Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Pizza Pie Thompson: Could Kris Bryant be the leadoff hitter the Cubs have been looking for?

Paul Swydan: Interesting, interesting.

Jeff Zimmerman: He’s fine there or in any of the top 4 spots

Paul Swydan: He’s one of the four-best hitters, and of the four-best hitters he has the highest OBP. But the key is his willingness to hit there. If he doesn’t want to be the leadoff hitter, I wouldn’t make him the leadoff hitter.

Eric A Longenhagen: Howdy, all. Let’s get right to it…

GPT: Hey, you saw a bunch of AZL Giants baseball last week, thoughts on Seth Corry and Diego Rincones, and anybody else who might make the next Giants prospect list?

Eric A Longenhagen: Corry is a bit of a project. Body, velocity and breaking ball all look the part but he has 30 command right now. Rincones has some feel to hit but the tools are middling, he lacks physical projection. He needs to hit a lot to profile, though I did speak with someone who thinks he will. Izzy Munguia is a fun little sparkplug who I’ve liked in CF and I think he has above avg bat speed. Jake Gonzalez and Heliot Ramos are obvious ones and I’ve written about Camilo Dovall.

Chris: Do you think Glasnow will be different this go around?

Eric A Longenhagen: He’s objectively different but I don’t know if he’ll be much more effective. I hope so, though I’ve always been skeptical about the strikes ever coming. I guess we’ll see. He’s 24 now, I think?

Bork: Any September call ups really standing out to you so far?

Travis Sawchik:

Travis Sawchik: To begin, some free life advice!

Matthew: Are the Indians “peaking too early?”

Travis Sawchik: The Indians would be better off winning 18 straight games in October, sure (though all that is required is 11)…. But this is still a team that looks very well situated for October with the game’s best starting staff .

mike: does CLE make it to 20?

Travis Sawchik: Carrasco today, Kluber on Tuesday vs Det … so, yeah, I think so

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Bork: Hello, friend! Apologies for my absences. Bork Jr. can be very distracting.

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friend

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe: Anticipatory: We don’t want to hear about the NFL!

Jeff Sullivan: The NFL is stupid

Dan Szymborski: Chat time!

ChiSox2020: How does a rotation of Carlos Rodon, Lucas Giolito, Raynaldo Lopez, and Michael Kopech look in the 2nd half of 2018?

Dan Szymborski: Super-interesting at least.  I think the White Sox rotation has the upside potential to come back super quickly.

The Average Sports Fan: Are the Diamondbacks a legit matchup problem for the Dodgers or have the last couple series just been noise?

Dan Szymborski: I don’t think it’s a matchup problem.  Head-to-head really doesn’t provide any predictive value above-and-beyond what the team records do.

Dan Szymborski: The team-team interactions just aren’t as complex as they are in football or basketball.

Eno Sarris: i named my son Calvin so, even though I don’t mind the music, I think I’m rooting against this guy

Eno Sarris: nah, whatever, it’s fun

Mike: mookie has been playing like crap. is he still worth a $25 keeper for next year? I can only keep 4

Eno Sarris: Yeah man, I think he’s still a .300/25/20 type and that batting average is super rare. I know he’s not doing it now but he still has all the pieces he needs to be that guy.

Tim: Think Lyons is taking over the closer gig in St. Louis?

Eno Sarris: With Cecil and Duke in the fold, they can afford a lefty closer. Yes.

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan:

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Paul Swydan: How’s everybody doing on this fine evening? Well, I hope.

Cena : What is the yanks biggest weakness?

Jeff Zimmerman: Lack of top end starters for the playoffs

Dave Cameron: Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Dave Cameron: Let’s talk September baseball.

Dave Cameron: Or maybe October baseball!

Gary: A lot of Acuna talk this season. What’s the best way for Atlanta to get him in the lineup? Dumping Kemp or Markakis makes sense, but could they use Inciarte as a trade chip and play Acuna in center?

Dave Cameron: Atlanta needs more good players, not to swap out the few they have for others. Neither Kemp nor Markakis should have a starting job next year.

Mel: What degree of moral turpitude do you assign the Red Sox for their electronic sign stealing?  Do you believe that Farrell did not know it was happening?

Eric A Longenhagen: Good morning, everyone. I had two ESPN Insider pieces go up yesterday and today, so head over there if you’re interested in checking those out. Let’s chat…

Tommy N.: Has your outlook on Joey Lucchesi improved this year? What do you think he can be?

Eric A Longenhagen: Yes, he went from being an honorable mention on the Padres list to a high-probability 40 for me, a likely backend starter.

Gary: How do you project someone like Joey Wentz? Looks like a great season on paper, but reportedly not with great velocity. With a guy who has shown better velo in HS, what are the chances it takes a jump?

Eric A Longenhagen: Most guys never throw harder than they do in high school. You’re pitching more and toeing the rubber with less rest than you were in high school. Wentz wasn’t all that projectable, physically, in high school and velo peaks and valleys. I think he’ll be fine because the curveball and changeup will both be very good, but I wouldn’t expect him to have an elite fastball or anything like that.

Jonathon: Is there a good way to reach out to companies you want to work for as a junior in college?

Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to Friday baseball chat

Jeff Sullivan: Been a while since Bork 🙁

Zonk: Javy Baez has 13 Intentional BBs, and only 11 earned BBs.  Has any qualified batter ever finished a season with more IBBs than regular BBs?  I am guessing the answer is no….

Jeff Sullivan: To the query machine!

Jeff Sullivan: Baez would stand to be the first since Vladimir Guerrero in 2006