Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 6/15/15
June 15, 2015
| 12:43 |
: Welcome to my special Late Edition of Szymborski Chat!
|
| 12:44 |
: STOP THE TOP OF THE HOUR DRIVEN PATRIARCHY
|
| 12:44 |
MATT. DAMON. |
| 12:44 |
Mathematically, what are the odds that the Blue Jays never lose a baseball game again? |
| 12:45 |
: Fairly low, naturally. They still have Estrada.
|
| 12:45 |
Is Jason Heyward going to turn his season around? |
| 12:46 |
: I’m bearish on Heyward, he can’t even blame BABIP or anything
|
| 12:46 |
: This is his 5th year of not matching his rookie season, I’m starting to think he is what he is
|
| 12:47 |
SKOARE MOR RUNZ PLEAIZE |
| 12:47 |
AM I BEN ZOBRIST YET? |
| 12:48 |
: Let’s not go too nuts about Brock Holt! quite yet.
|
| 12:49 |
Who leads the Cubbies in saves from this day forward? |
| 12:49 |
: I’ll pick Soriano, simply because I think that at some point this season, he’ll get a chance to be the exclusive closer dude.
|
| 12:49 |
should i put ian desmond on my bench and see how correa performs? desmond has been awful this year |
| 12:49 |
: Going forward, I expect them to perform similarly.
|
| 12:50 |
Now that the Jays have shown that a positive run differential will eventually result in upward regression in their team record, can we expect Oakland to go on a similar-ish run? |
| 12:50 |
: We should expect them to match their pythag going forward, not catch up to it. The hole’s too deep.
|
| 12:51 |
: They essentially have to win 2/3 of games or so to win 90 games. I think that’s unrealistic even if they play somewhat better
|
| 12:51 |
: Say that play better and go 52-45 the rest of the way. So they end up 78-85. So f’in what? They’re not going to chase that – Beane’s likely to do some cashing in
|
| 12:52 |
: (We’re still having the Lightning Round, which I ‘m saving off-topic Qs for, it’s just as 145 instead of 100)
|
| 12:52 |
With Aaron Sanchez going to the DL, the Jays rotation has both Marco Estrada and Scott Copeland in it for the foreseeable future. Do the Jays pull the trigger on an ace yet? |
| 12:53 |
: They might, but they tend to follow up active periods with doing nothing.
|
| 12:53 |
Why didn’t the red sox just sign hanley to play third base instead of signing an inferior player in sandoval are just sticking hanley wherever? |
| 12:53 |
: That was my complaint this winter.
|
| 12:54 |
How worried are you about Altuve and Carlos Gomez going forward with their ailments? |
| 12:54 |
: I don’t think either are serious enough to worry about long-term, especially in Altuve’s case.
|
| 12:54 |
: Hammys will get pulled and hips will get whatever the hell you call those injuries generically
|
| 12:55 |
Does a player’s stats from games 1-161 have more effect on his ZiPS for the current season or the next season? |
| 12:55 |
: Current season – in-season is a bit stickier than season-to-season
|
| 12:55 |
weekly lineup: noah syndergaard (2 starts) or garret richards this week? |
| 12:55 |
: Thor.
|
| 12:55 |
Can we stop calling the AL East a weak division? |
| 12:55 |
: No, it’s a mediocre one. There are no horrific teams, but nobody’s really all that good either.
|
| 12:55 |
: The whole AL kinda sucks right now.
|
| 12:56 |
What do you do if you are the mets? they cant face the braves bullpen every game and i think they should just assume wright doesnt come back. is there any credit to buster olney’s owner-shaming? will they literally do nothing again? |
| 12:56 |
: Mets are hard to predict because of the more complex interplay with the front office and ownership
|
| 12:56 |
What trade do the Cardinals make? |
| 12:56 |
: I think Cards are fairly quiet.
|
| 12:56 |
Do the Pirates catch the Cards? How does that division stack up at the end of the regular season? |
| 12:56 |
: I think the division is stacking up about as expected.
|
| 12:56 |
Is Matt Kemp hurt? Players don’t just fall off like that, right? |
| 12:57 |
: It’s a possibility, especially given that he has an old body and a number of chronic conditions
|
| 12:58 |
: It’s quite shocking how bad he’s been. I was arguably the most negative about the Padres picking up Kemp as any analysts, to the extent that some people though I had a bizarre grudge against Kemp for some reason. And he’s been *waaay* worse than my limited expectations even
|
| 12:58 |
Why did the Phillies have Kevin Correia start a game for them? He has no upside, is old, and sucks… Makes no sense for a rebuilding team to roster him. Why not just let one of their minor league guys take his spot? or a semi-interesting reclamation project?!?! |
| 12:58 |
: The Phillies aren’t well-run, creative, or realistic.
