Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 10/13/16

Eno Sarris: dedicated to days with no baseball:

Bork: Hello, friend!

Eno Sarris: YOLO

Michelle: Any predictions for tonight’s game?

Eno Sarris: Scherzer is nails, LA cobbles together six or seven good innings between Hill and Urias to stay with them in a low scoring game, and the game is decided in the seventh.

Eno Sarris: Fairly specific…

Bork: You mentioned Marco Estrada’s fastball being really good in his own way. Is it because of his changeup?

Eno Sarris: That and the fact that it has 13 inches of ride, and nine inches is average, making it the ridingest pitch in the game. Shows up four inches above where you think it will.

Buck Saltwater: Is Tyler Naquin this years version of Chris Colabello? (not the PED part, but the BABIP luck part)

Eno Sarris: He made a real adjustment, so there’s a chance he’s more Daniel Murphy, since he focused on attacking fastballs and pulling fly balls and straightened up a bit.

Eno Sarris: Truth is between. He’s decent, and he may have more power than we thought he would.

Michael: Do the Yankees include one of Mateo or Torres this winter in a trade for a starting pitcher? They already have Gregarious at short and only one will be their future second basemen. Or do they keep both and try Mateo in the outfield?

Eno Sarris: The problem with looking for starting pitching this offseason is that you won’t be able to get it on the free agency market. Maybe they could sign a hitter and trade a prospect hitter, that would be interesting… they should have a bit of money?

Jones: Wouldn’t it make sense for Atlanta to trade Ender for a nice package and insert Mallex in CF?

Eno Sarris: They will trade this offseason, I’m sure of it. I think it will be a for a pitcher, personally, and it may be more of a consolidation towards finding a young cost controlled pitcher to pair with Teheran, but I’m not sure about all of that.

Erik: SIERRA has Kershaw as a 32 points better pitcher in the playoffs than in the regular season, over his career. xFIP has Bumgarner 32 points worse in the playoffs than in the regular season. Is it safe to say that the narratives surrounding the two of them in the playoffs are total nonsense?

Eno Sarris: I looked into Bumgarner, and he’s actually fairly different as a pitcher in the postseason. More high fastballs, more ride on the fastball, more velocity, and more fly balls. But yeah, there’s luck there, because his HR/FB before the Arrieta homer was 6% and that’s not sustainable.

Kevin: If the Braves were willing to pay most of Kemp’s salary over next 3 years, essentially making him like a 4-5 mil a year guy for an AL team, could they get a good prospect?

Eno Sarris: I don’t think people are trading good pieces for DH types these days. Mike Montgomery is about the best you could go for, and even then, Vogelbach has more years of control, and is cheaper, if less established.

CamdenWarehouse: With the defensive value Baez has been providing at second, should the Cubs make him the full time starter there next year? Will they?

Eno Sarris: It’s difficult with Schwarber coming back. If you play both Contreras and Schwarber, you’re probably playing Schwarber in the outfield, meaning Zobrist needs to return to second, or push Heyward to center. If Heyward plays center, then you can start Baez, but what sort of outfield defense is that?

Erik: Is being able to throw deep into games more, less, or equally valuable in the postseason?

Eno Sarris: Less. Third time through the order is worse for everyone, and bullpens used more often and earlier in the playoffs.

Minty: On the last podcast you discussed Beni possibly going 20/12 next year. Do you anticipate those being about peak, but with a great OBP and a ton of doubles?

Eno Sarris: If I’m talking next year on a guy, I’m not talking peak. Peak Beni is like .300/30/10 or something. He’s nasty good.

Logan: Do you see Snitker as a pure place holder?

Eno Sarris: You have to hire a guy you can fire to keep your job, so it’s very likely this FO gets to hire another manager before they’re good.

Modest Fagersbomb: I asked you about left-handed pitchers a couple weeks ago, suggesting that the prizing of left-handedness in pitchers is illogical. Since righties have the platoon advantage more often, it’s better to be a righty, right? You answered that “There are fewer lefties, so getting a good one is still a prize”, but that’s exactly the point I’m getting at: it’s illogical to prize a quality just because it’s rare, if it’s not actually a good quality. Wouldn’t Kershaw or Lester or Hill be even more effective if they were right-handed?

