August Fagerstrom FanGraphs Chat — 12/29/15
| 11:51 |
: alright let’s start this thang up a little early
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| 11:51 |
: good afternoon to all, and I hope any time spent with family recently was cherished
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| 11:51 |
: chat soundtrack: Lil Ugly Mane – Three Sided Tape, Volume One
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| 11:51 |
:
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| 11:51 |
: also, a user recommendation –
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| 11:51 |
: Can I start the chat off with a music rec? William Onyeabor – Fantastic Man. I’d post a youtube link but, at work.
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| 11:52 |
:
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| 11:52 |
: i like this already
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| 11:52 |
: What percentage of the queue are questions of the “who hangs up first?” variety? This format seems dated because I am under the impression most GMing is done via text now
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| 11:52 |
: way too many, and that’s now my go-to response
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| 11:52 |
: Are the Indians a World Series contender in 2016? Why or why not?
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| 11:52 |
: yep, for the same reason the Mets almost won the World Series last year
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| 11:53 |
: their pitching is as good as anyone’s, and they should have one of the better defenses in baseball this year, which the Mets didn’t even have that
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| 11:54 |
: Indians should prevent runs as well as any team in baseball. the offense isn’t great, but look at the recent lineups that have gone to the World Series. they shouldn’t need to outslug anyone to win. question is whether they’ll score *enough*
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| 11:54 |
: Hi August :D. Do you think there is any reason an Indians fan should be excited about Rajai Davis? I realize the Indians don’t like spending money, and that a body was needed in the wake of Brantley’s injury…but given his age and projections it’s hard to think he’ll be much different than any ~replacement level internal option.
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| 11:55 |
: the reason you could get excited is looking at his career line vs. LHP (118 wRC+) and Abe Almonte’s career line vs. RHP (99 wRC+) and say, hey, that’s some pretty good offense from center field
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| 11:56 |
: the reason you would get the opposite of excited is that Rajai Davis will be playing LF everyday, meaning vs. right-handers, too, while Brantley’s gone, and that they might both be defensive liabilities in center, and that platoons never work out quite the way you’d like
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| 11:56 |
: I think it’s a fine signing. just fine
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| 11:56 |
: Wouldn’t the Mets and Rangers make perfect trading partners? The Rangers have a ton of OF talent with not enough spots and the Mets can afford to move a SP. Wouldn’t a deal involving Harvey for Lewis or Maraza make sense foe both teams?
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| 11:57 |
: if your hypothetical trade proposal makes the World Series runner-ups considerably worse in the present day, you need to work on your hypothetical trade proposal
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| 11:57 |
: What was your favorite Fangraphs article of 2015? Mine I think was “Lorenzo Cain’s Mad Dash Home” or “Let’s Build a Scouting Report on Lucas Duda’s Arm.” Your entire post-season/WS lineup of content was great actually.
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| 11:57 |
: first off I’m glad you liked my Lucas Duda piece and I agree that we collectively covered the postseason pretty well. always a fun time
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| 11:58 |
: I enjoyed writing that Duda piece, that was one of my personal favorites. as for overall favorites, there have been so many good ones it would be hard to say. maybe I’ll look back a bit before the New Year
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| 11:58 |
: Is your name fake?
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| 11:58 |
: if it is, this has been quite the long-con by my parents
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| 11:58 |
: whoever recommended that song at the start of the chat — that was very fun
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| 11:59 |
: What are your New Years Resolutions?
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| 12:00 |
: probably to be a bit more cognizant of those around me and spend more time on personal relationships. 2015 was a very personal year with several close losses and also two new jobs and a couple moves and I think I withdrew a bit
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| 12:00 |
: “be better to people,” mostly, which should always be a goal for everyone
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| 12:01 |
: Are the Pirates going to go in with Vogelsong/Niese/Locke on the back end or will they get a legit #3?
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| 12:01 |
: if they add another arm, I’m not sure it’ll be someone demonstrably better than Niese
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| 12:01 |
: Pirates aren’t exactly known for making offseason splashes
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| 12:01 |
: I will say that the rotation they currently have inspires very little confidence from me
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| 12:01 |
: then again the Pirates have done some job of getting value out of pitchers lately, so we’ll see
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| 12:02 |
: Is there a path to contention for the Braves in 2016? given that they still have up to $40m in payroll space and no major contracts left on the books after 2016, can they sign or trade enough to try for a wild card berth?
