Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 12/17/15

Eno Sarris: Be here shortly!

Eno Sarris:

Eno Sarris: These guys were great last week. A little harder than I thought from their radio hits, but really enjoyed them.

YD: What are two simple cost effective moves that could make the Royals good again

Eno Sarris: They need an SP and and a 2B. Wait till Kendrick signs and sign Murphy for less? SP market is crazy full of pitchers. Just put a 3/30 offer out there and wait till someone takes it?

Bruce: Who earns more in 5×5 for next year- Soler or Souza?

Eno Sarris: I’m taking Soler, like his approach, has bettered his k/bb numbers more significantly than Souza in past.

eno time:

The Oriole Bird: Eno, what beer should I pair with the birth of my second son? I don’t mean literally in the obstetric OR (he has already been born, and such casual drinking is not permitted in an operating theatre), but rather when celebrating my sleepless nights?

Eno Sarris: A coffee stout lol. Speedway! Life is just a speedway now, speeding between picking up crap and feeding them crap and cleaning their crap.

senpaisanto: hi eno! how many wins do you figure warthen’s worth to the Mets?

Eno Sarris: Put the finishing touches on Familia and deGrom for sure. I’d be uncomfortable giving a coach more than a win or two though. Still, that’s maybe worth $10 million!

Johny5Alive: the mets are selling wilmer as the utility guy… that’s a mistake right? they cant honestly believe cabrera is at this point a better player than flores on either side of the ball

Eno Sarris: I’d actually pause before I say anything definitive defensively. Offensively, Wilmer projected to be about five percent better, but bats from right side. Might be a platoon thing.

Sean: Karns worth more than $1 in 5×5 mixed league?

Eno Sarris: only a dollar or two more, and I like him. Keep him under five for sure.

Todd: Reports are that the Reds insisted on C. Frazier and B. Zimmer – plus in their trade talks with the Indians for Todd Frazier, but then they settle on a deal centering around Peraza. Does this make any sense? Wouldn’t a deal centered around one of C. Frazier or B. Zimmer had made more sense?

Eno Sarris: Zimmer has to be the best prospect, but I’m guessing they liked the second and third pieces better from Dodgers. I’ve been in similar negotiations in my 20-teamer, though, and I think you push for the single best piece and don’t worry about the rest.

lord helmut : how do you interpret this – “Historically, we haven’t,” Mozeliak said. “That’s something that we may have to recalibrate ourselves and rethink it. We’ve had a very disciplined process to date and it has worked. I think we all recognize that sometimes you have to change. Sometimes you have to do things that get you out of the comfort zone. I’m not suggesting that that’s exactly what we’ll do. But my point is think back over the last few years and the model was definitely working. But the game is changing a bit. Are we going to change with it? It’s certainly something that we understand that we have to be cognizant of — and willing to accept.”

Eno Sarris: “We couldn’t afford the stars we tried to get and now we have to wonder if our model was spitting out too low a number or if other people just overpaid”

Marty: We aren’t in the ‘know’ but the Dodgers look to be doing some very stupid things.

Eno Sarris: They just washed three prospects for better prospects (by them at least) without doing anything but being there at the right time! Dropping out of Iwakuma if they don’t like the physical is fine.

Johny5Alive: the mets were projected to be mediocre last season, and were being just that until after the trade deadline. obviously, some better than anticipated play and luck put them where they were. Aren’t they essentially the same this year? i mean, the odds are good they dont even make the playoffs again

Eno Sarris: You’re not going to project rookie pitchers to be as good as Thor was, but you will project him to be good his sophomore season if he makes good in his first season. The Mets are projected to be a top-ten team this year, better than that I think, without looking.

senpaisanto: any reason why there hasn’t been any Mets/Cubs trade smoke?

Eno Sarris: There has been forever. It won’t happen if it hasn’t.

The Oriole Bird: Here’s a cautionary tale, Eno. Ever since learning that “confidence” is an oft-used explanation for all manners of sporting brilliance, I have been cynical about the word’s usage in other contexts. My recent reading of the very good book “Performance Under Pressure” has reaffirmed the importance of confidence in our personal success and welfare. So let’s all remember that sportscasters say dumb, dumb things–but this shouldn’t blind us to other truths.