Eno Sarris: Hitters see lefties less often, and it’s harder to get comfortable against someone you see less often, so there’s some value inherently in being rare. But I do think there is something to what you’re saying. The Indians obviously didn’t care to make sure they got a lefty, even if Josh Tomlin will forever be a lefty to me.

botchatheny : is this against the rules?

Eno Sarris: Yes but nobody cares until the postseason or a big late season game.

Pat: Have you ever used the phrase “I got a turtle head poking out”

Michelle: On a more dramatic note, how do I find joy in life after a week of vomiting, nausea, and dizziness? Appreciate your health!

Boy Jorge Soler: Tell me I’m pretty

Eno Sarris: you guys are the baseball players of interludes.

CamdenWarehouse: Can Carson do a crowd sourcing of the best and worst names for home runs?

Eno Sarris: Gotta go with jacking dongers.

Sean: Cut one of Urias, Joc, Schwarber, and Benintendi. Dynasty

Eno Sarris: Absolutely need to know the settings. Although maybe not. It’s between Schwarber and Joc for me, and they’re similar guys with strikeouts and walks and power. The fact that Joc got platooned so hard makes him the dropper for me, even though his per PA production was really nice.

Tim: Eno! So August totally shot me down with this, but I’m an idiot and you’re the pitching expert, so I’m taking another shot – do you think there’s any potential strategy to be formed around a pitcher (usually) getting the free strike on a 3-0 count? You throw junk balls and then one down the pipe, so you’re getting to 3-1 without much stress on the arm. Then just need two (admittedly incredible) pitches to get the guy out. Brilliant, right!?

Eno Sarris: Dunno, junk might be just as stressful on the arm, particularly if it’s a hard slider. Plus, you aren’t practicing good command, so how good is your command going to be at 3-1? And then you’d walk guys sometimes on bad calls… Seems like a way to strike out one per inning and walk more than one every two innings…

Joe: So Golden Road started to distribute in MO. Is there anything I should check out or is it mostly meh?

Eno Sarris: Super meh for me. Wolf in the Weeds is aight. If you ever see their Gingerbread Stout, it’s their best effort.

The Lure of the Animal: Whose retention is more surprising, TLR’s or Preller’s?

Eno Sarris: TLR. Preller bought all those kids, that’s what he was supposed to do.

Cubs Fan: Let’s assume for a moment the Dodgers win tonight. Would it make sense for the Cubs to drop a guy like Edwards or Grimm to accommodate Rob Zastryzny on the NLCS roster? Are the platoon advantages that desirable against a team like LA?

Eno Sarris: Definitely not Edwards, he’s nasty. I think Grimm is nasty, too. You have Montgomery and Chapman and Wood, you’re fine.

2-D: Harvey is already throwing again, doesn’t that seem like a quick turnaround?

Eno Sarris: For Tyson Ross on same surgery they said 4-6 weeks so I guess not.

Ennui Sarris: Some fans love to heckle ballplayers. Have you ever been heckled in person? Best story?

Eno Sarris: Oh you never read this one? http://www.hardballtimes.com/learning-the-language-of-the-clubhouse/

Youngman: Hey Eno I was wondering if you think Matt Kemp helped Freeman and the lineup at all? Or is a power presence or protection 100% false?

Eno Sarris: Protection, if it exists, comes from in front of you. It’s easier to hit with runners on base because certain shifts aren’t possible and pitchers have to respect the running game.

Sean P: Much attention is getting paid to Baez’s defense in the NLDS (rightfully so), but as a Cubs fan Albert Almora has me drooling. Do you think the Cubs offer a QO to Fowler and let him walk and replace him in CF with Almora? With regular playing time, what level of WAR would you guess Almora puts up?

