Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 6/8/15
June 8, 2015
| 12:00 |
: Noon: A Time for Chatting
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| 12:01 |
: Let’s start off with our typical Monday business.
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| 12:01 |
:
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| 12:02 |
: Today is our first three-way dance, brought on by the Taylor/Arthur first-round tie.
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| 12:02 |
:
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| 12:04 |
What a day! What a glorious day! |
| 12:04 |
: Draft or are you just ina really good mood?
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| 12:04 |
Vincent Velasquez expectations? |
| 12:05 |
: In majors right now, just OK. He got what, 4 starts above high-A ball?
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| 12:05 |
Hey look Dan, regression! |
| 12:05 |
: Don’t see regression. I see my laptop, my monitor, a can of soda, and a gray cat
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| 12:06 |
Here a perfectly suitable chat question: Why are there so few African American pitchers? |
| 12:06 |
: That’s more a question for sociologists.
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| 12:06 |
Afternoon Dan. Question for you, my Kang & Souza for his Carrasco & JD Martinez. Thoughts? |
| 12:06 |
: Wash
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| 12:07 |
If you’re the A’s, what do you do? Who is traded where, for what kind of return? |
| 12:07 |
: Zobrist and Kazmir certainly on the trading block. The return depends on what the offers are.
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| 12:09 |
Has there ever been a crop of highly touted rookies in the Majors this early? Seems like there’s quite a few high profile rooks up…. |
| 12:09 |
: Not sure offhand
|
| 12:09 |
: But there have been a few relaly big names promoted this year
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| 12:10 |
How concerned are you about Boxberger? Do you see Jepsen keeping the closer gig? |
| 12:10 |
: I don’t see Jepsen keeping it for that long
|
| 12:11 |
Will Carlos Santana bounce back like he did last year? His GB% is up and FB % rate down. |
| 12:12 |
: His line really isn’t all that out of line with last year’s final line. It just may be he’s a 120 OPS+ guy now.
|
| 12:13 |
Is Addison Reed going to resume closer duties anytime soon or does Ziegler have that locked down? |
| 12:13 |
: Hey, where’d my answer go?
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| 12:13 |
: Santana’s line isn’t all that different from last year’s final line. I’m starting to think he’s just a 120 OPS+ guy at this point.
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| 12:13 |
: Thanks for showing up answer!
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| 12:14 |
In my weekly H2H points league where wins/losses are weighed heavily would you start Tanaka against WAS or Wacha at COL? |
| 12:14 |
: Think Wacha
|
| 12:14 |
: Even in COL
|
| 12:15 |
: And another answer disappeared, but this one didn’t revive
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| 12:15 |
: I think Arizona’s going to keep giving Reed shots at closing.
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| 12:15 |
First manager fired? |
| 12:15 |
: Ron Roenicke
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| 12:16 |
Gooood morning from the West Coast. Why are the Astros calling everyone up all of a sudden? Is it in part due to them wanting to solidify a playoff spot? Or would they have made these call-ups even if they were doing as lousy as they had been doing the past few years? |
| 12:16 |
: They’re players that they can actually use. And they’re smart to do this – when you actually have excellent division chances, it’s smarter to take the opportunity over worrying about service time games
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| 12:16 |
When do you see Steven Matz getting the call? |
| 12:17 |
: Sometime in the next couple weeks.
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| 12:17 |
Who do you prefer as a long term keeper: Gallo, Russell or Correa? |
| 12:17 |
: Correa
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| 12:17 |
Based on what you’ve said on twitter, I’m guessing you think Kemp is just broken, and there really isn’t hope for him to catch up to his rather meh projections? |
| 12:17 |
: He certainly looks broken.
|
| 12:17 |
: ZiPS (and me) were very pessimistic and ragged pretty hard on the Padres for that trade this winter. And he’s been *way* worse than the projection
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| 12:19 |
extend the nets at baseball games – yes or no? |
| 12:19 |
: No
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| 12:19 |
Other than Colabello’s BABIP fuelled magic, is there any reason to expect the Jays offense to regress? |
| 12:19 |
: Not really, though Colabello sure will
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| 12:20 |
Thoughts on Kyle Kubitza? Do you think we’ll see him in the majors before Sept? |
| 12:20 |
: I think so.
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| 12:20 |
20-team dynasty. I have Correa, Gallo and Rusney. No question here just wanted to brag |
| 12:20 |
Do you have any comments about the supposition that by removing the true “once in the generation” level talents from the draft, the WAR levels for picks 1-6 or so stabilize? It is an interesting issue about outliers and to include or not include them in a discussion |
| 12:21 |
: But those players *do* exist.
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| 12:21 |
: If you take out all the Michelin Star chefs, restaurants look a lot more similar too
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| 12:21 |
Any idea if Fangraphs will be getting Batted Ball velocity data added to the site? |
| 12:22 |
: This is your weekly reminder than I do not work for FanGraphs so I am exactly the worst person at FanGraphs to ask questions about what FanGraphs is doing!