Eno Sarris: Allen Webster reminds me of this. But confidence is funny. Carrasco had none until he went to the bullpen, didn’t worry about command, and just threw his fastball by people. Then he got the confidence to throw the ball in the zone. Then he was great. It can come and go, and probably faster than the people that think confidence is super important think it moves.

Corey: These are my undervalued OF targets for fantasy this year. Piscotty, Grichuk, Peralta, Soler, Conforto. What are your thoughts?

Eno Sarris: Yes.

Sean: Saw your tweet about Chris Bassitt, but didn’t see him mentioned in the article. Does he have legit breakout potential this season?

Eno Sarris: Less legit than others that got more mention, but 93 mph FB plus hard slider and a curve that’s getting better, in that park, means I’ll have shares.

Drew: Nice piece on slide pieces. You concluded that “Velocity differential is not very useful for predicting swinging strikes.” Maybe I’m reading this wrong but 13.9% and 16.6% are pretty different. Why are they not statistically significant enough to be predictive. And why is the 3% change in GB% from 46 to 43 predictive?

Eno Sarris: The buckets aren’t about being predictive, that’s descriptive, so don’t worry about the 3%. You have to look at the number under velocity differential to see how much that contributes to swinging strike, and it’s a super low number.

ballsandgutters: if Kiley McDaniel leaves Fangraphs to be an asst. director of baseball operations, Eno Sarris would leave Fangraphs to be (________)?

Eno Sarris: I never thought there was a role in baseball for me until I read Big Data by Travis Sawchick. I can’t be Dan Fox, he’s the man, but could I be a FO guy that runs numbers and talks to the players about them? Yes. Whatever that role is called.

senpaisanto: if you built a book filled exclusively w/ pix of pitchgrips – i would come

Eno Sarris: Tell my agent please.

Method: Eno, Kenny Williams has started haunting my dreams. Why do the Wsox keep straddling this imaginary line of “competing”; what will it take for another organization to hire him away? Why cant they just do a legit rebuild instead of trying to get struggling flawed sluggers from the NL that never pan out? Is KW collecting our tears to store his live lobster?

Eno Sarris: Got a piece about this coming up on ESPN. It’s about the A’s, but in it Billy Beane says “sometimes good things happen.” And think about it this way. A team projected to win 81 games probably has a standard deviation of about 10 games. So winning 91 wouldn’t be that big a deal. Except it would be.

Minty: Is Sonny Gray a fantasy stud or next tier? I’m trying to figure out if an expensive Carassco is worth trade for a cheap Gray.

Eno Sarris: The new slider makes him legit. Maybe there’s a long term velocity risk, but I don’t think it’s great.

Eno Sarris:

Drew: The Dodgers like flaming hot fastballs. That means higher whiff%, which means higher K%. What’s stupid about that?

Eno Sarris: Yeah I don’t see a lot of stupid happening over there. I mean, I guess they let Greinke go. That was a lot of money.

Cory S.: Best baseball read for the 2016 season besides Baseball Prospectus?

Eno Sarris: I enjoyed Big Data and The Hardball Times annual!

Eno Sarris: I am also a schill!

Guest: Great piece on beergraphs regarding gifts for the beer-lover. I’d like anything from someone’s home region that I can’t get here…hard to go wrong with that.

Eno Sarris: Yeah much better than “go get Pliny” to the Forbes reader living in New York City.

Art Vandelay: Peralta is the oldest player on that list, at age 28. Hard to call a bunch of super young outfielders undervalued.

Eno Sarris: Many of them have struggled already though, and none of them is an established star. I guess I was saying “I like those guys.”

comish4lif: A book with pitch grips would be… 30 pages?

Eno Sarris: I mean, I can write a little bit… I hope.

Drew: The Brewers have a National Pitching Crosschecker. Less quant than you might like but damn that’s be my dream job.

