Carson Cistulli: Hello. Dan Szymborski is indisposed today. I will be your substitute for this “chat.” Will begin in earnest approximately 15 minutes from now.

Carson Cistulli: Okay. I will now begin in earnest.

Ben: Why are you doing this?

Carson Cistulli: To make some use of myself.

Claude: Venez vous à Montreal cet été?

Carson Cistulli: I am. I can not speak to the city as a whole. That said, the quarter in which I have typically stayed — just southeast, I guess, of the Little Italy — is one of the most perfect neighborhoods I’ve ever visited.

Travis Sawchik: Happy Monday!

Travis Sawchik: Happy Spring?

Travis Sawchik:

Travis Sawchik:

Travis Sawchik: Who thought starting a season in March (including games in Detroit) was a good idea?

Travis Sawchik: Let’s get started …

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Jeff Sullivan: Shohei Ohtani tripled yesterday

Jeff Sullivan: It was good

TF Fredrik: What the hell is with Giolito’s start to season? His velo was up in spring and his curve was back but now he’s throwing 91 and his curve only 5%?

Jeff Sullivan: Yeah, this has been really disappointing. Especially since it’s clear he’s followed through on his mechanical adjustment, lowering his arm slot significantly

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from lovely Tempe and welcome to the new chat day. Let’s begin.

ChiSox2020: Thoughts on Dane Dunning?

Eric A Longenhagen: Think he’s going to be a league-average starter.

Bubbles Depot: I know it is incredibly early but is Juan Soto poised to be the Ronald Acuña of this year?

Eric A Longenhagen: Don’t think the tools are on that level but could see him being a low-variance 60 by the end of the year like Kyle Tucker became last year.

Joe: Thoughts on Malique Ziegler? He’s had a good start to the season

Jay Jaffe: Howdy folks, and welcome to the two-week mark of the 2018 season as well as my usual Thursday Chat, which hasn’t been as usual as intended lately. Apologies on that, and let’s get to it…

Schoop of Ice Cream: Hanley predicted he’d go 30/30 preseason and everyone laughed. He’s now got 2 HR including the second hardest hit ball of the season, and 3 SB. What’s your updated % he hits those numbers

Jay Jaffe: He’s looked very good at the plate so far, and obviously is putting up the numbers in the early going. But as it always does, with Ramirez it comes down to health and availability. Color me skeptical, particularly on the steals. I’ll say he’s up to 10% probability now.

Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: How will the addition of bullpen carts affect my favorite part of baseball, when the ‘pens halfheartedly jogging out to brawls that will be over by the time they get there?

Jay Jaffe: Relievers who won’t get their usual jogging in will be more compelled to exert extra effort when joining the scrum. We’ll see some Todd Coffey-like sprints, which can only be good for baseball.

Coz: Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Kiley McDaniel: Hello fellow humans lets chat baseball

Tommy N.: Any thoughts on Lucchesi’s first few mlb starts?

Matt: Joey Lucchesi: Is he good? Think he can stick in a major league rotation?

Kiley McDaniel: Didn’t watch any of his MLB starts yet but saw him as an amateur and it’s basically the same: solid average stuff, above feel/command and tons of funk/deception. That normally plays up first time through the league them plays medium for a bit them plays down, but the down part sometimes takes a few years.

Kiley McDaniel: We were the high guys on Lucchesi, made him an other 50 FV on the top 100 here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2018-top-100-prospects/

Kiley McDaniel: So he was something like 115-135 overall for us before the season started. So he’s something like a ready-made fourth starter, may be a little better than that for stretches, like right now.

Meg Rowley: Hello! And welcome to the chat!

Alec Asher Wojciechowski: Hi Eric! Is there any prospect that is showing something new this year to elevate their status?

Meg Rowley: [extreme Janet from The Good Place voice] Not an Eric.

Wes: I’m confused by the chat time changes. Wasn’t the purpose of you moving to Tuesday to break up Kiley and Eric’s prospect chats? Instead they are Wed and Thur now. Still back-to-back. Not upset since all chats are great, just confused.

Meg Rowley: The issue was more that back-to-back days on the schedule that had (at the time) only one chat were prospect focused.

Meg Rowley: So if there was a non-prospect EMERGENCY that required chat coverage (uhhhh the Astros decide to all cobble shoes?) on a Tuesday, we theoretically might not get to it until Thursday.

Dan Szymborski:

Dan Szymborski: Carson didn’t start the queue up early, so quickly ask like 50 stupid questions so that we can get some padding.

Dan Szymborski: All by myself

Dan Szymborski: Don’t wanna be

Dan Szymborski: All by myself

Dan Szymborski: That’s all the lyrics I know

Travis Sawchik: Howdy

Travis Sawchik: How was your week?

Travis Sawchik: How was Ohtani’s (and Bryce Harper and Didi’s) week?

Travis Sawchik: Let’s talk about it …

Chris: Is there anything you see, besides bad luck, behind the Indians miserable BABIP?

Travis Sawchik: Mostly bad luck and awful weather

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend!

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Daniel Vogelbach: By how much do I have to outperform Healy to become the starter or at least platoon full time?

Jeff Sullivan: Not sure you’ll even get the chance, at first. The Mariners appear committed to giving Healy a long leash, and they won’t replace him until it’s clear that he’s bad or that Vogelbach is amazing