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| 12:22 |
New Mad Max movie quote? No? Dang. |
| 12:22 |
: Haven’t seen him
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| 12:22 |
: Err it
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| 12:22 |
Seriously, somebody made up the names Swanson Dansby. Could have easily been named Swansby Danson, too. |
| 12:22 |
wat is ur cat’ |
| 12:23 |
:
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| 12:23 |
: He’s a cat
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| 12:23 |
Can you tell me why the projections are so down on the Rangers the rest of the way? |
| 12:24 |
: Lots of holes and they’ve gotten some really fortunate performance from some guys
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| 12:24 |
Is there anywhere that I can find reverse comps? E.g. what active player is most similar to Clint Hurdle circa 1978? |
| 12:24 |
: No
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| 12:24 |
What do you think is the optimal usage of Venditte? Have him alternate each batter OR have him alternate days. Two days as a RHP two days as a LHP thus making him availalbe on almost every single day? |
| 12:24 |
: Standard short reliever who is hard to pinch hita gainst
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| 12:24 |
How confident are you in the splits projections? Looking at Jeff Baker (my fav guy to look at for this), he has a career OPS split of .870/.636 vs LH/RH pitching. The last two years are even more drastic with splits of .824/.535 in ’14 and 1.073/.536 in ’13. Yet, I see ZiPS has a projection of .736/.657 for this year. |
| 12:25 |
: Quite. Actual platoon splits for hitters aren’t as good predictors of future platoon splits as generic platoon splits are until 3000-4000 PA
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| 12:26 |
: And with a guy with so few PA predicted, the rounded platoon splits are going to be a little warped
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| 12:26 |
you can’t see regression but can you see why kids love cinnamon toast crunch |
| 12:26 |
: Kids like cinnamon toast.
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| 12:26 |
: The thing is that cinnamon toast is much better than cinnamon toast crunch
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| 12:26 |
Is the cat’s name regression? |
| 12:26 |
: Galileo
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| 12:27 |
Hector Rondon out a job? Who closes the most games for the cubs here on out? |
| 12:27 |
: I think Rondon gets a lot but he’s going to go committee route here
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| 12:27 |
Matt Wieters the prescription to fix what ails the O’s? Team suddenly looks a lot scarier with him in the lineup. |
| 12:29 |
: Here’s the thing – Wieters is obviously better than Joseph going forward, but the O’s *have* gotten a .718 OPS out of catcher this year. Wieters is a .746 OPS career hitter that has not been a regular hitter for a year and a half. Don’t let expectations get out of control
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| 12:29 |
My dad can beat up anyone’s dad. |
| 12:29 |
: Well, my dad’s dead, so I would hope that your dad could beat up mine
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| 12:30 |
What do you think ROS looks like for Taijuan Walker? |
| 12:30 |
: H is last couple of starts have been really good and his command much better, but he’s bene so erratic that I don’t want to count on that yet
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| 12:30 |
Josh Collmenter needs to shipped ups red label back to the bullpen |
| 12:31 |
: It’s a waste to use UPS to ship a couple hundred feet
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| 12:31 |
If a relief pitcher came into the game in a non-save situation, pitched an inning, left the mound to play right field, then came back into the game in a save situation and won, would he be in line to get the save? |
| 12:32 |
: No, he enters the game is the qualification
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| 12:32 |
: Can still get the three inning save if he finishes
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| 12:33 |
Is there any reason to be concerned about Jorge Soler’s start this season? |
| 12:33 |
: Yes, but I think he’ll be OK
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| 12:33 |
: I frigging *warned* you guys to be cautious though about Soler when everyone got mad at his 252/310/460 half-time projection
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| 12:34 |
: You had a guy with essentially one full season of professional playing time that had missed a lot of time due to injuries – that’s a *very* uncertain player
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| 12:34 |
Regarding Pat Venditte: If a batter came up with reverse splits (e.g., RHB who hits better against RHP than LHP) should Venditte pitch with the opposite arm? Or should he stick with the same arm, since that’s probably what he’s most comfortable with? |
| 12:35 |
: What he’s most comfortable with. And real reverse split guys are kinda rare
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| 12:35 |
what do you think Zobrist gets in FA |
| 12:35 |
: Maybe 2/26 or something liek that
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| 12:36 |
: Though that presumes he bounces back considerably
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| 12:36 |
At what point are we going to overdo the idea that we can quantify everything in baseball? At some point the hubris that we can actually know all the variables to measure is going to lead teams down the wrong trail. |
| 12:36 |
: It’s hard to tell until we get to that point. Some would say 30 years ago that it’s hubris to think we’d be able to track the velocity and direction of each hit ball, but we can do that
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| 12:36 |
With Jon Singleton seemingly crowded out in Houston, would he be a good fit in Oakland in a mid-season trade? Power hitter, cost controlled for several years, seems to be improving his batting eye. |
| 12:36 |
: I don’t think the Astros are in a hurry to sort things out, nor should they be
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| 12:37 |
Any reason to think Travis Snider is anything other than a replacement level outfielder? Hard to see what he does better than David Lough at this point. Lough even has as many homers. |
| 12:37 |
: He’s a 4th outfielder type. Always was.
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| 12:37 |
: Snider hype going into the season was a product of people seeing a short-term split and constructing a narrative around it
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| 12:38 |
: Even smart people can succumb occasionally to recency bias
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| 12:38 |
When do the Rays turn to a pitching machine as a starter? |
| 12:38 |
: Pitching machines dont’ have elbow ligaments
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| 12:39 |
: (I’m writing more on recent and future minor league callups this week at some point)
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| 12:39 |
Think it is better for the Astros to go after a Hamels type or a Tier 2 guy and keep their system stocked? |
| 12:39 |
: Depends on the offer. As long as there’s no Correa, Hamels is a good target. The problem is that I have no reason to believe that Ruben Amaro Jr. is reasonable.