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| 12:02 |
: the Braves, contending, this year?
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| 12:02 |
: no
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| 12:02 |
: Which team’s mascot would be the best baseball player (among mascots)?
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| 12:02 |
: oh man, I love this question
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| 12:03 |
: gonna say Orbit because he’s the best at everything
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| 12:03 |
: are any of them typically pictured with a bat?
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| 12:03 |
: doesn’t the weird Rockies one usually have a bat?
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| 12:03 |
: being familiar with the equipment would be a huge plus
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| 12:04 |
: DINGER, that’s his name. turns out I was wrong about him being pictured with a bat but his name is Dinger and he lives at Coors, so I’m changing my answer to him
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| 12:04 |
: he’d win a home run derby, at least
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| 12:05 |
: Why are Dodgers still considered front runners in nl west? Their lineup and pitching have stars but a lot of question marks after them.
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| 12:05 |
: where are all the question marks?
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| 12:06 |
: they could use another starter or two, definitely, but that can be addressed and it’s not like their five-man rotation right now is bad, it’s just not up to the recent Dodgers standard
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| 12:06 |
: and it still has Clayton Kershaw
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| 12:06 |
: second base could be viewed as a question mark, but Kike Hernandez has been nothing but great in his time in the bigs
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| 12:07 |
: beside that I don’t see too many holes. looks like a damn fine team to me
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| 12:07 |
: I stumbled upon William Onyeabor from a random spotify playlist and I haven’t been able to stop listening to him. Check his story out, really interesting. Baseball Q: Do you think Mikael Franco will have similar value to Miguel Sano over his career or is Franco down a tier?
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| 12:07 |
: yeah his stuff is just autoplaying on YouTube now and I’m really enjoying it
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| 12:07 |
: I like Sano quite a bit more than Franco
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| 12:08 |
: Why are many people predicting a phillies-like collapse of the Tigers? Outside of Verlander, Cabrera, Kinsler, and Martinez, their team is actually quite young. And even their older guys are still pretty good.
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| 12:09 |
: because in 2018 they’ll have exactly $100 million tied up in a 35-year-old Verlander, a 35-year-old Miggy, a *39-year-old* Victor and a 32-year-old Zimmermann
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| 12:09 |
: group could still be fine
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| 12:09 |
: group could be aged and bad and there’s nothing they could do about it
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| 12:10 |
: not many other teams who could potentially have $100 million unmovable dollars a few years down the road, which is the kind of situation that crippled the Phillies
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| 12:11 |
: pressing question:
convo started talking about THE REVENANT, then moved into leo, then into jeter. who has had more sexual partners: derek jeter or leonardo dicaprio? argument for jeter: biggest athlete in nyc for 2 decades, well known YEAH JEETS story + celeb gift baskets, dated pretty much every “miss” winner in the world argument for leo: starting at age 19, made gilbert grape, basketball diaries, romeo + juliet, then titantic. thats the recipe for the biggest teeny bopper celeb in the whole world. plus the yacht parties. im gonna side with leo. i wish fangraphs would answer this question for me. |
| 12:11 |
: gonna say Leo
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| 12:11 |
: wow they’re the exact same age
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| 12:11 |
: yeah, Leo, though. he lives the bachelor life so hard
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| 12:12 |
: Do you personally care if an athlete takes HGH?
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| 12:13 |
: personally as in does it affect my judgment of their character? if that’s the case, no. i wish they wouldn’t do it, it makes me a little sad, but I don’t think guys are lying/cheating/scummy people if they do
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| 12:13 |
: Am i signing Cespedes, Upton or Gordon?
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| 12:13 |
: not sure if you’re asking me to choose one or if this is a yes-or-no question
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| 12:13 |
: but
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| 12:13 |
: the longer this all goes on the more I kind of think the White Sox end up with one of them
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| 12:14 |
: could see Upton in a White Sox uni
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| 12:14 |
: The Cub’s mascot Clark doesn’t wear pants. He’d be a speed demon. Everyone knows pants only slow you down!!