Eno Sarris: I wouldn’t be surprised if the team lets Fowler go because of the playing time crunch and makes Almora the D replacement for Schwarber, moving to CF and pushing Heyward to the corner. I don’t love love Almora’s bat, though, so I think he’s more of a fourth OF.

Sam: Do you love watching Javy Baez play baseball as much as I do? Late round pick in fantasy next season, or the strikeouts and plate appearances worry you?

Eno Sarris: I’m worried that this postseason will inflate him beyond where he’s a value, given that there’s playing time risk until we know exactly what that roster looks like. I was wrong about Baez, for sure, I was overly worried about the strikeouts, I guess.

CamdenWarehouse: What should we make of the changes in SD?

Eno Sarris: Someone had to fall and the guys they fired weren’t super popular and Preller had a fantastic signing season, probably, that saved his bacon.

Rols: I know WAR isn’t everything, but when Scherzer is almost a win behind guys like Kershaw, Syndergaard and Fernandez, why is he the favorite to win CY Young?

Eno Sarris: One thing about WAR is that it’s not a counting stat like other counting stats. It can be negative. So if there was regression coming for the other pitchers in order to meet the quantity from Scherzer, it could even out. With these names, it probably wouldn’t have, but that’s a bit of an argument for quantity.

Eno Sarris: spooky and I like it:

Ron Fournier: Eno! If you were a major league GM, would you rather have a ~4 WAR full-time DH, or would you prefer the flexibility to rest guys and take advantage of platoon splits that comes with keeping that spot open?

Eno Sarris: There have been 395 qualified DH seasons and 40 of them were four-win, so that’s a star, basically the best DH in the game. Would I take David Ortiz over flexibility? Yes.

joedcamp: Like or eliminate possible SP sleepers: Eduardo Rodriguez, Manaea, Cotton, Norris, Paxton, Walker, Rodon, Bradley, Gsellman, Gausman, Moore, Devenski, Eickhoff, Musgrove, Robbie Ray, Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, Archer

Eno Sarris: Love Cotton, Rodon, Gray, and Norris, they leap off the page. Archer is a track record bounce back guy rather than a sleeper, but I like him. Most of these guys are interesting and if they hit their peak projections, are going to be good. But those four are the ones I like best.

Alex: Do you think its smart to Piggyback Hill/Urias or would Roberts be better suited to insert a RHP in between to change the looks?

Eno Sarris: Of course you can play the platoon advantage and pitch Grimm against a few righties before you move on… Once the first couple innings are done, it’s going to be a free for all and it’s just about the next hitter.

Greg: What’s your take on David Price in the playoffs? Surely doesn’t seem like the same guy, and his team has never won a game when he’s started.

Eno Sarris: I looked hard at him and all I could find was a few more cutters than usual, and better opposition. I bet he’ll put in a few good appearances with more chances.

Darrin: If Coppy were to pair Ender and Albies, is that close to landing someone like Archer or Sale?

Eno Sarris: I think it would be, and thought you normally want to bet against a blockbuster like this… not impossible to me.

Jays Fan: Should I be worried about Marco Estrada matching up against a team thats good at hitting off-speed stuff?

Eno Sarris: I’d be worried for his cutter and curve, but that fastball/changeup combo is Rich Hillian.

iron wolf: A writer for Camden Depot has suggested that the Orioles should shop Tillman for prospects/outfielder since he’ll be a free agent at the end of next season. I like the idea. What do you think?

Eno Sarris: I bet Tillman has very different valuations on the market. I’d certainly listen in case someone loves him.

Marty: Everything you wanted to know about Marco Estrada’s higher Ks and lower velo! http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2016/9/22/13007516/marco-estrada-blue-jays-velocity-loss-strikeouts-fastball-changeup-two-strikes

Minty: i knew that you didn’t mean next year as peak. I just didn’t know if you thought Beni would develop more HR power or doubles power.

Eno Sarris: Yeah I think he’s got Big Power in there.

The Lure of the Animal: Do you suspect reduced effectiveness on the second and third times through the order is due more to fatigue or hitters acclimating to the pitcher’s stuff?