|
| 12:59 |
Is there a way to capture Boston’s total emotional meltdown in stats? Like, their stats say they should be better, but no one expects them to play up to their full abilities when they’re recovering from that mess. |
| 12:59 |
: Sadness Index would be fun. Combination of underperformance compared to projections, recent performance, high salary.
|
| 12:59 |
Do you think the Braves can challenge NYM/WAS for the east? |
| 12:59 |
: Can? Yes. Weird things happen all the time. I don’t think it’s particularly likely they’re hanging around in September.
|
| 1:01 |
Do you think the Mets will be able to add a bat? |
| 1:01 |
: I don’t think they’ll do much cart upsetting
|
| 1:01 |
What’s the record for lowest amount of saves in a season for a winning record team? Will the Jays beat them? |
| 1:01 |
: Well, a whole bunch of teams before 1940
|
| 1:02 |
: Going back to 1980, it would be the 1980 A’s, 83-79 with 13 saves.
|
| 1:03 |
: Wild card era and 90 wins, the 2011 Rays went 91-71 with 32 saves.
|
| 1:03 |
Jeff Sullivan posited that the Padres could call the Mariners about Chris Taylor – would he actually be an upgrade, and what sort of return could the Mariners see? |
| 1:04 |
: Maybe some kind of challenge trade with a comparable prospect, but the Padres lost a lot of their depth
|
| 1:04 |
: They certainly wouldn’t give up Renfroe or Hedges or Turner.
|
| 1:04 |
Does papelbon make the jays a real contender? And what are the chances stroman comes back in September ? |
| 1:05 |
: They’re a game out in a mediocre division – they’re a real AL East contender now.
|
| 1:06 |
: I don’t think Papelbon doesn’t drastically change the team’s hopes – the team’s pitching problems are far more starter related.
|
| 1:06 |
Would you drop any of Quintana, McHugh or Rodon to pick up Syndergaard? |
| 1:07 |
: Rodon, assuming we’re talking about redraft. Fact remains he’s in a tough park with a meh defense
|
| 1:07 |
Trevor Rosenthal has a 0.59 ERA. What is his RoS ERA? |
| 1:07 |
: I don’t think the ZiPS 2.58 is unreasonable.
|
| 1:08 |
Better bench option: Kang or Boegarts? I have Desmond as my SS |
| 1:08 |
: Bogaerts if your team is cruising, Kang if you need upside.
|
| 1:08 |
What are the chances Justin Smoak has actually turned his career around? |
| 1:09 |
: His BABIP is 100 points over his career average. He’s done enough to put us in the wait-and-see category, but not enough to start throwing parades.
|
| 1:09 |
The Mariners have managed to have Smoak, Montero, Ackley, Zunino, etc. through their system without getting hardly any value from the bunch. It has to be a development issue, right? |
| 1:09 |
: They’ve had so many players regress while going through the system that you at least have to wonder, without going into exact specifics
|
| 1:11 |
: And it’s hardly just these guys.
|
| 1:12 |
Which team could use Carlos Gomez the most? Twins? |
| 1:12 |
: Twins could certainly use him – even with Buxton up their OF is kinda lame
|
| 1:12 |
: Tigers would be fun but I don’t think they *could* even land him
|
| 1:13 |
Best releiver in MLB so far this season? |
| 1:13 |
: Betances
|
| 1:13 |
What are the inner workings of FG Web Site plz advise |
| 1:13 |
: Heh
|
| 1:14 |
Just tuned in…did McClendon get fired? will he or Farrell go first? |
| 1:14 |
: He’s still sadly employed last I checked. Lloyd goes first though – Jack Z’s going to have to be in survival mode
|
| 1:14 |
Julio Teheran: are you more pessimistic than ZiPS for his ROS performance? |
| 1:15 |
: I was, but his ZiPS RoS has slowly gotten worse.
|
| 1:15 |
Does Dan Norris land a frontline pitcher |
| 1:15 |
: It might if the teams with frontline pitchers were realistic.
|
| 1:16 |
: Hamels and Cueto are the best pitchers conceivably acquirable. And they’re both in two of the most deluded organizations in baseball
|
| 1:16 |
If you assume Goldschmidt follows the ZIPS projection for the rest of the year, he’ll finish with a .325 average. Is it kind of mind blowing to you that Goldschmidt is a legitimate candidate for a .330 season? |
| 1:16 |
: Well, he hit .300 each of the last two seasons, so having a .325 isn’t exactly a crazy finish for a 27 year old!
