Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to one-time Wednesday baseball chat

Jeff Sullivan: Kiley is out of the country and could only chat on Friday this week, so we pulled off a temporary swap. Sorry for you disappointed Kiley fans!

Ryan H: Thoughts on Forrest Whitley?

Jeff Sullivan: Haven’t seen specifically what he’s being suspended for. All I know is he’s being suspended. These things are typically about weed, and while no minor-league player should be smoking weed while it’s a suspension-worthy activity, it’s absurd that they can be suspended for this and big-leaguers can’t

Jeff Sullivan: Speaking just in generalities, I doubt this reflects a huge behavior problem on Whitley’s part, and I expect that he’ll still reach the majors by the end of the summer

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning from surprisingly chilly Tempe.

Eric A Longenhagen: If you missed some notes from my weekend looks, they are here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/draft-notes-from-college-baseballs-ope…

Eric A Longenhagen: I also saw Oregon St (Madrigal, Larnach, etc) but those guys are back in town this week so waiting to write them up after the weekend.

Eric A Longenhagen: Also wrote up the guy TB got back from MIN for Odorizzi, Jermaine Palacios: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/scouting-new-rays-prospect…

Eric A Longenhagen: Okay, lt’s begin.

Tommy N.: With the Hosmer signing what happens to guys like Naylor and Austin Allen now?

Matt: Hi Dan. Did you chat move to Mondays because you could never remember when Thursday was?

Dan Szymborski: Actually, that’s kinda what happened.  Weekdays mush together, I think for me *and* Carson since one of us would always forget.

Bobyt: Do the Dodgers need any holes filled. IE another starting pitcher.

Dan Szymborski: They’re perhaps a skosh below average at 2nd, but I doubt they aggressively try to fill that up.

S: Where does Dickerson end up? Rockies makes some sense.

Dan Szymborski: Rockies do make sense, plus there’s history there

Travis Sawchik: Hi

Travis Sawchik: The offseason is technically over … but yet it warmed up over the weekend

Travis Sawchik: Go figure!

Travis Sawchik: Let’s talk about it …

Q-Ball: Chris Tillman back to the O’s felt inevitable, and turns out it was…

Joe: The biggest news of the last week, obviously, is that Chris Tillman just signed with Baltimore. What’s the chance he rebounds to be something better than a complete disaster?

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend!

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Fredrick: Hi Jeff! Do you know when the pre-season Depth Chart prjections will be updated to include ZiPS? Also, do you know if steamer or ZiPS has taken into account the new humidor at chase field?

Thanks

Jeff Sullivan: Can’t imagine the projections will adjust themselves for the humidor

Meg Rowley: Hello! Welcome to my first FanGraphs chat. I’ve done a number of these over the years, and am excited to talk with you all. A few words of warning: these won’t be super heavy on fantasy or prospect talk. My fantasy claim to fame is losing consistently and *not* being the person in my league who drafted Mike Zunino in the first round in 2015. With that said, let’s begin!

BEN GAMEL GRADE 80 HAIR: Will the Mariners add any more SP’s via Free Agency or trade? The group after Paxton, Leake, and Felix (whats left) is not super encouraging for a team going for a Wildcard

Meg Rowley: Based on everything Dipoto has said, and their refusal to play in a very tepid market so far, I think this is what you’re getting. They really needed Ohtani. Now they really need James Paxton to be healthy and brilliant all year, and for Felix to return to something like form, and for Mike Leake to be good, and I guess for Ariel Miranda to stop giving up so many home runs, and and and. It is not, as you point out, super encouraging.

John Luther: best OF in baseball?

Meg Rowley: I was trying to think of a creative answer to this, but you know sometimes we get too cute. I’d say Yankees, Angels, and Red Sox in some order, with the Red Sox probably third. If I were trying to be cute about it, I might point out the Brewers as sneaky really good with lots of depth, though they’re not in quite the same tier as the three I’ve mentioned.