Eno Sarris: Pitchers lose about a half mph on average, I think I found, so I doubt it’s fatigue. Maybe it is, but I think it’s more about game theory. The batter has seen their pitches, seen their approach, and is improving their anticipation.

2-D: Do sours have a season?

Eno Sarris: You often use fresh fruit from the harvest and then put them in a barrel, so either six months or a year after harvest…. so… now?

Zonk: Seems like every team wants to trade for cost controlled pitchers, to the point that they seem way more valued than cost controlled hitters. Is that true? If so, why is that? Is it because teams feel more comfortable buying hitting in FA instead of injury-prone pitching?

Eno Sarris: I think it’s because pitchers get injured for longer when they get injured, generally. So if you sign an FA pitcher for six years, you’re likely to lose a full year of that. I doubt the calculus for a hitter is the same.

Matt: Trevor Story or Gregory Polanco in dynasty?

Eno Sarris: Story. That much power at shortstop trumps a guy stealing fewer bases and not outpacing the league’s power surge.

joedcamp: It seems that a pitcher is less accountable to an inherited runner. Do you think that using 5 pitchers in the 9th has a downside of no one feeling accountable to the loss?

Eno Sarris: No way. Did you see Hunter Strickland’s face? Trying to hide it, but he was mortified.

CamdenWarehouse: Jacking dongers is still better than taters!

Seabass: Gotta hibernate before my date

Mark: 13 inches of ride? 9 inches is average? Way to make a guy feel inadequate, Eno.

Eno Sarris: Well done.

BJ: Have you ever gotten offers to work in an MLB team’s front office?

Eno Sarris: Yeah but my life is pretty dang cushy. 150 days on the road? I got two toddlers!

Large Farva: Where are you on Nola for next year?

Eno Sarris: All in.

Angels Fan: I’m in favor of trading Mike Trout and getting the biggest monster package in return in history. Which team would you wanna deal with in this scenario if your the Angels?

Eno Sarris: Boston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, because I’d like a combo of young MLB and prospect elite pitching and hitting.

zurzles: I asked Sporer about this but I’d like to hear your thoughts too. How should general fantasy roster strategy adjust to the great ball-juicing? Are elite 40HR+ sluggers more valuable now or less? Are 0HR speedsters more valuable or less? Does this change where you draft pitchers (sporer sez yes)? Is positional scarcity more or less of an issue? Can someone write a 5,000 word analysis of all this? etc etc

Eno Sarris: We talked about it on the podcast a few times, but yeah I think it makes the zero power guy worse, it makes the 15/15 guy more valuable, and the 25-30 HR guys less valuable.

Q-Ball: David Ross is the oldest catcher ever to homer in the post season. He finished 7th this year in WAR among NL catchers, despite not playing every day. Not a quesiton, just Grandpa can still play!

Eno Sarris: All that salt in his pepper.

Ronnie: The 2005 draft class is getting old. Ryan Braun led 2005 draftees in both WAR (3.2) & wRC+ (133) this year. Does he repeat next year or does McCutchen bounce back and claim this most arbitrary of crowns?

Eno Sarris: Cutch comes back. I don’t think his athleticism is that far off. He was positioned differently, and that affected some of his numbers.

Eno Sarris: And offense, sometimes you have an off year. He had some good months.

Matt: Edwin Diaz is a top ___ closer in 2017

Eno Sarris: three, five at worst.

Dock Ellis: I lost my yearly Beer Bowl in fantasy football with a co worker. I owe him an IPA from colorado. What’s the best I should get him?

Eno Sarris: Ska’s Modus Operandi is good, Avery Maharaja is the big DIPA, but the best I’ve had recently is Odell’s St. Lupulin.

Q-Ball: Any plans to hang out with Cory Knebel this offseason? Understand he is into home brew, and beer in general.

Eno Sarris: No but hopefully Kevin Youkilis will give me an interview. He’s got a brewery just south of here.

jim carey as the riddler: what if I don’t like you but I’m chatting nonetheless

Eno Sarris: Still a click I guess.