|
| 1:16 |
Do you see the Cubs current lack of depth on the bench as a massive problem for a team with almost 70% chance of making the playoffs? |
| 1:17 |
: It’s an issue, but there are many teams with way worse depth that are in contention. I wouldn’t put them as one of the notorious bad depth contenders
|
| 1:17 |
Thoughts on Robbie Ray? He’s milb stats looked much better this year, and has prospect pedigree. Decent SSS results in the bigs thus far. Could he be a useful starter going forward? |
| 1:18 |
: Still meh so far. He struck out a ton of guys in the minors but he walked a fug’ton too.
|
| 1:18 |
Can my second baseman keep up his great season including the power? Or should i start paniking… |
| 1:18 |
: Not the level he’s at but he’s closer to Joe Kool than Joe Panik right now.
|
| 1:18 |
Just traded away Tanaka to get Dee Gordon, good SP for Hitter deal? |
| 1:19 |
: It’s reasonable – Gordon’s typically better in fantasy than real life. Though his defense has been shockingly good
|
| 1:19 |
STL is the only .600 team in baseball…and they have a .661 win% |
| 1:19 |
Any chance you read this and had any thoughts about it? https://dockoftherays.wordp… |
| 1:19 |
: I have not read it, but the link is up here for everyone!
|
| 1:19 |
Is JJ Hardy essentially a replacement-level SS for the rest of his career? |
| 1:19 |
: I wouldn’t go that far yet
|
| 1:20 |
AJ Preller told fans at an event the other day that he’s searching for a shortstop. Anyone you see as standing out as a target? And how screwed are the Padres exactly with that Kemp contract? |
| 1:20 |
: We talked a bit about Chris Taylor – he’s actually a fairly practical target
|
| 1:20 |
: One issue is that with baseball so mediocre right now. Excuse me, so *competitive* right now, is that there are very few true loser teams right now
|
| 1:21 |
: Zobrist is anotherreasonable target
|
| 1:22 |
: The standings/quality are such that the only teams that should be thinking of giving up on the season are Oakland, Miami, Philadephia, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Colorado
|
| 1:23 |
Should the Jays trade high on Colabello? |
| 1:23 |
: Yeah, but nobody’s going to buy high so it’s pointless
|
| 1:23 |
At least Sandoval can’t hit right-handed. It’s far worse to be unable to hit left-handed as a “switch” hiter |
| 1:24 |
Trea Turner finally does not belong to the Padres anymore. |
| 1:24 |
: That was the joke.
|
| 1:24 |
: Since the trade finally happened.
|
| 1:24 |
: After them holding onto him forever after everyone knew he was traded.
|
| 1:24 |
Is Tanaka’s arm going to fall off this season? Velo is up and seems healthy but who knows nowadays with him. |
| 1:25 |
: He’s looked fine, but we should worry about every pitcher and there’s reason to worry about him
|
| 1:25 |
Re: the Mariners system, what specifics *could* there be to wonder about? The lack of production from highly touted prospects is unbelievable. Is there anything out there that has studied this (with any team)? |
| 1:25 |
: I mean I can’t tell you exactly which people in house are the issue there
|
| 1:25 |
Is this the year the Phillies finally make the right moves in July? This is Ruban’s last chance, again. |
| 1:25 |
: No.
|
| 1:25 |
Why is Rajai Davis such a bad fielder? Isn’t being fast as hell a ton of it in the OF? |
| 1:26 |
: It’s helpful, but not sufficient. Alex Sanchez sucked too.
|
| 1:26 |
me and my friends started a baseball podcast and have been trying to get interviews with players but to no avail. any suggestions on how to contact players? |
| 1:26 |
: Contact team media relations
|
| 1:26 |
Can you explain which stats are a “metric” and which are a “peripheral” for dummies like me? |
| 1:26 |
: Depends on context.
|
| 1:27 |
Everybody talking about Scott Kazmir being traded, pretending like Jesse Chavez doesn’t have a 2:80 FIP. Good fit for maybe the Royals? |
| 1:29 |
: I can’t see the Royals doing it. Here’s the thing – the guys that are supposed to suck are’t, the guys that are supposed to be good suck, and the guys that are supposed to suck and do have contracts that will make the ROyals keep running them out tehre
|
| 1:29 |
: Now, if Vargas and Duffy have setbacks, maybe
|
| 1:29 |
Jays would be most fun to land Gomez, just score all the runs |
| 1:29 |
Is Josh Donaldson going to win the AL MVP? |
| 1:29 |
: Probably not
|
| 1:30 |
: Even if he earns it
|
| 1:30 |
Frustrated Mariners fan here. If we continue to tank, it seems like we could sell quite a few players and reap the rewards of the seller’s market. Isn’t that a paradox though? How do we have so many players that could help contenders, but the team is performing so poorly? |
| 1:30 |
: I don’t the M’s will sell. They’ll just awkwardly not buy
|
| 1:30 |
Is Gallo going to match his minors BB%-K% in the majors as if there’s zero level difference? I assume there’s some model saying that ratio should at least worsen a little bit when promoted? Also given the small sample size and glut of errors, how does DRS already have Gallo at a +1? |
| 1:30 |
: It worsens some, but people overreact about K/BB in the minors.
