It did. AGM Pete Putila runs the player development stuff over there and has always really cared about the players. I'm glad to see it implemented and I hope it becomes par for the course for all teams.
Kevin
12:15
Based on your experience, do you think slumping players actually benefit from a day off? Is there data to suggest that they do, or is it a more person-by-person manager's call decision?
Kevin Goldstein
12:15
Definitely player by player. Some hot/cold streaks are real and some are just RNG and you have to recognize the difference in the two.
Jacques Pederson
12:16
Kevin, how would you assign the blame for the low balls-in-play rate? Is it a batting skill (&approach) issue or a pitching skill issue? I ask because I have seen expansion as a possible solution but worry that it might exacerbate the issue if it is more of a dearth of good hitters rather than a glut of good pitchers.
Kevin Goldstein
12:16
I think it's nearly all pitching. So much power stuff in today's game.
Calm Down
12:16
Here's too less of a rude chat this week.
Kevin Goldstein
12:16
You spelled 'too' wrong.
ML
12:16
Nick Gonzales seems to evoke a wide range of opinions.  What its yours?
Kevin Goldstein
12:17
Plus hit tool, middling power, nice offensive 2B profile. Like the bat.
ML
12:17
Could you rank these three SPs?  Manoah, Cabrera, Priester
Kevin Goldstein
12:17
Just like that.
Jacob
12:17
The twitch streams are very cool.  If you and Eric are going to be having those conversations anyway, would you mind putting more on twitch?
Kevin Goldstein
12:17
Message received. We have more Twitch plans, so we're glad it's generating some buzz.
Lazarus
12:18
Hey KG! It's great having you back. Given your experience, I was wondering: Baseball ops people I'd guess routinely develop close relationships and even friendships with their colleagues. Then those same people get hired/promoted into new organizations. Is there much unofficial or casual information sharing on a personal level between staff on different teams? Or is it understood that the info is all state secrets, and people don't even ask because it's so out of bounds and risks your job? Or do people talk, gossip, and even share misinformation, like it's all part of the game? Thanks.
Kevin Goldstein
12:18
Certainly stay in touch, but definitely don't do information sharing.
Kate
12:18
Have you gotten a look at Alzolay this year?  To my untrained eye, his command actually looks pretty solid (especially considering how most had him graded coming in the year).
Kevin Goldstein
12:19
I think 'pretty solid' is an apt description. Good stuff, command gets loose...
gabriel
12:19
should I be worried about Alec Bohm? strikeout rate is way up, but his expected stats say he's about an average hitter underperforming. thoughts?
Kevin Goldstein
12:19
I think he'll rebound.
Kent
12:19
Great to see a healthy Jake Burger back out there.. do you still see a potential big league player with him?
Kevin Goldstein
12:19
Maybe as a corner bench bat.
Buff
12:19
Should I cut bait on Mickey Moniak and Scott Kingery, even in an NL only keeper league with a 5 man reserve?
Kevin Goldstein
12:20
You should ask the fantasy folks here, they are really good. I don't understand the second half of your question, but I don't have much optimism for either player.
Kate
12:20
Geraldo Perdomo is 7 for 15 stealing bases at High-A and above.  Do you think this is something he'll work out or is he a guy that's just going to run less as he moves up?
Kevin Goldstein
12:20
That's what they are figuring out by having him run all of the time.
Derek
12:20
With Franco, Walls, and Brujan all out of the gate with hot starts (and Adames mostly still struggling), which of those three do you think we see in the majors this year, and when?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
I think Franco is the most likely, but Brujan could happen as well.
Justin (Elwood, NJ)
12:21
Can you share any insights on your time working with Mike Elias in terms of player development and how he may approach this upcoming draft? The media assumes he won't take a pitcher with his first pick because he didn't in 2019 & 2020, but is that really a safe assumption when you had Rutschman at the top in 2019 and last year's was just a different animal in general?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
I think a lot will go into the decisions (evaluations/$$$/etc) but position will not be one of them.
Kate
12:22
Some horrid BABIP luck is masking a pretty solid statistical start for Swaggerty.  Think he can break out this year?  Or is he more of a platoon guy who always kind of disappoints relative to his loud tools?
Kevin Goldstein
12:22
I never saw a star in Swaggerty. A big leaguer yes, but not an impact guy.
Greg
12:22
Are non-baseball ops (marketing, pricing, logistics, etc.) departments of teams ahead of or behind the curve in terms of utilizing analytics to drive decision making?
Kevin Goldstein
12:22
Ahead.
Matt
12:23
Hey KG, enjoyed your article on Rocker as well as the stream you did with Eric a few days ago. How do you personally see 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 going for Pittsburgh, Texas, and Detroit respectively?
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