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| 12:40 |
What’s wrong with Kendrys? Just hi my waiver wire 12-team.. Ownable? |
| 12:40 |
: He hit above his ability for awhile. Now he’s hitting below his ability.
|
| 12:40 |
: Whether he’s ownable depends on the player you would no longer own in order to own him
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| 12:40 |
are the dbacks buyers or sellers? |
| 12:40 |
: Ought to be sellers
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| 12:40 |
Is Maikel Franco supposed to be hitting this many HRs? Is this just some residual “call up” adrenaline, or did I miss something? I mean, I know power comes up in spurts, but this isn’t like Dom Brown silliness right? |
| 12:41 |
: He *has* shown power beofre
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| 12:41 |
: ZiPS did have him hitting 23 in full-time in majors coming into the season
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| 12:42 |
Indians transactions the last 24 hours: love em, hate em, or think they’re ok? |
| 12:42 |
: Meh.
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| 12:42 |
Would you ever consider being a benevolent dictator of a small Caribbean country? And if so, what is the criteria of working for your Banana Republic? |
| 12:42 |
: Air conditioning.
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| 12:42 |
: I’ve played Tropico at least.
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| 12:43 |
: Being a dictator seems like a lot of work and frequently an unseemly end. I’ll stick to being a baseball writer.
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| 12:43 |
What are your thoughts about the fan injured over the weekend? Near worst case for maple bats (bloody fan). Do you thinks and changes should or will happen? |
| 12:43 |
: Bad things happen.
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| 12:44 |
: We all assume risks every day in our lives. And sometimes we lose the lottery.
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| 12:45 |
: Get in a car, take a pill, eat a sandwich. All of these things carry risks of death.
|
| 12:45 |
: Now, whether it may be in *MLB’s business interests* to approach it differently is their decision
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| 12:46 |
: But I know every time I’m at a baseball game, there’s an associated risk of balls and bat pieces. If I go to a ballpark and don’t sit in the nosebleeds, I personally feel I am assuming that risk.
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| 12:46 |
: This isn’t an unexpected risk, after all.
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| 12:47 |
Is Brady Aiken the type of player a team like the Brewers should avoid drafting due to the high risk, or is the potential worth it even though it’s a small market team? |
| 12:47 |
: I think smaller market teams should be less risk averse
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| 12:47 |
Is National Best Friends Day *really* a thing and if so how |
| 12:47 |
: Wait, that’s a thing?
|
| 12:47 |
Pitcher vs Batter data is garbage, I know. Any truth to idea it’s actually valuable to look at for guys facing knuckleballers though? Makes intuitive sense that certain players would be much better at hitting knuckleballs separate from standard hitting ability, given how idiosyncratic the pitch is. |
| 12:47 |
: The problem is that even if it’s meaningful, we still have small sample size concerns. The signal is there, but it’s still lost in the noise
|
| 12:48 |
Do you think Ian Kennedy has the goods to turn it around? |
| 12:48 |
: Yeah, but it’s not like normal Ian Kennedy is all that exciting
|
| 12:48 |
How would you handle Carson Smith in weekly leagues? Debating him or Tyler Clippard this week. |
| 12:48 |
: Sign Smith, then buy the Mariners and fire McClendon and Jack Z.
|
| 12:48 |
How good of a comp is the Lester trade for the inevitable Cueto trade? |
| 12:48 |
: Reasonable.
|
| 12:48 |
Starlin Castro at age 25 just reached 900 hits. Could he be the first player who gets to 3000 hits and isn’t even in the conversation to make the Hall? (We know Palmeiro’s issue but at least their is an argument that he belongs). |
| 12:49 |
: Could be, but it’s a little soon.
|
| 12:49 |
: If he continues to play like this, he won’t make 3000 hits.
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| 12:49 |
How confident are you in projecting guys with pretty unique skill-sets like Gallo? Any more or less confident than projecting a more ‘normal’ player? |
| 12:49 |
: I should smack you for pretty unique
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| 12:49 |
: But anyway, I don’t think his skillset is all that unusual
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| 12:49 |
I’m 29 and haven’t played baseball in years. Is this the year I get selected in the MLB Draft? |
| 12:49 |
: I would guess not
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| 12:49 |
Brett Lawrie sent flowers to the poor woman he impaled. I have to think signed memorabilia was the least he could do….What say you? |
| 12:50 |
: In hospital, flowers *are* traditional
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| 12:50 |
: And again, saving off-topic questions for the Lightning Round.
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| 12:50 |
On a scale from 1 to Liam Neeson, how legit is Jason Hammel this year? |
| 12:50 |
: Probably 2 Legit 2 quit.
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| 12:51 |
Isn’t the ultimate value of someone like Venditte getting him good enough to be a starter and then eat innings? Presumably he could throw 9 innings every 4 days splitting the stress between 2 elbows. Even if he were only average performance-wise he’d be one of the most valuable guys in the league if he could do that. |
| 12:51 |
: That would be a lot of fun to try.
