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Live Chat With Tim Dierkes
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Tim Dierkes
2:28
Current MLBTR readers, that is.
Needless to say, I stopped talking to that guy.
Mike
2:28
I see a lot of players referred to as "Second Division" or "1st Divison Starters" in various scouting reports and documentation.  In MLB this doesn't translate - can you clarify these descriptions?
Tim Dierkes
2:30
I'm a big fan of the Baseball America Prospect Handbook and I refer to it all the time.  I've got editions going back to 2005 on my shelf and I look at all of them.  This book has a nice rundown of the scouting scale, where a 55 is considered a first division regular like Eddie Rosario, Kevin Gausman, or Felipe Vazquez.  A No 3-4 starter, if it's a pitcher.
Something less than an occasional All-Star, but more than Tanner Roark.
E Z P Z
2:31
Excuse me Tim, but I believe you opened the chat mentioning that Price landed on the "DL"?  That's not very PC of you.  I'm offended that you didn't use the new "IL" term. Ok, I'm not, and think it's ridiculous that MLB made this change...you?
Tim Dierkes
2:31
Oops - old habits die hard!  Takes a little getting used to, but what's the harm in changing one letter?  Doesn't bother me at all.
Game Time!
2:32
Making a game 2 hours and 45 minutes rather than 3 hours is not bringing in any new fans.  That is a negligible difference, so trimming one inning is pointless.  Unless you can get it down to 2 hours... the timing is not really the problem... it is the pace of play... pitch clocks, less time between innings (commercials), less pitching changes are the way to make it more interesting to new fans.
M.J.
2:34
With Kluber on the shelf for a while, do you think Keuchel swallows his pride, and signs a 1 year, $5 million deal to replace him. This would give him the opportunity he needs to showcase himself to teams for next year. Injuries have decimated Cleveland's pitching depth.
Tim Dierkes
2:34
Well, trimming 2 innings would probably bring the game time down to 2:20.  I wouldn't call that negligible in terms of changing the experience for today's short attention spans.  However, I agree that doing so would not cause an influx of fans.
Sorry, that answer is to the Game Time! question.
Anyway, no, I don't think Keuchel waited all this time to jump on a one-year, $5MM offer.
Killin Me Smalls
2:34
How about another poll about whether peeps want to hear effing spoilers on a baseball chat??
Tim Dierkes
2:35
I think anti-spoiler culture is lame.  Plus it's screen-free week so really none of us should be here.
Draft Pick Cmp
2:35
Who does this even help?  Why would either side want this, based on how it has actually played out?  Seems like a disincentive to resign a guy (could get a pick out of it), and a hindrance to other teams wanting to sign them.   Doesn't football just give a comp pick, not steal it from the signing team?  Is that not a better option?
Tim Dierkes
2:35
It helps teams by driving down the prices of free agents.  That's been the case for a while now.  To get rid of it, the players will have to make concessions of their own.
ShieldF123
2:36
More worried about Price’s elbow or Paxton’s knee? Which team makes a move for pitching first, if either?
Tim Dierkes
2:37
Naturally an elbow is more concerning than a knee, especially in light of Price's age and the time he missed in 2017.  So there's reason to be very concerned if you're the Red Sox, but we still don't have info on it.
Spoilers
2:37
Not everyone watches GOT on Sundays, jerk
Tim Dierkes
2:37
I also spoiled the Reds-Giants game for those who were DVRing that.
Jeremy
2:37
Paddack vs Alonso tonight who you got?
Tim Dierkes
2:37
Paddack
Jon T
2:37
Following the draft should the White Sox out bid the market for Dallas Keuchel? There is not another team in the league more desperate for a solid starter.
Tim Dierkes
2:38
Eh, what's the point?  To win 73 games instead of 71?  Might as well save your bullets for 2020.
Lunar verLander
2:38
re. Smoak to Houston: Houston already has an interesting roster situation with Yordon Alvarez tearing up the minors. I would think their concern at the trade deadline would be pitching.
Lebron James Franco
2:38
To reduce injury risk and retain fan interest, what about shortening the season to 154 games?
Tim Dierkes
2:40
How about something like 135?  Radical, sure, but there are so many cities where you can't give away a baseball ticket in April.  What if spring training was in April and the regular season ran May-Sept?
Matt Chapman
2:40
Spring Training is worthless, plus you speak like Kimbrel's sitting at home eating Doritos on his couch - couldnt be further from the truth. I'm not generalizing here because a lot of players do need regular reps, but in Kimbrel's case, an elite RP like him doesn't need a lot to "get it going" - he's already been training and throwing regularly. Stop underrating a HOF-level talent like Craig Kimbrel. Getting fed up with so-called baseball experts who are always wrong due to being wildly conservative with their projections. Feels like youre trying to not help him get a job more than anything.
Tim Dierkes
2:40
Everyone, I think we've got Craig Kimbrel's agent in the house.  It's OK dude...all are welcome here.
Jake Lambchop
2:40
Where does Bumgarner go? Brewers or Phils are my guesses.
Tim Dierkes
2:41
Red Sox, Cardinals, Mets, Braves...he should be a popular target.
Mark Wohlers
2:41
So, given that I'm not coming out of retirement and the Kimbrel conversation is exhausting, give us some other viable back-end relief options for the Atlanta pen. Oh, and send them quickly!
Tim Dierkes
2:42
Ken Giles, Will Smith, Mychal Givens, Keone Kela, Raisel Iglesias, Alex Colome, Shane Greene
Is there a worse one
2:42
Watching last night, that defensively alignment of ozuna, fowler, and Martinez is a train wreck----hitting or not, bader has to play, doesn't he????
Tim Dierkes
2:43
I happened to be at that game.  Fowler not being awful kind of forced them into a weird place.  You'd think the answer would be to move Martinez for a piece that would fit them better.
Indians Fan
2:43
Is there a good fit for the Indians OF out there that is feasible at this point in the season?
Tim Dierkes
2:44
Could be a good time to try to buy low on Yasiel Puig.  But the market looks fairly barren at OF.
Dark
2:45
Anyone who claims pitchers don't need a ST or something like Keuchel's routine need to see the numbers over the last two years of one Greg Holland.
Brad C
2:45
Your thoughts of the Cubs sweep?  Are they finally leaving .500 in the rear view mirror?
Tim Dierkes
2:47
They're probably the division favorite, but they've still got such glaring issues up and down the pitching staff.  Really tough situation if they reach a point where Darvish has to somehow join Chatwood in the bullpen.
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