Pat: Are Robbie Ray’s results from last season sufficient to guarantee him a spot in the rotation and push either Chase Anderson or Rubby to the pen or minors?

Eno Sarris: I am not a believer. His change has *less* drop and fade than his sinker, and less velocity gap than average, and gets half the whiffs of an average change. The curve doesn’t look like a legit different pitch. He’s a two-pitch guy. And a lefty to boot.

Jim: What are you expecting from Matt Boyd this year? I feel like he was rushed to the bigs and could spend the whole year in the minors

Eno Sarris: I actually liked that Driveline got his velocity up. He has average velocity for a lefty, and it looks like three legit pitches, though his change is more about velocity gap than movement. On the pitch outcome level, there’s enough there to be an average pitcher at least.

senpaisanto: you think any CLE pitchers get traded? if so, whom?

Eno Sarris: If it happens, I think it’s Salazar. It’s not Kluber, and I think the price for other teams is higher on Carrasco.

Bork: IM LATE HOW MANY LUDES DID I MISS

Robbie Ray: Curse you Eno! You never liked me! (sob)

JJ: Star Wars? Star Wars!

Eno Sarris: Man we barely got ONE. ONE!

Josh I: The A’s just missed out on two potential targets, Colon and Kim. Who might they turn to next to upgrade their rotation and left field?

Eno Sarris: They have $8 million left by my count. I wonder if they could stretch to get Maeda on a ten million per year deal, or try to trade someone else if Maeda comes. Billy Beane kept mentioning 2012, when they traded guys and then signed Cespedes, Coco, and Gomes (the cog) and they have a little bit of money. I do think one move is coming.

Northsider: Why do so many breweries only sell their beer in 765ml bottles instead of six packs?

Eno Sarris: We have different acceptable price thresholds for each. $16 bomber? Fine. $25 six pack? NO WAY

Codes: Is it possible pitching coaches are undervalued/underpaid. Pitching seems more coachable than other aspects of the game. The value of a good pitching coach like Ray Searage seems pretty substantial.

Eno Sarris: Yes very possible, and in particular in the minor leagues. There’s a ton of potential in having a great development team together. And it might only cost an extra $10k per coach to pull them away.

JS: If you are the cubs, why would you trade Soler for Inciarte straight up? I see the fielding numbers, but it seems like Soler’s *floor* as a hitter is pretty close to Inciarte’s ceiling. And if his approach continues to develop, he’ll blow Inciarte out of the water, possibly even in 2016. Yet the rumors say it’s the Braves saying no. Help me out here.

Eno Sarris: Maybe there’s some disagreement about his actual abilities in CF, which would mean a lot to Inciarte’s value. Maybe the Braves only want to pay for Soler’s floor, not ceiling.

MikeMilligan: What do the Dodgers do now ? Time to trade Puig or Pederson and other prospects ?

Eno Sarris: Nah a Friedman team is going to keep its young players, so Joc is staying. I doubt he cares much about Puig’s attitude, either. They going to sign a Leake type or whatever.

mtsw: Which type of a-hole player would you rather have on your team: guy who is normally fine but once a year gets into serious violent incident or a guy who never gets into serious trouble but is a jerk to teammates and fans?

Eno Sarris: The random guy. I don’t think people hated Lawrie as much as people thought because he was nice to his teammates. But the jerk to teammates, that grinds on you daily.

GraigNettles: Approximately how many minor leaguers would you expect to be kept in a league that keeps 180 total players?

Eno Sarris: 10

lone star: does daniel murphy still exist?

Eno Sarris: He must be out there somewhere.

JoeStrange: Is it safe to say that you are ‘all-in’ on Rubby next season?

Eno Sarris: Nah. Iglesias, I’m all in on. Rubby is in that 80-90 range where Chase Anderson was last year. Last mixed league pitcher. Good if cheap. I still believe in the changeup, that should help with the platoon splits. And the harder slider could really work for him.

comish4lif: $16 for a bomber. Ouch. Don’t think I’ve ever topped $10.

Eno Sarris: I admire your restraint comish4lif.