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| 12:53 |
Is CIL eating questions too? |
| 12:53 |
: Don’t know, I wouldn’t see questions that I don’t see
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| 12:54 |
: But I can only answer about 15-25% of my questions
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| 12:54 |
Are you surprised at Chi Chi Gonzalez’s first two major league starts? His AAA numbers this year were pretty meh. |
| 12:54 |
: Let’s not go nuts, he struck out 4 guys in 2 starts
|
| 12:55 |
Worse contract going forward, in your opinion: Kemp or Cano? |
| 12:55 |
: Kemp
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| 12:55 |
You buying the new rejuvenated Ubaldo or is he due to regress to something like his 2014 self? |
| 12:55 |
: To a degree. His walk rate *is* improved. I did have him on my bounceback list remember!
|
| 12:55 |
Any reason to believe that the Uribe-Callaspo trade was more about Callaspo than we originally thought? Dodgers are in the bottom third of the league in contact%, and if there’s one thing Callaspo does well, it’s put the bat on the ball. Just throwin crap at the wall… |
| 12:56 |
: Yeah, but Callaspo’s contact is of the who cares variety
|
| 12:56 |
Why wouldn’t the Rays use McGee instead of Jepsen? |
| 12:56 |
: I expect McGee eventually gets the job back
|
| 12:56 |
I love how you say no to extending the nets. I hate how some writers assume all fans want the nets extended. I for one would hate it. |
| 12:57 |
: MLB’s decision of course.
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| 12:58 |
Public service announcement: peanut butter and sriracha are delicious on hot dogs. |
| 12:58 |
: Sriracha yet. Peanut butter? I’m calling the police.
|
| 12:58 |
Maikel Franco – legit .200+ ISO guy going forward? Bat speed is pretty crazy – the bomb off Chapman was impressive. |
| 12:58 |
: I think he’ll have goo diso
|
| 12:58 |
Who you got going first overall today in the draft? |
| 12:58 |
: I’m in the Swanson camp
|
| 12:58 |
If you were managing the Orioles, would you be playing Steve Pearce more? |
| 12:58 |
: Yes
|
| 12:59 |
Outliers in all data exist.. the question is do you include all outliers or not in a data model trying to model WAR in the draft. The onside provides you a modeling environment of all possible players eligible for the draft, the other 99.9%. From a modeling environment a 0.1% data loss and one more constraint isnt a huge deal.. |
| 12:59 |
: You darn well know that we have smoothing functions!
|
| 1:00 |
: My model has pick 402 being nearly worthless despite Albert Pujols. And there are way smarter people than me
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| 1:00 |
Which player has had the most disappointing season thus far, in your opinion? |
| 1:00 |
: In a way Hughes
|
| 1:00 |
You have to admit, though, that finding out the player closest to 1978 Clint Hurdle is an important question. Right? |
| 1:00 |
: Yes
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| 1:00 |
Thoughts on Aaron Sanchez. Do you buy thats he’s improving and getting better? |
| 1:00 |
Should we expect consistency from Hutchison the rest of the year or is he going to keep having these intermittent blow-ups? |
| 1:00 |
: Latter
|
| 1:00 |
Is this where I come for the Fangraphs Cat Chat |
| 1:01 |
What is one trade you wish you’d see made this month? |
| 1:01 |
: Caleb Joseph for Mike Trout
|
| 1:01 |
Did you ever run Zips for Ruben Mateo’s time in the Rangers.. before he got hurt his rookie season… Not sure if I want to see that or nor |
| 1:01 |
: I have not. Ruben Mateo isn’t exactly one of the most requested ZiPS Time Machines
|
| 1:02 |
Sad Szymborski 🙁 |
| 1:02 |
: I am sad?
|
| 1:02 |
: Well, I did have my homage to the Sad Flute player.
|
| 1:03 |
: (the Villanova one)
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| 1:03 |
:
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| 1:03 |
Can Marcus Stoman’s living dad beat up your dad’s ghost, though? How do living vs dead fisticuffs even work? |
| 1:03 |
: My dad’s ghost would be pretty big – he was 6’5
|
| 1:03 |
Heard some pretty firm rumors about Zobrist to the Nationals. Does that make any sense with Rendon back? |
| 1:04 |
: Zorilla would be an awesome supersub
|
| 1:04 |
In your eyes what is the most foolish anti-stats argument? Passing the eyeball test? Small sample size? Failure to accept independent events? |
| 1:04 |
: Ranking some stupid arguments is quite difficult. Small sample size still is widespread
|
| 1:05 |
Damn. I had a whole bunch of Mad Max stuff lined up, like how Venditte is like the flamethrower-guitar guy. Serves no real purpose but it still awesome anyways. Really took the wind out of my sails, guy. |
| 1:05 |
: I haven’t seen it, but flamethrower guitars do sound cool.
|
| 1:05 |
: I did play Brütal Legend though, so the ref would likely work for that
|
| 1:05 |
Many Rays pitchers don’t seem to have elbow ligaments at the moment, either. |
| 1:05 |
: That’s why Jesus invented leg ligaments in 22 AD.