Cubbies4Life: Do you think Atlanta would part with Sean Newcomb or Kolby Allard if we offered Jorge Soler?

Eno Sarris: Newcomb in a second but I doubt the Cubs take that.

George Green: I wish Darwin Barney would heckle me

Eno Sarris: It was a proud moment.

Chris: Ross recovery is 4-6 months not weeks

Eno Sarris: Oh guess I misread that lol. Well recovery includes lots of throwing, so who knows. I’m no doctor, nor do I play one on tv.

Guest: “Protection” almost certainly can come from behind you — THT ran an article specifically on the effect of batting in front of the pitcher. Of course pitchers change their approach based upon who’s up next.

Eno Sarris: That’s the most extreme case, and I believe that exists and is easy to show. But I see plenty of reasons why it’s hard to show protection in the middle of the lineup.

Nelson: Did Lagunitas Sucks change since it came out or years ago, or did my taste buds? What a malty mess!

Eno Sarris: Malty IPAs have certainly fallen out of favor. I haven’t bought Sucks in a long time.

99: If the Indians make it to the world series, do you think we see a wider discussion about Chief Wahoo?

Eno Sarris: I want a new mascot and team name, but I hate those discussions because either everyone’s clapping or nobody’s really listening.

Nelson: Dave explained the lefty issue by saying that the lefty on lefty splits are more drastic than righty on righty

Eno Sarris: Which I think has to do with comfort. Righties coming up have to prove they can hit righties to play in the big leagues, and have seen tonnes of righties, good and bad. How many good lefties have they seen?

jon: If Almora can’t hit enough, Bryant will get a CF audition.

Eno Sarris: That’s another way to solve the crunch!

Erik: What should we have looked at with Baez to help us predict that he would overcome his strikeout problem and become a useful player, when so many other exciting prospects were sunk by similar strikeout rates?

Eno Sarris: Scouting? Or perhaps that he cut that strikeout rate from 30% to 24% in his second try at Triple-A? Nick Franklin did the same sort of thing when he was given second tries at a level, and he just struck out 22% this year.

Lyle: Robert Gsellman or Shelby Miller?

Eno Sarris: Shelby Miller, how you’ve fallen. Gsellman I guess.

Q-Ball: Even if they don’t want Jaime Garcia, would it make sense for the Cards to pick-up the $12 mil option, given the dearth of starting pitching options available on market?

Eno Sarris: Yeah I think he’ll get that much, or something like 3/30 on the open market, so it would make sense. And if they do it, he becomes a valuable trade chip because the market behind him is even worse.

Minty: How many years until Urias is a top 15-20 fantasy SP?

Eno Sarris: One or two.

Q-Ball: The only problem with using Grimm to break up Urias/Hill is that he pitches for the Cubs. Otherwise, perfect plan…

Eno Sarris: Man that would be nasty though. Fields I guess. I’ve always liked Fields.

Hunter Strickland: Hey what do you think about me throwing at Baez in game 2, and then staring him down in game 4 before giving up the game winning hit?

Eno Sarris: Oldest story in baseball. We’re going to keep reading it, I guess.

Aunt Jessie: This giants fan has a dilemma: is wearing this hat I bought at dodger stadium for or against the dodgers? #lude

Aunt Jessie: When you see B Craw next year, can you ask him how he feels about the woefully underused “Uncle Jesse” nickname?

Eno Sarris: YASSS. Also, as a fellow grease-hair, maybe he could calm down the product a bit.

Connor: JBJ and Pom get the ball rolling for Sale?

Eno Sarris: not enough for me.

2-D: I was completely convinced Tucker Barnhart was a country music star until I saw his name on the Reds’ page.

Andrew: Just because it’s hard to show protection in the middle of the lineup doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right? I get why you’re not convinced of something until we can show it, but the fact that we haven’t shown it doesn’t mean it’s false, yes?

Eno Sarris: Of course. I’d like to see pitch selection by person behind you, don’t know if I’ve seen that.

python-r: Cleveland Spiders was a dope name!!!