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| 12:14 |
: The Brewers mascot probably can mash. Basing this completely on mustache power.
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| 12:14 |
: important points
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| 12:14 |
: The Padres mascot often has a bat… fat man with a bat = slugger at first base! Also the monkish dedication to his craft has gotta help.
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| 12:14 |
: Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Creates a powerful Steamer projection That hates your favorite team’s roster selection And dooms them for failure, fate predestined |
| 12:15 |
: What do you think about Jason Heyward playing a full season in center?
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| 12:15 |
: think he’ll be just fine
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| 12:15 |
: wrote about that here – http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/jason-heyward-as-a-center-fielder/
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| 12:15 |
: though the Cubs outfield defense as a whole is still very suspect, being that he’s flanked by bottom ten? five? defensive corner outfielders
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| 12:16 |
: I’m not sure what to make of Byron Buxton. Is he a good baseball player or just a great athlete that plays baseball?
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| 12:16 |
: I mean the second one sounds like a more apt description but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be a great baseball player
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| 12:16 |
: I think he maybe got rushed to the bigs a bit and also hasn’t been very healthy yet
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| 12:17 |
: a year of finally being healthy did wonders for that Harper guy this year
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| 12:17 |
: not saying Buxton is Harper, clearly, but
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| 12:18 |
: Am I weird for liking the Hateful Eight *so much more* than Star Wars? (And I am a big fan of the OT.)
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| 12:18 |
: shit you just reminded me that Hateful Eight is out and I haven’t seen it yet!
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| 12:18 |
: probably going to do that tonight now, thanks
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| 12:19 |
: loved Star Wars
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| 12:19 |
: have very high expectations for the Hateful Eight, though, as I do for all QT films
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| 12:19 |
: Do you think Verlander should move to the bullpen as an elite closer once his starting days are over?
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| 12:19 |
: can’t say without knowing what this version of Verlander looks like
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| 12:19 |
: seems doubtful though
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| 12:20 |
: guys with that much status, it always sounds good in theory for them to go to the pen (think Lincecum) but you rarely see it happen
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| 12:20 |
: also I could see Verlander still being an effective league-average innings eater late in his career. dude’s a work horse
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| 12:21 |
: Is Trea Turner the opening day SS in DC?
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| 12:22 |
: could see Espinosa getting the first crack with Turner getting a bit more seasoning in AAA
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| 12:22 |
: wouldn’t surprise me though
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| 12:22 |
: depends what they see from him in the Spring, which is a cop-out answer but also true
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| 12:22 |
: As opposed to players the Rockies supposedly want for their outfielders, who are the level of guys should fans be prepared to get in return?
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| 12:22 |
: less than what they think, for CarGo
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| 12:22 |
: Chances Upton signs a 1 year $20+ deal and tries again next year as a 29 year old in a weak market
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| 12:22 |
: very low
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| 12:22 |
: ZiPS preview just came out for the Cubs: Five 5+ win players
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| 12:22 |
: Cubs are good
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| 12:22 |
: Cubs are really good
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| 12:23 |
: Nationals looked really good last year around this time, too
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| 12:23 |
: but hard to like anyone more than the Cubs right now
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| 12:23 |
: so the William Onyeabor YouTube playlist has now turned into a Nigerian Funk collection and it’s sooo good
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| 12:23 |
:
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| 12:24 |
: Are the Angels really going to go with a Nava/Gentry platoon in LF next year? Any hope that it may be decently effective if they do? Have a safe and fun New Year’s weekend!
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| 12:24 |
: it could be a non-disaster
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| 12:24 |
: they’re still viewing that as a Plan B to Alex Gordon t hough
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| 12:24 |
: Do you think the Nationals are better or worse in 2016 with Murphy compared to Phillips?
