Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Jeff and I will be here at 9 pm ET to answer all of your base-and-balling queries, and even some of other natures as well.

The queue is open, and the polls are coming up. See you soon!

Paul Swydan: Hi peoples.

Jeff Zimmerman: Yo.

Comment From Jacob S
A friend threatened to revoke my “nerd card” after I admitted that I don’t really care about Star Trek. I read Fangraphs, play D&D, play approximately 500,000 different video games, and typically spend an hour a week hanging out at a comic book store. Am I safe from this supposed revoking of my nerd card?

Paul Swydan: I think you’re good, Jacob S.

Jeff Zimmerman: You should have the Gold nerd card.

Jeff Sullivan: Hey there everybody, sorry for the delay. I’m currently day-to-day with lower back spasms or something and it’s taking me forever to move around the apartment.

Jeff Sullivan: It’s the oldest I’ve felt in a while, but at least the sitting position is relatively comfortable. So let’s chat baseball!

Comment From Dewey
Care to gauge T. Walker’s trade value after his cup of coffee?

Jeff Sullivan: Mariners question! It’s high, no doubt, and it helps that now he’s had some success at the big-league level, but it’s a shame two of those starts had to come against the Astros.

Jeff Sullivan: It could’ve gone a lot worse, though. So Walker’s a big trade piece, that they won’t trade.

Comment From BackSpasms
Hey Brah, mind if I stay awhile!?

Dan Szymborski: Is party time.

Dan Szymborski: One week, I’m going to do a very angry chat with no explanation, just to confuse people. But not today.

Comment From Chris
Dan, Dan, he’s our man. If he can’t do it, someone else probably could with a lot less snark….

Dan Szymborski: Me snarky? I’m a regular Huell Howser. I love everything and everybody.

Dan Szymborski: And everything farts sunshine rainbows and magical leprechauns with hats of love and mutual respect all the time.

Comment From Dan
As a heads-up I’ll be asking lots of q’s about fringy guys this week. Hope that’s cool.

Eno Sarris: top of the hour you will feel my power no that’s lame I’m really more tame

Eno Sarris: lyrics of the day

And the crowd chants “Get that paper!”
And the mob says “Kill that witch!”
This city get mad to the max better wave bye-de bye to the high scrapes kids
Get a tin foil hat for the rain, in
Hot water from the roof to the basement

Comment From Mr. Wrestling IV
The man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour.

Comment From person hscer
did I miss anything

Eno Sarris: just some “interesting” rap

Comment From Mike
Salazar or Walker for 2014?

Dave Cameron: Back for our weekly Wednesday chat, and the queue is now open. Feel free to ask all non-fantasy related Qs.

Dave Cameron: Jeff always starts late and you guys seem to enjoy his chats, so just assume I’m copying his shtick.

Comment From JEB
Billy Hamilton has some stones running on Yadi eh?

Dave Cameron: Major league debut, take off on the best defensive catcher in baseball. That’s fun.

Comment From Guest
If Cabrera is off and on like this for the rest of the year, can Trout win MVP?

Dave Cameron: There’s no chance Trout wins because of his team’s record. He probably won’t even finish second if Baltimore makes the playoffs.

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

I will be here at 9 pm ET, maybe Jeff or Chris will be here too. And hopefully you will too! Load up the queue and I’ll see you soon! (Poll results at bottom of transcript)

Paul Swydan: Evening, folks.

Paul Swydan: In Russia, Paul wins you!

Jeff Zimmerman: Hi, just working on a poll.

Paul Swydan: For the record, Jeff did that poll. I’m not THAT full of myself … yet.

Comment From cistullishairline
Will Carson Cistulli continue to write for fangraphs from France?

Jeff Sullivan: Hey guys, we’ll get going in a couple minutes. Finishing off the last of breakfast, as is always the case, every single time.

Jeff Sullivan: I spent the entire long weekend in the North Cascades and have next to no idea what’s been happening in baseball lately. As such this is going to be the worst live baseball chat you’ve ever experienced.

Jeff Sullivan: Educate me!

Comment From Brian S
Why on earth is Kevin Gregg still a Cub?

Jeff Sullivan: He’s still the same Kevin Gregg who signed a minor-league contract after the start of the season, plus five months

Comment From Fun fact of the day
Pedro Astacio, 1999: 5.04 ERA, 1.435 WHIP, 38 HR… and a 5.9 rWAR, good for 5th in the NL. Coors Field!

: Happy Friday… We’ll get started in about 15 minutes so get your prospect and general baseball questions in now!

Comment From greg
carson cistulli, drop or keep?

: Keeper all the way. He’s the life of every party…

Comment From LarryA
If all goes great, when could we see Glasnow in the Majors, mid-2015?

: That sounds about right, assuming he stays healthy and continues on the same development path.

Comment From Tripp
Do you see Jonathan Schoop ever becoming an impact player for the O’s?

Eno Sarris: Top of the hour!

Eno Sarris: lyrics of the day from a band I liked from the opening sounds of this song

Hey, what’s the matter? Nothing’s the matter.
That’s why I can’t leave my house.
You must get lonely. No. I don’t get lonely. So…
That’s why I can’t leave my house.
Well… Head into the city? Well, I guess it can’t hurt.
Nothing’s on the television. On the networks.

Comment From Jeremy
In a dynasty: Choo and Rendon or E5?

Eno Sarris: E5 even if he doesn’t have the long-term upside. I saw some behind the scenes decline in Choo’s numbers last year and he’s not the most athletic guy.

Comment From Bkgeneral
Will Matt Kemp provide any value this year? Or will he play just enough to tempt me to put him the lineup and then continue to disappoint as he has all season?

Eno Sarris: I think he’ll play every day fairly soon. They’ll need him to be hitting on all cylinders in the postseason, and the time off for his ankle probably helped his shoulder some.

Dave Cameron: We’ll be starting just as soon as I hit publish on this piece explaining some of the features of our new Playoff Odds page. The queue is now open.

Comment From Guest
how is the going rate of a win on the open market calculated?

Dave Cameron: We use projected values from forecasting systems like ZIPS and Steamer along with aging curves to create a forecast number of wins over the length of the contract. So, say you’re signing Jacoby Ellsbury for 7/150 this winter, and over the next seven years, Ellsbury is projected to accumulate 25 WAR. The contract would pay him an average of $6M per win over that span.

Comment From Smell the Glove
Can someone please explain Jed Gyorko? Crazy 2nd half, including going from decent-to-good BB% his whole professional career to a 1.6% in the 2nd half.

Dave Cameron: 2nd half is, what, 150 plate appearances? Things happen in small samples.

Comment From GSon
Excited to see how Taijuan Walker does in his first ML start on Friday?