|
| 1:31 |
We’ve seen Beltre, basically a hall of fame third baseman, have a terrible career at Safeco. Now we’ve seen Smoak break out after leaving Seattle. Can it really come down to Safeco? Do certain types of players change their approach when Safeco is their home field? Is that why? |
| 1:31 |
: I think you’re stretching the thesis too far. Beltre’s Mariners offense looked just like his Dodgers offense, with the exception of one crazy year
|
| 1:32 |
Guesstimate for when Corey Seager comes to the show? |
| 1:32 |
: He could contribute now but he’s not a great roster fit. No sense to have Seager in the majors to be a role player
|
| 1:33 |
Do you guys call Sullivan “Sully”? |
| 1:33 |
: Yeah. I know two guys named Sullivan and one typically goes by Sully anyway.
|
| 1:33 |
Are the Mariners still in it enough to target Navarro? |
| 1:33 |
: If the price is right
|
| 1:33 |
Devon Travis will be returning hopefully this week. Can we expect him to return to his potential ROY season? Or will he continue his free fall? |
| 1:33 |
: The ROY doesn’t have a lot of competition – he’s the favorite
|
| 1:34 |
What’s up with Adam Laroche? Is this just what he is now, or is there reason to hope? |
| 1:35 |
: He has a 114 OPS+. His career OPS+ is 114. His ZIPS projected OPS+ was 116. He’s 35. He’s on pace for almost the exact bWAR as last year. LaRoche is exactly the player he was that the White Sox paid for and if they expected more, that’s on them
|
| 1:36 |
How is AJ Burnett this much better than last year? Yes, he was injured but that and the better infield defenders + shifts can’t make this big a difference? |
| 1:36 |
: His control has been on point
|
| 1:36 |
Shouldn’t the White Sox be giving up too? They’re an awful hitting/contact team along with hurting my eyes |
| 1:36 |
: At 7 games back, they still have a chance
|
| 1:36 |
I dunno the Phillies might really like Colabello. |
| 1:37 |
Phil Hughes has been a huge disappointment for my fantasy team. Have you updated your ZIPs projections on him? ZIPs projects his K rate to rebound nicely but with both his four and two seamers having lost velocity and thus whiffs it’s hard to see how that happens. |
| 1:37 |
: ZiPS updates daily. I’m more pessimistic than ZiPS now.
|
| 1:37 |
: He looks like he’s hit that Josh Towers issue of having his control be too good
|
| 1:37 |
Can a player really sport a 41.7% ROS strikeout rate and still expect to get regular playing time? |
| 1:37 |
: In 2015, possibly
|
| 1:38 |
Does anybody have any idea what happened to Stephen Drew? The guy’s career looks over despite the 9 HR…because he missed a Spring Training once? Forgot how to hit? Whayt exactly is the deal? |
| 1:38 |
: I think his skills are declining *and* he’s had some horrid luck
|
| 1:39 |
: He wouldn’t be the first middle infielder to lose it at 31/32 and he won’t be the last
|
| 1:39 |
In your recent article for ESPN, you wrote how packages like Adam Jones+ for 1 year of Erik Bedard just don’t happen anymore. But the M’s traded for TWO YEARS of Bedard! |
| 1:39 |
: That was my fault – I changed the structure around and used the wrong example. Long story there.
|
| 1:40 |
Cueto and Chapman seem perfect for the Blue Jays…what should they be willing to give up? Norris and Pompey? |
| 1:40 |
: That’s too rich.