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| 12:24 |
: I would rather have Daniel Murphy than Brandon Phillips
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| 12:25 |
: DO you think teams will move more towards what the rays did? only let their starters go through the starting order twice and then get into the bullpen? looks like the yanks could be yanking starters after 5 with that bullpen
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| 12:25 |
: this is one of those things that sounds great in theory and then it’s the All Star Break and your bullpen is totally gassed
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| 12:25 |
: teams might become more *willing* to do it now and then or with a certain starter or something
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| 12:26 |
: but you’re not going to see all five starters getting pulled after 5 or 6 for a full season. just can’t do that to your bullpen
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| 12:26 |
: that being said, I really hope the Yankees make the playoffs with that trio healthy, because I really want to see how they deploy those guys
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| 12:26 |
: pulling the starter after 5 and having Chapman/Betances/Miller work the final four innings every game sounds like sooo much fun
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| 12:26 |
: Will the jays regret trading Liam Hendriks?
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| 12:26 |
: what a time to be alive
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| 12:27 |
: Is anyone in the AL *not* a world series contender at this point?
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| 12:27 |
: meant to answer this earlier when someone asked about the Indians
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| 12:27 |
: I think every team in the AL is a playoff contender
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| 12:27 |
: which, in turn, would make every team in the AL a WS contender as well
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| 12:28 |
: american league be crazy
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| 12:28 |
: What are the chances Nate Eovaldi has a break out year this year? Seems like he has the stuff…
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| 12:28 |
: yearly saying
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| 12:28 |
: When was the last time the pre-season favorite won the World Series?
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| 12:28 |
: since before baseball was invented
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| 12:28 |
: As a Cubs fan, (yeah, I live in NY, so what?) every time I hear the 2015 Nationals comparison, I die a little bit inside.
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| 12:28 |
: can I get charged with anything for this?
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| 12:28 |
: given the deals, should the mets have been in on chapman?
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| 12:28 |
: impossible to say because this issue is far more complex than baseball
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| 12:29 |
: can’t be evaluated strictly on baseball terms. I have no idea how the Mets FO would feel about acquiring Chapman as a person
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| 12:29 |
: Who closes in Cincinnati now? Do you think they try one of their college-reliever-turned-starter guys like Cingrani or Lorenzen?
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| 12:29 |
: sure
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| 12:29 |
: in reality, it really doesn’t matter who closes for a crappy team
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| 12:29 |
: Is it fair to say the AL Central is the most up in the air division in MLB?
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| 12:29 |
: probably
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| 12:30 |
: Last pre-season favorites–90s Braves, maybe?
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| 12:30 |
: Late 90s Yankees?
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| 12:30 |
: good answers
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| 12:30 |
: Who would you rather have as a DH, Sano or Schwarber? Even though neither can DH much this year.
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| 12:30 |
: Sano
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| 12:32 |
: the way i am looking at the roster now, and all the other NL teams, would it be a more safe bet that the Mets don’t even make the playoffs?
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| 12:32 |
: yeah I certainly don’t view the Mets as a postseason lock
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| 12:32 |
: no team is a postseason lock in December
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| 12:32 |
: but it’s not too hard to envision a scenario where the Mets don’t make it
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| 12:33 |
: Other than getting a backup c.f., is there anything else cubs should do?
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| 12:33 |
: looks pretty good to me
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| 12:33 |
: just get a good glove for the outfield
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| 12:33 |
: Wil Myers 2016 projections are pretty good. Do you think if he stays healthy that he meets or beats them?
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| 12:34 |
: he actually had a higher wRC+ last year than his Steamer projection
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| 12:34 |
: so yeah, that should easily be beatable
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| 12:34 |
: still just 25 and hasn’t been healthy for a while. first base should be less of a physical strain on him, too
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| 12:35 |
: Do you honestly see the Pirates resigning McCutchen to an extension? I say trade him for maximum return.
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| 12:35 |
: a McCutchen extension would be so massive right now
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| 12:36 |
: tough to see Pittsburgh being able to do that
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| 12:36 |
: Does Jose Peraza start at 2nd and stay all year? Cozart and Suarez may be better? or will they move him to OF?
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| 12:36 |
: well they’ve gotta move Phillips first
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| 12:36 |
: assuming that gets done, I’d say Peraza is the OD starter at second. they seem to be pretty high on him
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| 12:36 |
: higher than most
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| 12:37 |
: Suarez will get his reps, though. he’s a quality player.