|
| 1:05 |
They also could field a team of reasons to believe that Ruben Amaro is unreasonable. |
| 1:06 |
Is front office moves something that can be looked at from a game theory approach or something much more confused because of how convoluted the information structure of each team is. Most decision models are built off of asymmetric information environments, but in MLB it is almost to an extreme that so teams have better information on a team minor league talent than the parent team themselves |
| 1:06 |
: Ben, I’m going to smack you if you keep asking philosophical questions that I have 10 seconds to think about before answering
|
| 1:06 |
: The information structure *is* convoluted though
|
| 1:06 |
Do you buy the study that tries to demonstrate that teams with pitchers’ parks are more successful? Given all the other variables it seems pretty dubious. |
| 1:06 |
: Haven’t read it
|
| 1:07 |
With absurd infield glut in LA, could Friedman trade Howie Kendrick? That still leaves Turner, Guerrero, Hernandez, Seager, Olivera, Rollins (lol)… |
| 1:07 |
: As a win-now team, I think they can hoard the depth somewhat
|
| 1:07 |
Speaking of the Indians, are you surprised that sent down theit left side of the infield and didn’t bring up Lindo? What does Francisco need to show to demonstarte that he’s ready? |
| 1:07 |
: I am, actually, even though he hasn’t been amazing
|
| 1:07 |
Hi Joe, what do you think Fernando Rodney needs to do to be more consistent? |
| 1:07 |
: Find a new job at which he can regularly not suck
|
| 1:07 |
Dan thanks for the chat, please rank moving forward: Kemp, Yelich, Bruce. Or is too close to call? |
| 1:07 |
: Yelich, Bruce, Kemp
|
| 1:08 |
why is ur cat |
| 1:08 |
: He exists because of his parents, I assume.
|
| 1:08 |
I wouldn’t want baseball memorabilia if I was that woman. “Congrats on surviving your spaceship accident. Here’s a model spaceship.” |
| 1:08 |
Why should small market teams be less risk averse? They don’t have the capital to make up for bad draft decisions like the bigger market teams do. |
| 1:08 |
: Because they need to hit jackpots more often
|
| 1:09 |
: And if you’re not buying in free agency, the draft is the only place to get high upside guys
|
| 1:09 |
: OK, we’re after 1 o’clock, so let’s start the Lightning Round.
|
| 1:10 |
: The rules are, I have to answer every question given, no matter how stupid or ridiculous, assuming that’ it’s *not* on-topic and that it doesn’t follow one of the exclusions (work-related things, very explicit things)
|
| 1:10 |
Have you ever thought about getting your cat one of those red vests and taking him to places as a “service animal”? Like a fancy restaurant, or a cinema showing a movie about post-apocalyptic life and racecars? |
| 1:10 |
: He would take my food
|
| 1:10 |
In a good mood. |
| 1:10 |
: Why? Your class is weak in the current meta
|
| 1:10 |
What video games are you playing this week? |
| 1:10 |
: Hearthstone and strangely enough, Heroes of Might and Magic 5
|
| 1:10 |
What fictional bands would you put in your Fictional Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? |
| 1:11 |
: Wyckyd Sceptre, Sex Bob-omb, Spinal Tap, Three Times One Minus One
|
| 1:11 |
: Johnny Zhivago
|
| 1:11 |
Think the Game of Thrones showrunners have some secret focus group data that shows their audience LOVES seeing horrible things happen to likable female characters or is there another rational explanation for their sadism? |
| 1:12 |
: It’s quite a violent world. Sansa got it easier than Jeyne Poole in the books
|
| 1:12 |
Favorite restaurant? |
| 1:12 |
: I honestly don’t have a personal favorite
|
| 1:12 |
Favorite food? |
| 1:12 |
: tagliatelle with real bolognese
|
| 1:13 |
Why do people get up-in-arms about the prices of purely cosmetic items in free to play games like Hearthstone or Heroes of the Storm? $10 for a hero portrait seems silly to me, but it’s totally optional! Don’t buy it if you hate the price so much. |
| 1:13 |
: Yeah, it’s either $10 for something cosmetic or $10 for something that gives an unfair advantage for the people paying $10
|
| 1:13 |
Beatles or the Rolling Stones? |
| 1:13 |
: Depends on my mood. Honestly, I listen to the Kinks more than the Beatles or Stones
|
| 1:13 |
Why do I suck so bad at Hearthstone? Should I just give in and use a premade deck format? |
| 1:13 |
: Hard to tell – are you on my friends list? I can never connect the real names with IDs. At least mine is easy to figure out
|
| 1:14 |
John, Paul, George, or Ringo? |
| 1:14 |
: Paul.
|
| 1:14 |
: I find Lennon pretentious
|
| 1:14 |
Why are you so overweight? |
| 1:14 |
: A combination of too many calories, with beer by far the largest factor, and a lifestyle is more sedentary than is healthy.
|
| 1:14 |
What is the worst “great place to eat” suggestion yo uhave got? |
| 1:14 |
: I don’t think I have one
|
| 1:15 |
Why does the US spend so much on healthcare while lagging far behind in outcomes? |
| 1:15 |
: This is beyond my area of expertise.
|
| 1:15 |
Do you have time to bleed? |
| 1:15 |
: Bleeding doesn’t take much significant attention – you can do other things while bleeding
|
| 1:15 |
That looks like a Clarinet |
| 1:15 |
: I don’t own a flute.
