Mike Newman: Hello all, thanks for joining me today! We’ll get started in about 15-minutes. While you wait, please check out my piece from earlier today on June leaders for the top prospect in baseball heading into 2014.http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/whos-the-no-1-prospect-june-edition/

Mike Newman: Also, last week I angered a few readers who ripped me a new one for getting frustrated at chatters for not reading up on my work before asking questions. I wanted to apologize for that.

Mike Newman: You know what. I’m here, questions are in the queue, let’s get this started a little early….

Eno Sarris: here in seven

Eno Sarris: lyrics of the day! I actually think this guy sounds like Bruce Springsteen on quaaludes. Am I crazy?

Everything I love is on the table
Everything I love is out to sea

Comment From person hscer
I picked Ryan Zimmerman and Eric Stults in Fangraphs The Game yesterday. Go me. If only I had picked Dioner Navarro, but at least Erik Kratz hit ONE HR.

Eno Sarris: Grats

Comment From FIFA
Hi ES, approximate date of J-Fer shutdown? thanks.

Eno Sarris: I think he can throw 150 IP this year.

Dave Cameron: The queue is now open. We’ll get started in 15 minutes or so.

Comment From Jeff From Austin
What in the world would you do with Bossman Junior?

Dave Cameron: Play him and wait for the slump to end. It’s just a slump, and it will end.

Comment From the Gregorius D.I.D.(i)
if you were the O’s would you demote Gausman at this point or let him keep taking his lumps at the MLB level?

Dave Cameron: It’s two starts.

Comment From Ryan
The Cardinals, Reds and Pirates (tied with Texas) have the 3 best records in baseball. How many (and which ones) make the playoffs?

Carson Cistulli: Paul Swydan has bullied me into posting this notice for the After Dark Chat, which will — according to inveterate bully Paul Swydan — begin at ca. 9pm ET.

If history is any indication, some combination of Chris Cwik and Jeff Zimmerman will be involved.

If history is any other sort of indication, the hosts of this chat will answer your — yes YOUR — questions.

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody! Sorry, I left the house earlier this evening without posting the chat. Many, many thanks to Carson for being so kind. Say something nice about Carson in the comments.

Unfortunately, Chris and Jeff are out of commission for awhile, so I’m flying solo tonight. Keep the questions coming, and I’ll see you soon!

Comment From Hitler But Sadder
I have cleared my schedule for this.

Paul Swydan: I have too. And since it’s just me, let’s start this thang early.

Comment From Mr. Ca$hman
Thoughts on Michael Brantley ROS?

Paul Swydan: I don’t really think Brantley is doing much different in a positive way. He’s hitting far more ground balls, which may be responsible for the uptick in his BABIP. Now, there’s a chance that that is sustainable, but given his past rates I’d expect it to come down some. His BB/K is also way down, which isn’t a positive marker.

Jeff Sullivan: Whoa. Is this chat going to start on time?

Jeff Sullivan: Sort of! Let’s do it!

Comment From Jack
Do you know anything about the NF (nasty factor) measurement of each pitch on MLB Gameday screen? I presume it is some combination of velocity, location and movement. Is this something worth keeping an eye on when trying to judge a pitcher’s performance? If so, can we get it tracked on Fangraphs?

Jeff Sullivan: I don’t know if they’ve changed NF over the years since it was introduced, but when it was newer, I remember Matthew Carruth did some investigation and he found it was basically worthless.

Jeff Sullivan: It’s a neat idea, but pitching is too complicated and pitch effectiveness relies too much on the pitches before and the pitches after. And PITCHf/x doesn’t know anything about deception. So their heart is in the right place, but this isn’t a stat to look at.

Comment From JFK
Julio Urias from LA , top of the rotation projection?

Eno Sarris: Sorry! Just a bit behind. But I’ll be here in six minutes.

Eno Sarris: lyrics of the day. prove you didn’t google it by telling me what the dude’s last two projects were. Okay that’s probably too hard.

In New Delhi (smelly Delhi) and Hong Kong
They all know that it won’t be long
I count my fingers (digit counter) as night falls
And draw bananas on the bathroom walls
The killer cycles (humdrum), the killer hurts
The passage of my life is measured out in shirts
Time and motion (motion carried) time and tide

Comment From Maxamuz
Let’s start this chat out with a quick Lucas Duda blurb. He is hitting .320 over the past 7 days.

Eno Sarris: Phew.

Comment From Geoff
Best minor league stash for this year other than Myers? Taveras, Yelich, Wheeler, or someone else?

Eno Sarris: If they trade Ethier, it’s Puig. Love his combo of power and contact.

Dave Cameron: It’s Wednesday, so let’s spend an hour or so talking baseball.

Dave Cameron: Queue is now open, and we’ll start in about 15 minutes.

Comment From Ken
Dave – Thanks for the chat. Wondering about your view of Corbin. Can a SP have sustainable success with one great pitch – the slider – once everyone knows it’s coming?

Dave Cameron: It’s possible, but also very rare. Randy Johnson made it work, but he was 6’10 and threw 100 mph. Madison Bumgarner is probably the closest comparison you could draw to Corbin, but his command has historically been much better, and again, he’s taller. It will be interesting to watch though.

Comment From Michael
The pirates all-stars this year are….

Dave Cameron: Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Burnett if he keeps this up, maybe Russell Martin.

Paul Swydan: Hi everybody!

Jeff Zimmerman and I will be here to entertain all of your baseball-related queries. Chris Cwik will NOT be here, something about preparing to get married this weekend. I don’t know, sounds suspect.

Anyway, get in your questions. As a tribute to Chris, we’ll be running some polls on your favorite movie with a wedding scene. There’s tons, so don’t be mad if I don’t pick yours. Or, be mad if you want, it’s up to you really.

See you soon!

Paul Swydan: We’ll start in 15 minutes. By the way, if you have a tasteful message of good luck — or of warning — for Chris, drop it in the comments, and we’ll run them at the end of the chat!

Paul Swydan: Hi guys. Let’s get started. Jeff will be along shortly.

Comment From Tim
Would you trade A.Jones and P.Corbin for M.Trout?

Paul Swydan: Probably. I like all three players, but if you’re going for it, I like the gamble on Trout.

Comment From asdfasdf
Would you bench Cishek for David Hernandez now that the Marlins are going with a committee? Thanks

Jeff Sullivan: And we begin at my customary three minutes after the hour!

Jeff Sullivan: Usual notes: the queue is very busy so don’t be offended if I don’t get to your question. I don’t know much of anything at all about fantasy baseball so asker beware. I’m going to try to cut this off after an hour instead of 100 minutes because today is unusually busy.

Jeff Sullivan: Onward, friendly chatters

Comment From Chris
Patrick Corbin has a .246 BABIP, 88% LOB, 3.9% HR/FB, and an xFIP of 3.59, yet Keith Law said on Twitter that he was legit. What are us normal folks missing on him?

Jeff Sullivan: I’m going to be writing about Corbin a little later today! More investigating to be done, but his slider looks to be incredible against both handedness…es.

Jeff Sullivan: Corbin shouldn’t strike anyone as an ace in the making, but he looks to be a legitimate above-average starter, as Law might have been implying.