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| 12:38 |
: I’d imagine Peraza is primarily the team’s second baseman, who also gets moved around a bit
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| 12:39 |
: I’ve been trying to find a young guy that will have a big breakout season (ala AJ Pollock). I keep “wanting” to pick Gregory Polanco, but I’m worried about his power ever coming around. Who do you feel is going to have a big breakout season in 2016?
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| 12:39 |
: I don’t think a power spike from Polanco is out of the question
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| 12:40 |
: the guys that worry me in that department are the guys like Yelich who just don’t have the swing plane to consistently drive the ball out of the park
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| 12:40 |
: Polanco gets them in the air, he just needs some more muscle behind it. he’s a big dude, a good athlete, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to make him your pick
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| 12:41 |
: my go-to selection for this question is Rougned Odor, but soon I’ll have to pick someone new
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| 12:41 |
: So the De Aza signing? Wouldn’t the Mets have been better off waiting out the market? He is a pretty awful CF to be the strong side of a platoon. With Granderson done in 2 years, what’s the harm of giving Parra 3 years?
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| 12:41 |
: yeah I didn’t understand the De Aza move at all
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| 12:41 |
: The goal of the Braves and Reds seems to be to turn things around quickly. How soon do you think these teams are back in contention in their respective divisions?
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| 12:42 |
: could be done in a few years, though the Central seems set to be a very tough division for years
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| 12:42 |
: Braves could have an easier path to contention just given their division, and also their farm system is now loaded. better than the Reds
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| 12:42 |
: As someone mentioned in the comments of one of the FG articles, is it a bit lame that the Yankees have a grooming policy presumably for image reasons, but are tote$ chill with scooping up Chapman at a cut-rate price because of his domestic violence accusations? Or am I just being a Yankee hater?
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| 12:42 |
: kind of apples and oranges
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| 12:43 |
: but it’s totally OK to be upset with the Yankees for essentially capitalizing on domestic violence
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| 12:43 |
: The pirates won’t add anyone better than Niese, but is it too much to ask to upgrade on Vogelsong?!?!?
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| 12:43 |
: reasonable
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| 12:43 |
: Do you think the Jays have done enough so far this offseason to give them a good shot at winning the AL East again?
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| 12:44 |
: shouldn’t the question just be “do the Jays have a good shot at winning the AL East again?”
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| 12:44 |
: because I think the answer to that is yes
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| 12:44 |
: Turning to the NL, how many teams are playoff contenders? I count 8 (Cubs, Cards, Pirates, Mets, Nationals, Dodgers,Giants, DBacks). Thoughts?
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| 12:45 |
: sounds right
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| 12:46 |
: Should the Red Sox consider getting a more established starter to slot behind price? The rest of the rotation is scary!
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| 12:46 |
: I don’t think it’s too scary
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| 12:46 |
: what’s funny is last year’s disaster Red Sox rotation had a 99 FIP- and a 104 ERA-
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| 12:47 |
: not as easy as just carrying over last year’s stats, but you start with that, add David Price, improve the defense, ask less of your starters by building a super-bullpen, and I think they can be fine
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| 12:47 |
: The Reds have acquired like 20 guys this off season in their trades. Do you think any of them are even a league average player?
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| 12:48 |
: sure, Peraza and Schebler could be league average players off the top of my head
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| 12:48 |
: what the Reds seem to be lacking in their returns this year is upside, which is what can happen when you delay your rebuild a year or two past when it probably should have happened
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| 12:48 |
: Last season, the Pirates conducted a brilliant offseason. This offseason? Meh rotation as you pointed out, and an IF of Harrison/Mercer/Kang/Jaso looks very patchwork to me. Seems like everything has to go right for them to win 90+ games, and how often does that happen in baseball? I think they are falling back of the Cards/Cubs. Am I right?
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| 12:49 |
: I don’t think you’re far off. I’m not very high on the Pirates this year, right now
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| 12:49 |
: what is your next favorite sport after baseball august? mine is NCAA basketball.
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| 12:49 |
: LeBron ball
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| 12:49 |
: I don’t really watch any sports beside baseball and Cavs games
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| 12:50 |
: I enjoy March Madness
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| 12:51 |
: What do you see from Alex Wood in 2016? After 2.6 WAR in both 2015 and 2014, Steamer only has him at 1.9 in 2016. Given his age – 25 next year – what gives?