Eno Sarris: So easy. Though I don’t know if David Bowie would approve from the grave of the Ziggy Stardust mascot.

Marty: Are you using Tyson Ross as a model of health?!

Eno Sarris: No, just a recent Thoracic Outlet Surgery guy.

Guest: As a Cubs fan I should root for ________ to win tonight.

Eno Sarris: Getting a lot of this. I suppose I’d root for a Strasburg-less Nationals squad to win.

Drew: Fatigue effects more than just velo. I’d expect command, particularly of breaking stuff, is reduced as well. Legs tire and repeating motion becomes difficult.

Eno Sarris: Good point.

Eno Sarris: Though really hard to prove, considering command is already so hard to show.

Eric: I know this is late, but what were your thoughts on the beer scene in Toronto? I know a couple years ago you said you didn’t have much experience with Canadian micro. Thoughts on Steamwhisle, Boneshaker and the like?

Eno Sarris: Boneshaker was aight, but almost old-school West Coast IPA style. I liked Collective Arts and Bellwoods best. Bench had a good session, and Redline Clutch was a good NEIPA. I think it’s on the cusp of better, and can blame the government for taking a while, because those conglomerate beer stores are awful.

Matt Damon: MATT. DAMON.

Eno Sarris:

Guest: I rarely watch west coast games — are the giants always so dour, and why?

Eno Sarris: I say this lovingly — they’re red-asses. They are veteran competers that are up on the railing, and they don’t act out because their leaders don’t act out. At least not in celebratory fashion.

Dominik: regarding baez strikeout cutting: I think it was a “good” and sign that he had so bad plate discipline. not ideal of course but it is easier to fix swinging at pitches in the dirt than it is for a patient hitter who is missing fastballs over the plate to improve his contact.

Eno Sarris: Argument for looking at in-zone contact rate! He’s still below average there, but not atrocious.

Mark: Luckily Glenallen Hill isn’t still around to play for / against the spiders.

http://bluejayhunter.com/2012/08/flashback-friday-glenallen-hills-freak.html

Beaucoup Bucks: Depending on your skin color, you can’t wear blue Dodger caps in some of the worse parts of LA.

Eno Sarris: Interesting.

Matt: Before TOR banned cans for the postseason, I had sent them an alternate idea of just fixing a small explosive device to the bottom of each can. This way, any can that is thrown on the field could effectively be “shot” out of the sky. Problem solved. They never wrote me back.

Referee Vogt: Outside of me, who in the Oakland clubhouse have you noticed to be a leader?

Eno Sarris: Jed Lowrie talks to everyone and is a steady guy who’s been in and out of that clubhouse. Sean Doolittle is a veteran now, and people like him. Hard to be a leader when the roster changes so much year to year.

BK: Surprised to not see Chicago on the list for Trout

Eno Sarris: If they take hitters, sure, but Chicago isn’t going to trade pitchers.

Dodge Ball: No way Angels would ever trade Trout to Dodgers … Moreno still wants that market share (though that window’s pretty much slammed shut now)

Eno Sarris: Good point. And he’s a meddling owner.

Buck Showalter: Tell me I’m pretty?

Eno Sarris: You’re a very good manager, excellent manager. You made a very bad decision, terrible decision.

The Decedent Moose: I play in a “simulation” keep forever league (based in Diamond Mind Baseball. If I’m putting together an evaluation for rookie pitchers, what am I looking at? I’ve got KPU-BB%, Exit Velo, KATOH and some scouting reports. Do I need spin rates and movement stats?

Eno Sarris: I think you have to change PU to PU/PA to include it in KPU-BB, that’s a mistake I made. spin rate for FB and CB, sure, but I’m not sure for every pitch, and for some pitches lower is better. In order to put movement in, you’d have to define it off their primary fastball.

Merv Throneski : Devenski!

Eno Sarris: Love the change. Started trusting the breaking balls more. I do like him despite the funky mechanics.