|
| 1:40 |
another sadness index: amount of money a player costs himself in free agency during his walk year. call it the Desmond Index |
| 1:40 |
Should I feel dumb for dropping Gallo for Franco? |
| 1:40 |
: Franco is a safer no choice
|
| 1:40 |
Wrigley field plays either pitcher friendly or hitter friendly depending on the wind, which generally evens out over the course of a season. Is it possible that the new bleachers and scoreboard block the wind coming in and skew it more to hitter friendly? |
| 1:40 |
: It’s certainly possible
|
| 1:40 |
Do you feel Mike Leake might be one of the most sought after pitchers at the deadline? Certainly decent production without breaking the bank. I would imagine he would get a lot of calls from competitive teams that don’ t wish to enter the Hamels sweepstakes. Thoughts? |
| 1:41 |
: He’ll get interest, but he’s really not all that exciting
|
| 1:41 |
More likely target for the Giants: Cueto, Samardzija or Leake? |
| 1:41 |
: Cueto the most interesting. I’m still not sure the REds are truly realistic though
|
| 1:41 |
Do you think Buxton stays with the Twins? If he does, what kind of stat line do you project ROS? |
| 1:41 |
: I think he does and I wrote about it this weekend.
|
| 1:42 |
Do we see Schwarber anytime soon for the cubs? |
| 1:42 |
: I don’t think this year
|
| 1:43 |
Think it makes sense for the Astros to go after Cueto/Hamels or someone in Tier 2? |
| 1:43 |
: Go for broke as long as we’re not talking about Correa
|
| 1:43 |
Just read an article about Montreal being an option for the Rays. Odds this happens? |
| 1:44 |
: Low. I think MLB would prefer to blackmail Florida residents than revisit Montreal
|
| 1:44 |
: (Sorry Jonah)
|
| 1:44 |
Unlikely Gallo gets sent back down? Can’t see any advantage in sending down a top prospect when he is holding his own. |
| 1:44 |
: Here’s the thing – with a full roster it’s hard to find time for him
|
| 1:45 |
: Though it might be entertaining to just stick him at second and see what happens.
|
| 1:45 |
Is Danny Espinosa the next Ben Zobrist? |
| 1:45 |
: Let’s not go nuts. Unless you’re talking “disappointing acquisition when he’s 34”
|
| 1:45 |
Colin McHugh is throwing a full run ERA above his FIP and xFIP… what is going on here? Bad luck or do the baseball gods hate him? |
| 1:46 |
: The FIP Gods are cruel.
|
| 1:46 |
: Dont’ believe me? Look at poor Jeremy Hellickson
|
| 1:47 |
#BlackmailFlorida |
| 1:47 |
Rays move to Montreal? I see Jonah Keri warming up a book idea to his publishers. |
| 1:47 |
Can the Rangers even consider Gallo at 2nd? (they just recalled Odor again) |
| 1:47 |
: I swear I didn’t see this before I wrote that!
|
| 1:47 |
Rollins will continue to struggle. When will we see Corey Seager? Sorry if this was already asked, just got here. |
| 1:48 |
: I think they’re going to continue to go with Rollins, though it would be fun to go full bore
|
| 1:48 |
: Maybe I’m underestimating those odds – the Dodgers new FO *is* bold
|
| 1:48 |
: OK, time for the Lightning Round.
|
| 1:48 |
: The rule for the Lightning Round is that I have to answer *every* non-baseball Q, with a few obvious exceptions (work related reasons, very explicit, etc).
|
| 1:49 |
: Also, I will not post Game of Thrones questions that contain obvious spoilers to people who have not seen the season finale yet, PERSON WHO JUST DID THAT
|
| 1:49 |
In a July 2011 chat transcript with Jonah Keri he said he would take Bourn over Trout for the next three years, oops. |
| 1:49 |
: I hated Galarraga to Braves and preferred Wilkerson to Soriano.
|
| 1:50 |
How do you use crafting in hearthstone? And when do you recommend a new player start crafting? |
| 1:50 |
: Generally speaking, use the dust to craft specific cards that you need but haven’t dropped
|
| 1:51 |
: But Hearthstone isn’t really free to play – you either pay with money or you pay with time.
|
| 1:52 |
: If you like it, it’s worth putting some money into – it’s a long grind if you never put a dime in and you’ll be mostly limited to aggro decks until then
|
| 1:52 |
: (Still cheaper than Magic in which common popular decks start at like $75)
|
| 1:53 |
: Your best bet at grinding are zoolock, face hunter, mid hunter
|
| 1:53 |
: You do want to play at least a couple of the naxx wings – haunted creeeper, mad scientist, sludge belcher, loatheb all key cards in a ton of decks
|
| 1:54 |
: and BRM, Thaurissan is very useful and imp gang boss is an excellent zoo card.
|
| 1:54 |
What video games are you playing this week? |
| 1:54 |
: Currently playing Heroes of Might & Magic 5. Will probably play some Hearthstone.