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| 12:51 |
: he lost a whole bunch of strikeouts last year and Steamer doesn’t see him getting any of them back
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| 12:51 |
: Steamer also sees a jump in his home run rate
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| 12:52 |
: home run spike might be unfair, he only ever gave up 2 in the minors and he gets ground balls
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| 12:52 |
: he’s never had a great swinging strike rate, so I could buy into the strikeouts not coming back
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| 12:52 |
: Is Marcus Stroman a future ace? He’s a pretty small guy, but man he throws darts.
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| 12:52 |
: maybe not top-10 pitcher in baseball ace, but yeah, he could front the rotation of a playoff team
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| 12:53 |
: Not sure I am as optimistic as you are on the Indians scoring enough runs. That assumes progression from Urshela, Napoli and Santana stay good, Rajai Davis doesn’t suck, Chisenhall is OK, and a whole lot of other things that are not very sure things. To me, they are 1 injury or player decline away from disaster. Thoughts?
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| 12:53 |
: I think earlier I mentioned that I wasn’t super high on them scoring enough runs either
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| 12:53 |
: I was arguing from the FO’s perspective
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| 12:54 |
: The Cardinals have gotten significantly worse, right? Heyward, Lynn, Lackey–gone. Leake? Com’on. Molina needing a second surgery. Besides “Cardinal magic”, what is actually looking up for them?
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| 12:54 |
: I mean they still have a pretty solid roster but I’m kind of in the same boat in that I’m more down on this Cardinals team than I have been in years
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| 12:54 |
: I think the gap between the Cubs and the Cards/Pirates is significant
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| 12:55 |
: Who is the better name?
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| 12:55 |
: Mookie, easy
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| 12:55 |
: the Rookie thing is going to get played out quick in his rookie season
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| 12:55 |
: and then after that it’s just confusing/demeaning
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| 12:56 |
: Jason Hammel had a lower FIP last year than Zimmermann and Cueto. He makes $9 mil. Yet every Cub fan seemingly wants to dump him. Recency bias? Or are they smarter than me?
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| 12:56 |
: well looking only at single-season FIP to evaluate a pitcher isn’t the greatest, especially with a guy like Cueto, but I don’t think that’s your point. I think your point is that Hammel is just fine, especially as a 4th or 5th starter in a rotation fronted by Arrieta and Lester, in which case you’d be totally correct
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| 12:56 |
: Baez is playing cf in winter leagues…. Does this mean anything?
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| 12:57 |
: means he’s athletic enough to play anywhere on the diamond and the Cubs would love for him to be able to do so
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| 12:57 |
: especially Joe Maddon
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| 12:57 |
: Kimbrel or Giles, which deal was more lopsided?
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| 12:57 |
: I’m not sure either one was lopsided, per se, but Kimbrel’s haul was more impressive
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| 12:57 |
: Kimbrel is also more impressive, so
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| 12:59 |
: Which young SP do you see making “the leap” into the discussion of the best pitchers in baseball? I was leaning towards Marcus Stroman, but i’m not sure he gets the innings. Thor is a good bet. Who does August Fagerstrom buy stock in?
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| 12:59 |
: can I pick Gerrit Cole? or is he already too close?
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| 12:59 |
: I think Danny Salazar could end up near the top
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| 1:00 |
: and on a lesser scale, I like Raisel Iglesias’ chances to cement himself as a front of the rotation starter too
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| 1:00 |
: Yeah but aren’t the Pirates basically planning on Glasnow coming up to take Vogelsong’s spot?
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| 1:01 |
: in a perfect world, yeah, but I think the point is that counting on the 21-year-old with command issues to supplant the bad 37-year-old is less than ideal for a team that aims to contend
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| 1:01 |
: does anyone have interest in Jay Bruce? he seems like a blah player at this point
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| 1:01 |
: yeah, teams have interest
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| 1:02 |
: maybe less than the Reds wish, though
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| 1:02 |
: kind of the theme of their offseason
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| 1:02 |
: How much would you pay Dan Uggla to be your strength and conditioning coach? (you get to have a clause in the contract that he never steps on the field)
|
| 1:02 |
: mine?