Bork: Can Joey Votto be the first Player/Coach/GM? My dream of the Cincinnati Vottos is becoming closer to reality.

Eno Sarris: Love it. Like the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were once named after their manager, too.

adam: its ok that there are no ludes, i get mine at the pharmacy like an adult anyway

Jung Ho Kang’s Knowing Stare: Have you missed me? Where do you place my value once I come back? Will my dope of a manager finally play me every day, or do I sit for clowns like Jody Mercer again?

pizza the hut: votto would rather walk than be traded

Pete R: I wouldn’t bet on that Vottos thing, Bork.

Leo Mazzone: I was always underpaid. Had to earn a living as a rocking chair salesman

Eno Sarris: phew, guys, phew

comish4lif: Will ANYONE sign Ian Desmond? The Nats (reportedly) offered him over $100M last spring. How much less will he have to settle for?

Eno Sarris: I looked at the biggest holes on contenders, and by projections, the only SS hole was the Mets with a 1.5 WAR projection on the depth charts, and they just signed a shortstop. At some point the price will drop to the point where someone gives him a chance because he’s cheap. He’s not the Royal’s type, but they need a 2B and if he costs anything like Murphy….

Tom: Could the White Sox make a push for Puig or would that cost too much?

Eno Sarris: I didn’t think they had any prospects worth trading for *before* the last flurry of trades.

Mike_C: The Mets felt like a Cinderalla team. Have they done enough this off-season to give them a serious chance of making it back to the post-season?

Eno Sarris: No, not yet.

David: Seems like the Indians screwed up on missing on both Frazier and Lawrie, especially given their ultimate price. Right?

Eno Sarris: At least Frazier.

Eno Sarris: I guess Lawrie was so cheap, yeah, him too.

Nelson: Do you feel bad for guys like Votto or stanton signed to long contracts right before team rebuilding, or thats just the downside risk for them signing long contracts

Eno Sarris: That’s life, that’s what people say.

JoeStrange: In a redraft league, do you still see McCutchen as a top 3 OF behind only Trout and Harper? I am thinking at some point he will run even less than he has, and it’s not like he’s hitting 45 HR on the horizon. Any other logical OF you’d take ahead of him?

Eno Sarris: I don’t think he is necessarily. I was looking at Justin Upton against him, and the projections are amazingly close except for batting average. Not saying they that close, but it did open my eyes. Last year, Cutch was 12th in our rankings, and he didn’t even have a terrible season. Pollock ahead of him IMO, and Betts pushing up on them.

Nelson: In or Out on Cashner

Eno Sarris: Only in if he’s a one dollar late gamble, not in at double-digit prices. His secondary pitches are just not as good as I thought, and when he tries to throw it by people, that doesn’t work.

anon: There are seemingly too many big hitters left, who is the most likely to take a 1 yr contract and try again next year?

Eno Sarris: Desmond.

Miketron: Any idea what is wrong with Iwakuma that the Dodgers changed their mind?

Eno Sarris: The shoulder was a real problem once in Japan.

Big Joe Mufferaw: Hey Eno, I work for a major financial corporation. How drunk should I get at the xmas party? Drunk enough to make it fun, or just drunk enough to be more chatty?

Eno Sarris: Definitely less drunk than the drunkest guy.

Mike_C: If Jason Heyward logs 1000+ innings in Center field this year, what if any effect does that have on his value?

Eno Sarris: Theoretically, it stays the same. But plus plus corner guys don’t always work out in center.

Bork: Do you feel bad for someone making tens of millions of dollars doing what they love?

Eno Sarris: Exactly. Except it’s kind of like being stuck at a company you don’t like, which would suck.

Bork: Bad answer Eno. You want to be as drunk as the drunkest guy to help him. Everyone loves 2 drunk guys being drunk together. No one likes 1 drunkest guy.

Eno Sarris: lol

Eno Sarris: WE ARE THE TWO DRUNK GUYS SO F ALL O YOUS

Bork: If a company I didn’t like was paying me millions of dollars. I would like them.

Eno Sarris: well, sure, but you aren’t making millions now.

G: Will Jonathan Sanchez be in the Cubs rotation this season?

