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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 5/3/2021
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comish4lif
12:51
As an outsider who is a fan of the minor leagues and prospects, it seemed like MLB did a poor job handling the reorg of the minors. As someone with more insider insight, was it as bad as it seemed? Or maybe worse?
Kevin Goldstein
12:51
It was just exceptionally short-sighted.
Scrapper
12:51
Fill in the blanks:  80 games of Kris Bryant gets the Cubs __ top __ prospects in a mid-season trade.
Kevin Goldstein
12:52
Probably one headliner and then another piece or two with some kind of attractive qualities. Bryant has looked outstanding this year.
RH
12:52
Are you and Eric going to be covering Indy Ball guys at all this year?
Kevin Goldstein
12:53
I have games close. Not ruling it out as a fun piece or two, but not planning for ultra-intense coverage either.
Tyrone Corbin
12:53
Are the Cubs a bottom five team? I watch a lot of baseball and that combo of terrible pitching and inconsistent offense is really scary.
Kevin Goldstein
12:54
They're tied for the fifth worst record in baseball . . . still, 12-16 doesn't feel like a bottom five team. They're below average, but not a disaster.
Daniel
12:54
So Ronald Acuna has halved his strikeout rate and stopped swinging at pitches outside the zone while taking his walks and hammering the ball when he does swing. It's still early, but at what point should we feel comfortable declaring that he's taken his game offensively to a new, terrifying level?
Kevin Goldstein
12:55
It's certainly a real step forward.
Matt Damon
12:55
Matt. Damon.
Kevin Goldstein
12:55
Nope.
Scrapper
12:55
Without naming names, what is one thing that MLB front offices do that you just didn’t agree with?
Kevin Goldstein
12:56
Not put their best team on the field due to economic incentives not to.
elGuapo
12:56
JT Brubaker is slidering and FB commanding his way to a better K/BB ratio than Bieber, Woodruff and Greinke to name a few guys. It's a small sample but did PIT find something here?
Kevin Goldstein
12:56
They have.
Kevin Smith
12:56
Dogma is one of the the greatest movies ever made. Don't @ me.
Kevin Goldstein
12:57
C'mon, man. Why did your career go to crap after Clerks?
Leon
12:57
Did you have a chance to scout Pedro Leon? What are your thoughts of him long term
Kevin Goldstein
12:58
I did see him multiple times before and after the Astros signed him. The tools are incredible. Huge power, plus plus speed and a missile launcher for an arm. Might just be a 40-45 hit tool, though, so be patient.
free swinger
12:58
i understand walks are an important indicator of future offensive success, but why is that? why is it such an important skill?
Kevin Goldstein
12:58
It's not walking as much as it's chasing and swinging at pitches one can't drive.
Frank
12:58
Could you see Lyon Richardson ending up the best pitcher out of him, Greene and Lodolo?
Kevin Goldstein
12:59
No, but that's saying more about Greene/Lodolo than Richardson.
Ay Ay Ron
1:00
Is it just me, or does it seem like so many hitters are batting below the Mendoza line this year?
Kevin Goldstein
1:00
You haven't noticed all the wailing and gnashing of teeth because batting average is down? It's not just you.
Red Sox
1:00
I am curious about your take on Cashman. As a red sox fan, I think Cashman is the number 1 GM in baseball, a HOFer and the main reason the Sox have not dominated this millennium in terms of the AL east. But unlike the Rays, Dodgers, Astros, Red Sox, his proteges are not littered throughout baseball. Why not?
Kevin Goldstein
1:02
Yes. Cashman is HIGHLY underrated because of the finances of the Yankees. Just surviving that long in that market is an amazing accomplishment in and of itself. Yankees tend to keep and take care of their people, but plenty have gone onto other teams with mixed results.
Geoff
1:02
Do you have any idea why the Astros didn't retain Tri-City as an affiliate of some sort? The stadium was in good shape, the attendance was always at or towards the top in the NYPL, and it was in a metro with about 800,000 people.
Kevin Goldstein
1:02
Love that place. Geography certainly played a role.
Kevin
1:03
More movies Top 100s (we are going to learn your weird movie pallet soon enough). Are these in your top 100 yes or no: Terminator (or T2). Titanic. Braveheart. Crash. Three Billboards. American Sniper. Hurt Locker. Any of the LOTR movies
Kevin Goldstein
1:03
All no.
Lance
1:05
Can Tyrone Taylor be a starting OF for the Brewers this year?  He’s been a prospect forever but he is outhitting everybody.
Kevin Goldstein
1:06
At the rate things are going in Milwaukee health wise, he might have to be. But seriously, I think he's a good 4th outfielder, but he does have some underlying data that suggests he might be a bit more than that.
John Hot Rod Williams
1:06
Does Cleveland's medium and long-term outlook seem as bleak to you as it's starting to look?
Kevin Goldstein
1:06
Yeah. Sorry.
Kevin
1:06
Do you think McClanahan projects as a starter (or as much as anyone can be a starter on the Rays)? I know Eric had some concerns
Kevin Goldstein
1:07
I share those concerns, but I think it's important to hit on your parenthetical. I become more optimistic if they're only expecting four innings from him. Rays are weird.
jwr
1:07
what are the first three traits that you look for in a starting pitcher?
Kevin Goldstein
1:08
Command/pitch efficiency; depth of arsenal (platoon neutral), durability.
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