CamdenWarehouse: Can you describe your feelings about the Mariners Top Prospects (?) list?

Jay Jaffe: Hello and welcome to my FanGraphs chat debut, part of what we might call my soft launch at FG (Im going on a previously scheduled vacation next week) ! I’m an old hand at chats from my Baseball Prospectus days, and we did a few at SI around trade deadlines, but I’m looking forward to getting back to doing these regularly. Anyhoo, on with the show…

Clay Achin’: What can you tell us about yourself, for the uninitiated

Jay Jaffe: I laid out an outline of my career in my introductory post (https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/stepping-into-the-box/) but for those who haven’t gotten there yet, I’ve been writing about baseball since 2001, when  I started up Futility Infielder. Debuted at BP in early 2004, writing about Hall of Fame stuff, and later creating the Prospectus Hit List and writing a column called Prospectus Hit and Run. in 2012, Sport Illustrated hired me to start up a new daily baseball blog, and gradually that morphed into a less bloggy/more column-oriented role. I’m best known for my HOF work, which culminated in the publication of my book, the Cooperstown Casebook,  this past July. I live in Brooklyn, amm married to a baseball writer/editor, Emma Span (late of SI, now at the Athletic) and have an adorable 18-month old daughter.

Brad: Replacing Eno’s chat is tough act to follow.  I wish you the best.  Chase Utley a hall of famer in your opinion?

Jay Jaffe: Eno has left some very big shoes to fill, both in terms of baseball and craft beer. I do think Chase Utley is Hallworthy; he’s 10th among second basemen in my JAWS system, which averages a player’s career and 7-year peak WAR. Alas, I think the late start to his career will make him a tough sell among voters, because so much of his value is tied to defense and because he’ll likely fall short of 2,000 hits — a proxy for career length that has unfortunately become a bright-line test for voters (Bobby Grich, Dick Allen, Minnie Minoso, Jim Edmonds are among those on the wrong side of that line).

CamdenWarehouse: Welcome, Jay!  This timeslot is known for accepting beer questions, is that ok with you?

Kiley McDaniel: A few minutes late after being taken on a circuitous route by my dog, it’s Kiley chat

A big dumb idiot: *extremely seinfeld voice* Whaaaaats the deal with prospects

PAC-12 FAN: You seem lower on Toglia and higher on Rutschman than some other outlets (D1, BP) were this past summer. Obviously you can’t speak for them but do you have any idea on what you may dislike/like with these two prospects that other evaluators may not?

Kiley McDaniel: Didn’t think I’d get questions parsing the specific rankings of the 2019 MLB Draft list but here we are. Main difference here is Toglia (1B/RF, UCLA) is bat-only and doesn’t have huge power whereas Rutschman (C, Oregon State) has comparable, above average raw power and is a better athlete who can catch.

Geebs: Is this another chat dominated by prospect conversation? If so please tell us now so I can leave, I’ve had my fill.

Kiley McDaniel: This chat is what you make of it and it seems like you’re a Debbie Downer

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning, all. Prospects Week is over at FG but you can check out all the links to our work near the bottom of the FG homepage.

Eric A Longenhagen: So please do that.

ChiSox2020: Which team has the best relief pitching pipeline?

Eric A Longenhagen: The Yankees. Multiple Rule 5 picks every year, trading 40-man crunch relievers for actual prospects.

Dan: Any thoughts on Fernando Kelli (Cubs CF)?

Eric A Longenhagen: Can really run but that’s it right now. Needs reps in CF and I’m confused about whether or not he’s actually a switch-hitter anymore or if he ever was because I’ve never seen it.

Travis Sawchik: Greetings!

Travis Sawchik: I understand pitchers and catchers are reporting …

Travis Sawchik: Well, at those who have signed contracts for 2018 …

Travis Sawchik: Spring is creeping closer. Rejoice.

Travis Sawchik: Let’s chat …

Desperate, confused Marlins fan: Darvish contract? great right?