Eno Sarris: My god. Not *that* Jonathan Sanchez, right? There must be another one. I need to look this up.

Kurt: Are arsenal rankings comings out soon? Keep up the good work

Eno Sarris: Actually, I think my man on the community blog has the best version right now. Combining stuff with arsenal scores.

G: Sanchez has pitched well in Winterball

Eno Sarris: Oh it IS that one. Well. Finding the zone in the majors is another story.

Miketron: So I knocked up my wife again. Tell me that two under 2 isn’t that bad…

Eno Sarris: It’s so terrible.

Eno Sarris: congratulations!

Eno Sarris:

Mike R: Brandon Maurer or Brandon Morrow – more likely to make 10 starts in 2016?

Eno Sarris: Maurer is bringing the top spin rate curveball back! I still believe in him! Morrow = string cheese incident.

JoeStrange: Do you see CJ Edwards pitching in the Cubs rotation this year?

Eno Sarris: That seems more likely.

Jim: Eddie Butler/Matt Wisler..any chance they become decent major leaguers after their disastrous seasons??

Eno Sarris: As crazy as it sounds, I almost see it more with Butler. Ottavino pointed out that the change is great and if he can just figure out a breaking pitch, maybe a cutter, he could still be really good.

JV: Brandon Belt 20 homers and 370 OBP this year?

Eno Sarris: I think he’s starting to put the head piece together, so sounds okay. I wouldn’t sign him to a long-term deal, though. He gets all messed up in there sometimes.

Scott: Grimm Ales. Come to NYC. Find it. Drink it. Gypsy brewery that makes awesome DIPAs sours and stout.

Eno Sarris: Want some of that and Other Half, for sure.

Andrellin Millances: You’d be amazed how similar looking at DNA sequence data can be to the tableu plot that you presented yesterday about sliders

Eno Sarris: Interesting! I was proud of it. I thought it made sense once you understood the rubric. My wife called it cute.

Eric Weinstein: Do you think the Cubs could get Carrasco with Soler + Hammel + Gleyber Torres (or Billy McKinney)?

Eno Sarris: They may have to fiddle with that third piece, but I do think that’s a sound start… for Salazar.

Andrellin Millances: Khris Davis Over/Under 30 HR

Eno Sarris: Over. Nice park, real power, hasn’t topped 550 PA yet.

Miketron: Austin Jackson used to be pretty good at least defensively. Could he be a cheap bouncback for a CF needy team?

Eno Sarris: Yah. Even for Cubs, if they don’t make a bigger move. Worst case scenario if Hey in CF doesn’t look great.

Andrellin Millances: So if a pitcher gets great movement on a breaking pitch that is thrown harder than the norm are we to infer it has a great spin rate?

Eno Sarris: By Pfx, that’s almost the definition, since spin rate is calculated. I wish I had Trackman spin rates, which are observed.

m: Samardzija should be an epic value in fantasy next year right?

Eno Sarris: Good piece up today says maybe. Jeff Zimmermann ran a query that looked at past pitchers his age that dropped that badly in year three, though, and he found that 29% of them bounced back and the average FIP was 4.08 or something. I wonder if the Shark is a special case because of football and the bullpen or if nah.

m: If the Cubs trade Soler for bullpen help, I will crap my pants.

Eno Sarris: backup CF and a swing man, or Castro part two. I kid. I like Warren! You should crap your pants if they do that.

Bitterman: You worked your butt off to create that tableu plot and the wife calls it ‘cute’? Next time she makes a great dinner, tell her how cute it was. #HowToSpendANightOnTheCouch

Eno Sarris: Well, I do most of the cooking lol.

JoeStrange: What are some stats that you think some teams have that you would love to get your hands on? I’m sure there’s plenty out there that we in the public have no clue about.

Eno Sarris: Batted ball angle (vert and horizontal) for all batted balls. Give me. now.

Guest: Soler for Marisnick+Josh Fields. Who says no?

Eno Sarris: Cubs.

Eric Weinstein: That’s steep as a Salazar starting point. So what would the Cubs price for Carrasco or Kluber be?