|
| 1:54 |
FALLOUT 4!!!! |
| 1:54 |
: That’s a declaration, not a question
|
| 1:55 |
I know you like GoT – have you ever read The Name of the Wind? Excellent fantasy series, currently awaiting the third book. |
| 1:55 |
: I have not. Will look it up
|
| 1:55 |
Best uniform in baseball? |
| 1:55 |
: 80s brewers
|
| 1:55 |
How many days would have to elapse before you would consider swimming on the North Carolina shoreline? BTW, the beaches and surf in NC are excellent! |
| 1:56 |
: I’d probably wait a few weeks
|
| 1:56 |
Why Dan? Just, why? |
| 1:56 |
: Having a designated time for off-topic Qs keeps chats from being a lot of them
|
| 1:57 |
: Since I started doing Lightning Round, I only get a few off-topic ones asked where I used to have to sift through dozens
|
| 1:57 |
did you lose your virginity to a virgin? |
| 1:57 |
: No.
|
| 1:57 |
Is it wrong to hope for a major sports championship to be decided via a Dusty Finish? |
| 1:57 |
: Not at all.
|
| 1:57 |
: I’m hoping for a few Dusty Finishes in Game of Thrones
|
| 1:57 |
I’m getting back into Hearthstone – I don’t have either expansion. I currently have a level 16 mage, level 8 priest, and level 6 warrior. Should I keep developing one of those classes or should I start developing a hunter or warlock? If I’m going to drop $20-25, should I buy Naxx or a bunch of packs? |
| 1:58 |
: Naxx is definitely worth it.
|
| 1:59 |
: Generally speaking, I tell people that if you’re going to play Hearthstone a lot, be prepared to put $100 in it. You save way more than $100 worth of time
|
| 1:59 |
Are you a video gamer? If so what console/games? |
| 1:59 |
: Yes. I’ve owned Atari 2600, Coleco, NES, Genesis, Turbografx 16, Super NES, Saturn, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, DS, N64, PlayStation 1,2,3, PSP.
|
| 2:00 |
: Am I forgetting one? I didn’jt have a gamecube
|
| 2:00 |
Wine or beer? |
| 2:00 |
: Beer
|
| 2:01 |
Hawks and Warriors? |
| 2:01 |
: Yes, those are two NBA teams.
|
| 2:01 |
Would Cueto and Chapman make the Jays the best team in the AL? |
| 2:01 |
: I think there’s a good case it would
|
| 2:01 |
Do any fangraphs writers like jazz? That could be a thing |
| 2:02 |
: I don’t know enough about FG writer musical teastes.
|
| 2:02 |
butts |
| 2:02 |
Best game u played that’s non fantasy AND non sci-fi. |
| 2:02 |
: Crusader Kings 2? Or does that count as fantasy since it’s alternate history?
|
| 2:02 |
Are you a hockey fan, will you watch the cup tonighT? |
| 2:02 |
: Haven’t been into NHL since the 90s
|
| 2:02 |
jaws on limited release at select theaters around the country this sunday and next tuesday. You checking it out? |
| 2:03 |
: Never really care for the genre
|
| 2:03 |
how do i get the most out of OOTP16 |
| 2:03 |
: Playing it?
|
| 2:03 |
If you were an escapee from a state prison, would you head for Canada, Mexico or some other place? |
| 2:03 |
: Depends how severe what I did was.
|
| 2:03 |
: I think it’s best to go out west and live off the grid somewhere
|
| 2:04 |
Your goto dish u can cook for guests and be proud about? |
| 2:04 |
: I don’t care for cooking for guests.
|
| 2:04 |
I’ve been getting back into Rift lately, since WoW bores me. I tried Rift back when it first came out, and decided I didn’t have the time to play both WoW and Rift, and stuck with WoW. But with WoW in doldrums right now, I went back. Rift is surprisingly fun so far. They seem to have done the F2P thing quite well. Curious to see if the experience holds up at the raiding level. |
| 2:04 |
: I haven’t played Rift. I come back and play WOW for a bit every expansion, but I’m not really into raiding
|
| 2:04 |
I want to get into Hearthstone this summer. I play a druid deck because my WoW main is a druid. What’s my best bet with a druid deck? |
| 2:05 |
: Fast druid – get board control with Force of Nature/Savage Roar as your win conditions.
|
| 2:05 |
: Ramp is feasible, but you tend to need bigger, more expensive cards
|
| 2:06 |
Would you buy chicken from that creepy colonel in the kfc commercials? |
| 2:06 |
: Creepy Colonels have a good fried chicken record
|
| 2:06 |
Escaped convicts. Caught before July 01, after July 01, or never? |
| 2:06 |
: Before
|
| 2:06 |
Are you a Fallout fan? Just saw the release date is this November |
| 2:07 |
: I’ll play it, but it’s not my genre so it’s not going to be as great for me as some others
|
| 2:07 |
favorite rapper? |
| 2:07 |
: You guys are making me answer “not really my genre” a whole bunch.