|
| 1:15 |
Civil War Cavalry or Vietnam Cavalry? |
| 1:16 |
: Civil War
|
| 1:16 |
Favorite band of all time? |
| 1:16 |
: Probably the Kinks
|
| 1:16 |
Favorite album of all time? |
| 1:16 |
: Nevermind
|
| 1:17 |
Did you ever watch even a second of The Magic Hour? |
| 1:17 |
: I did not
|
| 1:17 |
was dicaprio insane in shutter island? or was the asylum a secret nazi experiment? |
| 1:17 |
: He was insane. Honestly, I don’t remember the details of the movie all that well
|
| 1:18 |
Is Caitlyn Jenner attractive? |
| 1:18 |
: Not my type
|
| 1:18 |
Would you prefer the 2016 presidental election to be between Clinton/Bush or Paul/Sanders? |
| 1:18 |
: Clinton/Bush.. I’d prefer two mediocre retreads to the possibility of Bernie Sanders being president. Personally, of course, your mileage may vary
|
| 1:18 |
Nigel Tufnel or David St. Hubbins? |
| 1:19 |
: St. Hubbins. He never killed Mandy Patinkin’s dad
|
| 1:19 |
Do you believe this season of GoT has been sadly lacking in the Natalie Dormer department? |
| 1:19 |
: Yes
|
| 1:19 |
: But there’s never enough Natalie Dormer
|
| 1:19 |
Why do they call Tomato Soup baked in a crust pizza in Chicago? |
| 1:19 |
: It’s not tomato soupo
|
| 1:19 |
What’s on your wishlist for the upcoming Steam summer sale? |
| 1:19 |
: I’m not sure – I don’t generally wait for sales. I tend to buy things when I remember they exist
|
| 1:19 |
Who would win a tag team match between Current Wade Miley and Clay Buchholz and the Bushwackers? |
| 1:19 |
: The Bushwackers are quite old
|
| 1:19 |
Work or more Fangraphs? |
| 1:20 |
: Don’t understand it
|
| 1:20 |
Is the hero power worth it? Doesn’t seem to have self-heals and whenever I face a hunter it seems like I bleed health like mad. |
| 1:20 |
: Assuming you’re a zoolock, you need to race the hunter. If you don’t have board control, it doesn’t matter what your health is
|
| 1:20 |
: And if you’re a handlock, you essentially tech for this with molten giants and two antique healbots, jaraxxus, etc.
|
| 1:20 |
Is Clapton really God? |
| 1:21 |
: No, I think he’s a guy
|
| 1:21 |
% of audio listening in the car: Music vs. Sports Talk/ News |
| 1:21 |
: Almost entirely msuic
|
| 1:21 |
Do you believe that by adding modder support in games (like XCOM2, Skyrim, ect) it increase to longevity of the title and therefore profitability? |
| 1:21 |
: I think so – I’ve never seen a modding community undermine a title
|
| 1:21 |
Are you a boxing fan? |
| 1:21 |
: I’ll watch it, but I’m not an expert
|
| 1:21 |
Metallica or Megadeath? |
| 1:22 |
: That’s not really my genre
|
| 1:22 |
Would you rather play the role of Andy Richter or Conan O’Brien, on the tv show Conan? |
| 1:22 |
: Richtger
|
| 1:22 |
What is a restaurant that you really like? |
| 1:22 |
: In Baltimore, Woodberry Kitchen, Brewer’s Art
|
| 1:23 |
: In Dayton, El Meson and Meadowlark
|
| 1:23 |
: Those are the areas I primarily have lived
|
| 1:23 |
Paddleboats: yay or nay? |
| 1:23 |
: Yay, though I prefer kayak
|
| 1:23 |
Does that guy not realize that the US has the best healthcare in the world? |
| 1:24 |
: Wont’ get into this one
|
| 1:24 |
Marvel or DC? |
| 1:24 |
: Marvel
|
| 1:24 |
Ever considered a standing desk? Good way to burn some extra calories/improve posture once you’re used to it. Also standing makes you feel like you’re the captain on a submarine or something instead of a desk slug. |
| 1:24 |
: Meh. I want my exercise to be my exercise and my work to be my work
|
| 1:24 |
Favorite cereals? |
| 1:24 |
: Honey Bunches of Oats
|
| 1:24 |
When does your cat take over the world? |
| 1:25 |
: That cat is now 16 and a half, so I think he does not have enough time for world domination.
|
| 1:25 |
Let’s say you have an aquaclarinet and you’re playing it to keep the sharks away, but you are also bleeding. Do you drop the clarinet and just swim for it, or continue to play the aquaclarinet? |
| 1:25 |
: I can buy a new clarinet, so I get out of there
|
| 1:26 |
Civil War generals: most overrated and underrated? |
| 1:26 |
: Overrated, Sherman
|
| 1:26 |
: Underrated, Thomas
|
| 1:26 |
Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4. |
| 1:26 |
: OK, hold on
|
| 1:30 |
: Sorry, had to figure out which book was closests
|
| 1:30 |
: closest
|
| 1:31 |
: HELMER. Yes, he has just gone.
|
| 1:31 |
Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, What can you touch? |
| 1:31 |
: A spindle of about 30 blu-rays that contain backups.
|
| 1:31 |
Did Courtney Love kill Cobain? |
| 1:31 |
: No
|
| 1:31 |
What is the last thing you watched on TV? |
| 1:31 |
: Game of Thrones
|
| 1:31 |
Is it ok for a grown man to cry the first time that he watches The Land Before Time? |
| 1:32 |
: Yes
|
| 1:32 |
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? |
| 1:32 |
: Bar Harbor
|
| 1:32 |
Well met. |
| 1:32 |
: Sorry, but Paladin has trouble with Grim Patron decks.
|
| 1:32 |
Does the spinning top fall over at the end of Inception? |
| 1:33 |
: Wouldn’t matter as it stiill wouldn’t have told us if he was awake
|
| 1:33 |
If DiCaprio isn’t insane the fact that his name is an anagram for the name of the guy he’s looking for is a pretty cosmic coincidence. |
| 1:33 |
No Wyld Stallyns in your Hall of Fame? Their music led to world peace, if I recall my future history correctly. |
| 1:33 |
: Problem is they haven’t done that yet and history may have changed since the last time they changed history
|
| 1:33 |
: And that just leaves what I’ve seen and it’s only an Arget cover so far
|
| 1:33 |
i cant be the only one that doesnt get all the Arrested Development Love…. right? |
| 1:34 |
: You are a bad person.