Eno Sarris: Am I crazy? Why is Salazar so much worse than Carrasco? Both had surgeries, both have great stuff, not great command, great strikeout rates. I’m just trying to read the tea leaves in the rumors.

Kylie : Why do plus plus corner outfielders rarely work out in CF?

Eno Sarris: Did I say rarely? I meant sometimes. And when they do work out, it’s usually for a few seasons. Craig Edwards wrote this up on FG.

Mike_C: You should have told your Wife: Cute? Baby ducks are cute, I hate cute. I want my graphs to be exotic and mysterious!

Eno Sarris: we have a family joke where we call the baby boys ruggedly handsome instead of cute

WHYYYY: Phillies rebuild has consisted entirely of stock piling pitching prospects. Is this better than stock piling hitters?

Eno Sarris: Pitching prospects bust more so they are cheaper to acquire, and if you think you can spot the good ones, then go ahead I guess. I think I prefer the Cubs and Astros model.

JoeStrange: Do you think the Padres will actually trade Ross? A GB machine like him would be perfect in a hitters park like Fenway or Yankee Stadium

Eno Sarris: Problem is that the free agent market still has four or five MLB average guys on it.

Guest: Marisnick is a 3 WAR guy if he starts every game in CF, and Fields was arguably the best reliever on the Astros last year. Seems like pretty fair value, and it addresses needs for both teams

Eno Sarris: I think there’s a lot of disagreement about his bat and his glove.

Travis: Shouldn’t the Braves retire Andruw Jones’ jersey? Or honor him in some way? It’s like they’ve completely forgotten about him.

Eno Sarris: Without a scandal, too, other than his approach on sliders away. I guess Andruw is still playing, or looking for a job, so maybe they waiting until he officially retires.

GraigNettles: Phillies acquired Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro as part of their rebuild.

Eno Sarris: I really like Nick Williams. And the Braves finally got a bat in the Miller trade. Maybe it’s about waves. You get a bunch of pitchers, and then you trade some of *those* pitchers for close/in bigs young bats once they’ve proven themselves on your major league team.

klof: grisette in a gin barrel. 3.9% with brett, lacto, and tons of floral. you in?

Eno Sarris: YES

Derek: Are we still allowed to jeer Barry Bonds since he’ll be in the dugout? Or should I be an adult about and just let him wallow in the misery of being employed by the Marlins?

Eno Sarris: the second one for sure

JoeStrange: Is there any sense as to what the Tigers are doing? It’s almost universally known they need to rebuild. Wouldn’t it make perfect sense to cash in on JD Martinez while his value is at its peak?

Eno Sarris: They got an old owner!

JoeStrange: Can you recommend a good sour for me? I’ve never had one, and here on the East Coast (NJ) I am afraid I won’t be able to find one.

Eno Sarris: It’s a bit harder where you are, but if you’re willing to pony up (and sours are expensive anyway), then see if you can’t get Goose Island Juliette or Halia. Really excellent, great holiday beers to pair with any dinner. If you try to get the Realest sours from the homeland (Cantillon), you’ll pay more and have to search harder. Oh, there’s one $11 option (smaller bottle) thats’ amazeballs: Almanac Citra Sour.

Derek: I suppose it’s never too early for fantasy baseball prep. Is Stanton too much risk for an late 1st/early 2nd round pick? He has to put it all together on the field one of these years. It’s risky for sure, but NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!

Eno Sarris: At least his injuries haven’t always been soft tissue? You’re basically just waiting for the guy not to get hit.

Julio Pepper: Who’s better over the next five seasons, Greinke or Carrasco?

Eno Sarris: Much more confidence in Greinke despite ages.

nick: Do you see the giants moving arroyo (seems like value could not be higher now) for LF?

Eno Sarris: You know, they do this kind of thing, don’t they? Maybe more likely in season.

Kristen: If I were at a Marlins game and brought a ping-pong paddle with me, how close to my face would I have to hold it to completely block out Bonds’ giant melon?