|
| 2:07 |
fallout…4? |
| 2:07 |
: Yes 4.
|
| 2:07 |
you ever play munchkin zombies? |
| 2:07 |
: No
|
| 2:07 |
name a southern state |
| 2:07 |
: Alabama
|
| 2:07 |
Is it possible to stop at 7-11 on a hot summer day without buying a Slurpee? I argue it is not. |
| 2:07 |
: I don’t like frozen drinks. Too cold.
|
| 2:08 |
If you are traveling in a vehicle at the speed of light and you turn your lights on, will anything happen? |
| 2:08 |
: Insufficient data.
|
| 2:08 |
I’m afraid to commit to long games DAI, Witcher3 etc. nowadays. Am I a result of the mobile gaming short attention span generation? Any hope for me? |
| 2:08 |
: Sorry, all that’s left is to drink yourself to death with a stripper.
|
| 2:08 |
Ray Donovan and Peaky Blinders both better than Sopranos IMO – blasphemy?? |
| 2:09 |
: YOu’re including Sopranos decline phase though
|
| 2:09 |
You can only see one of the 3 movies which one are you seeing, Spectre, Star Wars, or Ted 2? |
| 2:09 |
: Star Wars
|
| 2:09 |
Re: Fallout 4 – I love that they waited to announce it, and now its going to be available in 5 months |
| 2:09 |
I don’t know if I plan on playing Hearthstone a lot – it’s just very nice to place when I travel for work (which is often). Even then, you think Naxx is better than the equivalent amount in packs? |
| 2:09 |
: Yes. Lots of useful cards in Naxx – Sludge Belcher, Haunted Creeper, Mad Scientist, Zombie Chow
|
| 2:11 |
: Shade of Naxxramas is useful. Duplicate has its moments. Spectral Knight isn’t in a lot of decks, but it’s playable
|
| 2:11 |
: And Loatheb
|
| 2:11 |
you were never a Sega Dreamcast guy? |
| 2:11 |
: I didn’t have one and it kinda went out before I got around to getting it
|
| 2:11 |
Looking forward to anything in e3? |
| 2:11 |
: Nothing in particular
|
| 2:11 |
How much wood could an Alex Wood chuck if an Alex Wood could chuck wood? |
| 2:11 |
: An average amount
|
| 2:11 |
Have you asked Blizzard if they would be willing to sponsor your chat? |
| 2:12 |
: Hey, we’re in the off-topic portion!
|
| 2:12 |
did you ever play Age of Empires II |
| 2:12 |
: Yes
|
| 2:12 |
Threw about 40 peanuts at a guy wearing a votto jersey in the bleachers this weekend. Dick move or good fun? |
| 2:12 |
: Nobody gets hurt by peanuts unles you’re really good at throwing them
|
| 2:12 |
: This is the reminder that this is the Lightning Round, so off-topic questions are on-topic and vice-versa
|
| 2:12 |
Pros/Cons for retiring at 25 |
| 2:13 |
: Depends on the job. Money is an issue and for a player, you’re giving up the thing you are likely the best at and will be the most famous for
|
| 2:13 |
: Though in football especially, there’s a serious health issue
|
| 2:13 |
If I bought the expansions, better off spending money on arena admission or decks? |
| 2:13 |
: I’d split between arena and classic packs
|
| 2:14 |
: Arena only giving GvG really hurts arena as a good place to get practice *and* get decks.
|
| 2:14 |
: I’d do arena until I had all the cards I really wanted from GvG
|
| 2:14 |
did you want the entire 3rd season of OITB over the weekend? |
| 2:15 |
: I did not as I had a lot of stuff to do. I think my mom did, I’d have to ask her
|
| 2:15 |
scariest game you’ve completed? |
| 2:15 |
: Adventure. Hey, those dragons popping out at youj after the bat takes your arrow is scary as shit when you’re 5
|
| 2:15 |
do you play the arena in hearthstone? |
| 2:15 |
: Yes
|
| 2:15 |
What’s the point of Zombie Chow? Don’t you give back the damage it did when it dies? |
| 2:16 |
: Board control. Health is irrelevant early – you use it for favorabler trades of aggro decks.