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| 1:02 |
: I don’t really need to pay for a strength and conditioning coach in my line of work
|
| 1:02 |
: Are the Yanks back in the mix for the east pennant?
|
| 1:02 |
: sure
|
| 1:02 |
: Who has the better year in 2016 assuming both stay healthy, Alex Wood or Shelby Miller?
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| 1:02 |
: Miller
|
| 1:03 |
: Who do you like as this years Ruben Sierra Award for best counting stats yet terrible metrics?
|
| 1:03 |
: Matt Kemp, the 100 RBI man
|
| 1:03 |
: In light of the Al Jeezera report, is there anyone left in sports that would totally crush you if you found out they were on PEDs? Or are we so jaded now that nothing would surprise us?
|
| 1:03 |
: Jeter would be super sad
|
| 1:03 |
: so would Trout
|
| 1:03 |
: Does Votto get moved before the deadline?
|
| 1:03 |
: no
|
| 1:04 |
: Did you burn your lebron jersey when he left and buy a new one when he returned?
|
| 1:04 |
: I didn’t burn it but I think I discarded it with some purpose
|
| 1:04 |
: didn’t buy a new one, no
|
| 1:04 |
: I dont buy jerseys anymore
|
| 1:04 |
: I definitely “hated” him for a few years then eventually grew indifferent and was really happy to see him win in Miami
|
| 1:04 |
: Billy Beane deserves respect for his front office innovations. Last couple years though, he’s made some real head-scratching moves. Is it time to wonder if he should move off to a new role?
|
| 1:05 |
: think that’s a bit drastic but it’s definitely fair to question some of his recent moves
|
| 1:05 |
: also think it’s way too early to declare the Josh Donaldson move a total disaster as some seemed to last year
|
| 1:05 |
: what if Franklin Barreto turns out to be a perennial All-Star in Oakland for a decade?
|
| 1:05 |
: tough to say
|
| 1:06 |
: bet he wishes he had the Russell move back, though
|
| 1:06 |
: I know you don’t take fantasy Q’s, but is it because you don’t play or you want to keep this a baseball chat?
|
| 1:07 |
: main reason is because I play in a very different league than most people (18 team, overall points league, no categories or head-to-head matchups) so my idea of fantasy is very different than most
|
| 1:08 |
: also because it’s totally impossible to make a good judgment on someone else’s fantasy team without knowing allll the specifics of the league and roster construction and whatnot, and I dont want to hear every detail every time someone wants to ask a fantasy question
|
| 1:08 |
: and then also for the “no one cares about your fantasy team” thing
|
| 1:08 |
: and for your latter reason, too
|
| 1:09 |
: What player contract do you see eventually becoming the biggest anchor?
|
| 1:09 |
: the Angels owe Albert Pujols $30 million more than half a decade from now
|
| 1:09 |
: What kind of performance do you expect from John Lackey for the next two years of his contract? He had a career year last year, do you think he can somewhat repeat that performance or was it just a fluke?
|
| 1:10 |
: it wasn’t quite a career year — he was that good in the mid-2000’s too
|
| 1:10 |
: but, yeah, he was surprisingly good last year. he was also very effective the two years before that
|
| 1:10 |
: if he’s just 2013-14 Lackey, the Cubs will be pleased and the contract will be worth it
|
| 1:10 |
: Where is the best ballpark food? And what do you particularly enjoy there?
|
| 1:10 |
: PNC has some good food options
|
| 1:10 |
: PNC is just the best, really
|
| 1:11 |
: I like to make my way to Manny’s BBQ
|
| 1:12 |
: Guess to how much career WAR Trout ends up with?
|
| 1:12 |
: 168.4!
|
| 1:12 |
: didn’t you read my article?
|
| 1:12 |
: alright guys, long-chat over. thanks for hanging out
|
August used to cover the Indians for MLB and ohio.com, but now he's here and thinks writing these in the third person is weird. So you can reach me on Twitter @AugustFG_ or e-mail at august.fagerstrom@fangraphs.com.