|
| 1:34 |
Whats the best way to lower blood pressure? |
| 1:34 |
: Don’t listen to my mom
|
| 1:35 |
: Seriously, my sister was in the hospital with back surgery, her blood pressure in the bed was 110/70, which is her normal blood pressure
|
| 1:35 |
: And then mom started nagging her about something she had to do when she got out of the hospital and it shot up to 130/92. And when mom stopped talking, it went back down
|
| 1:35 |
Is Dahmer your favorite serial killer of all time? |
| 1:35 |
: Bundy
|
| 1:35 |
At what age do you consider a person to be old? |
| 1:36 |
: Whatever my age is at the time plus 20
|
| 1:36 |
Best guess: how much actual bell-to-bell wrestling time do you think WWE includes on a typical 3-hour PPV? |
| 1:36 |
: 75 minutes
|
| 1:36 |
Most anticipated movie of the summer? |
| 1:36 |
: Am not anticipating – I don’t generally follow current movies
|
| 1:36 |
Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like? |
| 1:36 |
: I do not understand this question.
|
| 1:36 |
: For those asking baseball questions, THIS IS THE LIGHTNING ROUND OF OFF-TOPIC QUESTIONS THAT WE DO TO KEEP THE MAIN CHAT ON-TOPIC
|
| 1:37 |
Are you wearing a watch and if so what kind? |
| 1:37 |
: I am not.
|
| 1:37 |
how do you think Colbert will do on the Late Show? |
| 1:37 |
: I think he’ll just be OK. I’m not sure the format is as good for his strengths
|
| 1:38 |
JoJo or Natasha Bedingfield? |
| 1:38 |
: I couldn’t tell you any song that they did
|
| 1:38 |
what do you have against pot smoking socialists? |
| 1:38 |
: Nothing against pot smoking
|
| 1:38 |
Comic Book Store Guy or Mr. Burns? |
| 1:38 |
: CBG
|
| 1:38 |
Would you rather play the role of Conan O’Brien or Conan the Barbarian? |
| 1:38 |
: Conan O’Brien. Conan would take a lot of working out
|
| 1:38 |
what was the last non-sports book you read? |
| 1:39 |
: The book I quoted from that was closest to me, Foru Great Plays by Ibsen
|
| 1:39 |
: It took me a few minutes becuase I got a tape measure to see if the ibsen was closer to me than the Norwich Byzantine books
|
| 1:39 |
Was vanilla WoW better than the game it became after several expansions? I feel that way but admit it may be rose-tinted glasses. |
| 1:39 |
: It’s a little dumbed down, but it’s still good
|
| 1:39 |
F-22 or f-35? |
| 1:39 |
: Not a military plane guy
|
| 1:40 |
I’m what would be considered a professional. My lunches out usually consist of Burger King, KFC, or Dairy Queen. Should I be doing better for lunch? |
| 1:40 |
: Yes
|
| 1:40 |
XCom2 — worth the money? |
| 1:40 |
: It’s not even out!
|
| 1:40 |
i converted to a standing station about a month ago and it’s great! |
| 1:40 |
shaken or stirred? |
| 1:40 |
: Stirred, but I’m not a martini guy
|
| 1:40 |
FAvorite mobile games? |
| 1:40 |
: Catan
|
| 1:40 |
So is GOT just fan fiction at this point? |
| 1:40 |
: Eh
|
| 1:40 |
What is your take on the Mattress Girl? |
| 1:40 |
: Counterproductive
|
| 1:40 |
When do you get a new kitten? |
| 1:41 |
: Don’t have a policy
|
| 1:41 |
Figures that the only Mariners question you elect to answer is the existential clarinet one. |
| 1:41 |
Are there any American cities with a pleasant climate, good economy and cheap housing? Market for “places to live” seems frustratingly efficient in terms of tradeoffs. |
| 1:41 |
: Probably not, it’s like asking for the cheap/fast/good and demanding all 3
|
| 1:41 |
what is your favorite condiment? least favorite? |
| 1:41 |
: horseradish, ketchup
|
| 1:41 |
“on all calcareous marine organisms, ocean acidification is due to” |
| 1:41 |
: uh, increased acids?
|
| 1:41 |
Who would win in a fight, Lemmy or God? |
| 1:41 |
: God has jurisdiction
|
| 1:41 |
Hey, that’s a play!! |
| 1:42 |
: but it’s in a book
|
| 1:42 |
Although plays are mostly published in book form these days. |
| 1:42 |
if you could ban one stat from baseball broadcasts, which would it be? |
| 1:42 |
: saves. it’s worse than wins
|
| 1:42 |
Vacation spot you haven’t been to but really want to go to? |
| 1:42 |
: New Zealand
|
| 1:42 |
NBA Finals or Stanley Cup finals? |
| 1:42 |
: NBA
|
| 1:42 |
I have never seen arrested development, breaking bad, dexter, or game of thrones.. Is that really such a bad thing? |
| 1:42 |
: Yes
|
| 1:42 |
What is your favorite Kinks album? Mine is Muswell Hillbillies |
| 1:42 |
: Arthur
|
| 1:42 |
Would Alan Turing have continued to do awesome things if his life hadn’t come to a tragic, early end? |
| 1:43 |
: Nah, intellectuals peak early
|
| 1:43 |
Most quotable Schwarzenegger? |
| 1:44 |
: see you at the party richter. I still say that when I airblast someone off a cliff in tf2
|
| 1:44 |
No love for Ed Fish? Or Gasey? Or Gein? |
| 1:44 |
: You mean albert?