|
| 2:16 |
: If your Zombie Chow actually has the chance to do 5 damage to face, you’re likely so far ahead that the 5 damage being healed is irrelevant becuase you’ll have firm board control
|
| 2:17 |
Did you buy the Age of Empires 2 release on Steam? Totally worth it. |
| 2:17 |
: I think I did. I’m nto sure. My steam library is massive. I think I’ve owned it in multiple format
|
| 2:18 |
Sheamus a good choice as Mr. MITB? |
| 2:18 |
: Could be fun, he’s one of the better big dudes around
|
| 2:18 |
I was terrible at AOE2. I also hit a rut because once you go Hun (expansion), it’s hard to bother building houses again. |
| 2:18 |
Thanks for answering my Hearthstone questions; one last question: should I gravitate towards lock/hunter, stick to my leveled classes, or just go with it? |
| 2:18 |
: Play it as you go – it’s fun. I’m just saying that if you’re grinding out things, you can build more complete zoolock/hunter decks quicker
|
| 2:18 |
Will Lindor end up a top 15 ss? |
| 2:18 |
: I think so
|
| 2:19 |
You’re leaving out a ton of the class cards that are great from Nax. Webspinner, Dark Cultist, Void Caller, Death’s Bite, and Avenge are all great too. Basically if you are serious about Hearthstone, you should get Nax. |
| 2:19 |
: Yeah, those are all great, though I don’t care as much for avenge
|
| 2:19 |
: Death’s Bite is a huge warrior card
|
| 2:19 |
: It’s quite noticeable relative to Blackrock Mountain
|
| 2:20 |
: In BRM there are what, 5 topnotch cards?
|
| 2:21 |
: Too many of the BRM cards would be good in a deck together, but the deck together is generally too slow without enough anti-aggro defense
|
| 2:21 |
Yeah, but Avenge is great in Arena. I guess I’ve never used it in constructed. |
| 2:22 |
Would politics be better if the U.S. switched to consuls? |
| 2:22 |
: Not really
|
| 2:22 |
Most fun non-competitive deck? …has to be reincarnate shaman right? |
| 2:22 |
: Troll priest
|
| 2:22 |
: Get in all the card stealing mechanics and heals
|
| 2:23 |
: Cabals, two mind controls, shrinkmeisters, recombobulators, all the shadow words, two lightbombs, two healbots
|
| 2:23 |
: two shadow madness
|
| 2:23 |
: Youre beatable, but the dudes who beat you will be really pissed off and annoyed at the half an hour ti takes
|
| 2:23 |
Please rank the amusement parks you have been to. |
| 2:24 |
: I haven’t gone to a wide assortment
|
| 2:24 |
: a few six flags, king’s dominion
|
| 2:25 |
: I’m kinda partial to The Beach near Cincy because you can drink beer in their lazy river version
|
| 2:25 |
From BRM, you have Emperor Thaurisson, Grim Patron, Flame Walker, and… I guess Chromaggus is ok. I like the Blackwing Corrupter and Blackwing Technician for dragon decks. Other than that, there just arent’ that many critical cards. |
| 2:25 |
: Yeah, but you’re outlining the issue. Nefarian’s cool too, but so many of these require dragon decks.
|
| 2:25 |
: Yeah, you can build cool dragon decks. And then ladder goes all face hunter and you’re screwed
|
| 2:26 |
: THe dragons are simply terrible at stopping aggro.
|
| 2:26 |
: And they didn’t really make any playable dragons with low mana cost
|
| 2:27 |
: Yeah, there’s twilight whelp. But it’s a conditional card, only priest, and does what zombie chow does
|
| 2:27 |
: And the heal 5 to opponent, for zombie chow, is *way* better than having to hold a dragon
|
| 2:28 |
: What’s the dream with the whelp? That you’re holding Azure Drakes? That’s a 5 drop – you don’t want that in your opening hand if you can avoid it
|
| 2:28 |
does lightning factor into hearthstone more, or hearthstone into lightning? |
| 2:28 |
: There are just a lot of hearthstone questions because people know I play
|
| 2:28 |
What are some of your complaints /things u want to see improved for hearthstone? |
| 2:28 |
: A couple unconditionally good early dragons, a revamped ladder system, sit n’ go tournaments
|
| 2:28 |
I think you get Patron and Thaurisson in the first wing so for casual players that may be all that you need. |
| 2:28 |
: OK, on that note, time to go
|
| 2:29 |
: Thanks for coming everybody! As a reminder you can find my work at ESPN.com, chats and projections at FanGraphs, and DSzymborski on Twitter. Also ZimSmash on Twitch, though I haven’t had a ton of streaming time lately
|
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Comment From Bret
Is Josh Donaldson going to win the AL MVP?
He was my preseason pick for MVP so I hope so 🙂