EvanC: Which potential HOF pitcher who struggled in 2016 do you think has the better chance of posting a 5+ WAR season in 2017: Felix Hernandez or Zack Greinke?

Eno Sarris: Greinke has more of his velocity.

Wolfff: Pabst Blue Ribbon has gone over a century since being heralded the nation’s best in Chicago. Yet its newfound hipster credibility has generated a buzz loud enough for some pundits to choose it over newer, more modern recipes. Could PBR ever don again another blue ribbon?

Eno Sarris: It’s in the easiest category according to me. You could put most lagers next to each other and I’d only be able to pick out the liquid hangovers.

Terrible Ted: Look at how far the invention of cheese has come!

Terrible Ted: “You can’t sneak cheese by a rat!” – Reynolds talking about Utley

Moltar: Dahl or Bregman at the minimum keeper price in an H2H?

Eno Sarris: The deeper the league, more likely Bregman for his positional value. The shallower the league, Dahl’s counting stat trumps. 12-teamer? Dahl, despite the more Ks going forward.

Matt: 2014 Fantasy season (dynasty league) saw my team with a great offense and terrible pitching. Along with some other small moves, I called up Stroman, Traded Abreu for Greinke, picked up an injured Waino before end of 2015 (so to have him at a lower-than-auction salary), and traded for Corbin. I’m sure you can tell how that turned out….I want to target Bumgarner in a trade this offseason, but afraid I’m just doing more of the same. Thoughts?

Eno Sarris: Getting him with pitching depth is an okay idea, he’s probably fairly immune to this juiced ball problem. And if you get him with pitching depth, you can buy pitching quantity to get some lotto tickets on this team.

Doolitte’s Lost Unicorn: Manaea or Cotton?

Eno Sarris: Cotton for me. The cutter is better than Manaea’s slider. Right now.

Guest: I swung by Cellarmaker and Fieldwork on a recent Bay Area trip. Fieldwork = aces; Cellarmaker = pretty disappointing.

Eno Sarris: Cellarmaker can get a little one-note sometimes, it’s all hazy grassy IPAs, Fieldwork is great across the board. Mostly.

Guest: oh and sante adairius = met expectations

Eno Sarris: Amazing stuff.

Guest: Cellarmaker’s IPAs really weren’t that good imo, but I’m from the NE so my standards for that style may be high.

Eno Sarris: I’d take Tree House over them yeah.

shawn: what do the pirates do to get another sp this offseason? weak FA class, and Huntington certainly isn’t going to overpay anyone…

Alex: Touki or Fried

Eno Sarris: They promote from within.

Eno Sarris: Touki has a really high spin rate fastball and a high spin rate curve. I like what I see.

Roger: Freeman or Belt?

Eno Sarris: Freeman.

Andrew: Favorite non-SABR baseball writer?

Eno Sarris: Roger Angell.

Oneear: Is this Free Agent roster the worst ever?

Eno Sarris: Some okay bats, but not at impact positions. Edwing, Bautista, Trumbo, Napoli, Beltran… Holliday Reddick, but no infielders other than Turner and the best pitchers are Garcia, Cashner, Hellickson…

Andrew: Nice pick. LOVE this Angell piece on the Darling/Viola duel: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1981/07/20/the-web-of-the-game

Mike Trout: Why can’t we find even a league average LF? Should be the second easiest position to fill right?

Eno Sarris: For whatever reason, there are few qualified left fielders every year, it’s secretly hard to fill.

Matt: Followup to my fantasy pitching question – I totally loaded up on lotto tickets for next year after I sold off. Can you rank: Conley, Duffy, Eickhoff, Manaea, Stroman, Cobb, Cotton, Finnegan, Straily? Tiering is acceptable – just trying to see who might be droppable.

Eno Sarris: doppable tier is Cobb, Straily, Finnegan. Cobb’s changeup never came back, but worth keeping him around. You may put Finnegan ahead of Straily, because he was a lot better when he started throwing his changeup more.

Eno Sarris: Aight I gotta go figure myself out. Thanks for hanging out!