|
| 1:44 |
If these questions never stop coming into the queue, will this chat ever end? |
| 1:44 |
: I usually stop when I get to top of queue
|
| 1:44 |
Do you prefer faster deck or more controlly ones? |
| 1:44 |
: Control
|
| 1:45 |
ive tried to get arrested dev but just cant. whats so great about it? does it pick up after season 1? |
| 1:45 |
: You’re a bad man
|
| 1:45 |
If you could have your cat take on the personality of anyone in the world, who would you choose? |
| 1:45 |
: someone quiet
|
| 1:45 |
Sausage or bacon? |
| 1:45 |
: sausage
|
| 1:45 |
Fact or Fact: John Oliver is the best thing on tv right now, and it’s not close. |
| 1:45 |
: fact
|
| 1:45 |
Your opinion on Stannis? |
| 1:45 |
: for this, i don’t want to spoil things for peopele
|
| 1:45 |
“Has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like? ” Just want to take a moment and reflect on the fact that a human typed that sentence. |
| 1:46 |
Beer – no hops or all the hops? |
| 1:46 |
: I like hoppy
|
| 1:46 |
Support the use of the Gadsden flag as the symbol of today’s economic libertarian movement? (Seems a bit ridiculous to me.) |
| 1:46 |
: I’m not one of the goofy fringe libertarians. I’m actually well socialized
|
| 1:46 |
: I have no bitcoin.
|
| 1:46 |
Was Shakespeare one person or a collection of many? |
| 1:46 |
: One person
|
| 1:46 |
Who would win in a fight? You as Conan O’Brien or you as Conan the Barbarian? |
| 1:46 |
: Me as conan, a prop sword may not cut wlel, but it at least hurts
|
| 1:46 |
Do I sound like an asshole if I say “cinema” in place of “the movies”? |
| 1:46 |
: Yes
|
| 1:46 |
Favorite Mister: Salty, Bojangles, Mister, Other (please specify)? |
| 1:46 |
: Mister Mister of course
|
| 1:47 |
Where Brooklyn at? |
| 1:47 |
: Umm, New YOrk?
|
| 1:47 |
Is it a tumor? |
| 1:48 |
: It could have been a tumor. He couldn’t have been sure, even if it was unlikely
|
| 1:48 |
Study: Cat Parasite Tied To Schizophrenia, Mental Illnesses in Humans …. “Two new studies have now linked the T. gondii parasite to increased rates of mental illness in cat owners who may have had increased exposure to parasitic infection.” Thoughts? Comments? |
| 1:48 |
: I was just as weird before I had a cat
|
| 1:48 |
My wife and I–both Vandy grads–are expecting a boy in a few months. My wife laughed when I proposed the name Dansby. Dump her? |
| 1:48 |
: Depends what the last name is
|
| 1:48 |
Can your cat take on the personality and characteristics of Darth Vader instead? |
| 1:48 |
: Most cats have that personality
|
| 1:48 |
Are you opposed to turkey burgers? |
| 1:48 |
: No, stupid people have to eat too.
|
| 1:48 |
action RPG vs turn based RPG |
| 1:48 |
: turn based
|
| 1:48 |
Is Stevie Wonder really blind? |
| 1:48 |
: Yes
|
| 1:48 |
With regards to libertarians/bitcoin, you just summed up my roommate |
| 1:49 |
Coke or Pepsi? |
| 1:49 |
: Coke
|
| 1:49 |
whod you rather work for? oliver queen tony stark or bruce wayne? |
| 1:49 |
: Bruce Wayne – he wouldn’t make me work nights
|
| 1:49 |
When was Natlie Portman in her prime? |
| 1:49 |
: 5 years ago?
|
| 1:49 |
I want a pork taco. You want a pork taco? |
| 1:49 |
: Sure
|
| 1:49 |
: CAUGHT UP
|
| 1:49 |
: Once again, the Lightning Round Queue has been Conquered.
|
| 1:49 |
Did you play the warhammer turnbase RPG computer game that came out recently.. surprisingly better than I expected |
| 1:49 |
: haven’t, probably will.
|
| 1:49 |
: ROUND OVER
|
| 1:50 |
: Thanks for joining me everybody. As my usual reminder, you can read my work at ESPN.com, attend chats and view projections at FanGraphs, and follow me at DSzymborski on Twitter, ZimSmash on Twitch.
|
| 1:50 |
Can I become your stalker fan? |
| 1:51 |
: I would suggest a more ambitious person to stalk. Stalking Dan Szymborski suggests you’ve given up on being a real stalker.
|
Carson Cistulli has published a book of aphorisms called Spirited Ejaculations of a New Enthusiast.
Fan voting stinks, but since it exists, it’s our duty to make sure the right people go. Make sure and vote 35 times for the WAR leaderboard by league and position. Right now there are 7 Royals starters and 0 Royals players qualified by WAR. Make sure Dayton’s bunch stays as far away from the All Star game as their terrible ‘barbecue’, do your part and vote today!
That wouldn’t be the best way either, but my goodness, WTF Royals fans?