Bork: Why do the Tigers even have a GM if agents can go straight to the owner for contract negotiations?

m: If you threw a handful of corn at CJ Edwards, would him?

Eno Sarris: Is okay.

JoeStrange: Any reason to think Dee Gordon can’t duplicate his ’15 next season? Any reason to think Billy Hamilton will spend this offseason watching tape of Dee Gordon’s ’15 season and apply it next year?

Eno Sarris: Well, I guess the reason is we aren’t sure that Dee is Ichiro, and the other thing, maybe Billy should watch Ichiro. Unless they just cringe at the whole running out of the box as your’e hitting thing.

Derek: I saw the Dogfish Head Higher Math for $10 for a single 12 oz beer (granted, 17% ABV). Do you think those specialty beers are worth it?

Eno Sarris: If you’ve heard or read that it’s awesome, yes. If you haven’t, no.

TaikiM13: how can a person get into the business side of baseball? (internships,jobs,etc) In other words, how do younger adults get opportunities to work in baseball?

Eno Sarris: Super tough. I think advance scouting is an interesting spot right now, because you work with players and with numbers. But it actually seems like a decent way is to work in something around baseball and show your skills. If you want to be a quant, get a job with numbers and run numbers on baseball in your spare time. Then you’ll have something to show.

Miketron: Am I wrong to think that Billy Burns seems like a better version of Billy Hamilton?

Eno Sarris: Nope. Better plate approach, similar issues, has shown better results from left side.

Alex: Some of the most hyped pitchers in the latter part of season has been Anderson Espinoza, Jose de Leon, Francis Martes, and Blake Snell. How would you rank these guys?

Eno Sarris: de Leon, Snell

Eno Sarris:

Reiss: Are any of the dodgers pitching prospects going to be as good as Syndergaard or Matz?

Eno Sarris: Urias pretty exciting.

Jack: My favorite stat from last year was that as of August the Mets SP had thrown over 2,500 pitches at/above 95 mph. The Phillies SP had thrown 22.

Johnny5Alive: Anderson valley makes a watermelon gose that is perfect for noobs to sours. Not so perfect of up actually like sours

Loren: What is Juan Lagares’ trade value?

Eno Sarris: Nothing right now. Has to show D problems were a fluke at very least.

Ryan: If you had to pick one for the next three yrs: Hamels, Pineda, McCullers, Severino, Matz?

Eno Sarris: Hamels? Health seems a bit of risk for the other guys. McCullers second because I like his stuff best.

Corey: Kyle Hendricks increased his k/9 by almost 2 in the second half. Where did this increase come from, did he add a pitch? Doesn’t look like a velo increase.

Eno Sarris: I see a spike in his curve usage, which gets average whiffs, but with two average pitches and two bad ones…

JoeStrange: If you are running the Mets, is now the perfect time to make a play for Cespedes? OF market had dried up, and with Cuddyer retiring, they have extra money available short term.

Eno Sarris: OF and SP markets still full, absolutely an interesting time to make a move. Or get Desmond for cheap and beef up IF/OF and flexibility.

Sours: Peekskill puts out a nice simple Sour in Southern NY if the Jersey guy is a North Jersey guy.. Evil Twin has a tart Gose.. SingleCut & Finback out of Queens/Bronx are doing good things too

Eno Sarris: There you go.

Kristen: Do purely prospect-for-prospect deals ever happen?

Eno Sarris: Dodgers just did it.

JoeStrange: Even with all their aging offense, do you think the Yankees can compete for the division next year with that SP? It looks pretty good, with excellent depth.

Eno Sarris: Yeah they have the no potholes thing actually. And a high variance starting pitching staff. They all stay in one piece, they good.

Johnny5Alive: In an nl only league, given the trades, do I keep Suarez at $11 or do I pay $50 real life dollars to cut him (too complicated to explain the rules)

Eno Sarris: Keep. They said he’s the third baseman now.

Eno Sarris: Also, woof.

Bork: Gose for Travis few years back was prospect for prospect. Filled holes for both teams, was kinda neat.

Derek: Do you go to Spring Training at all? Wouldn’t mind buying you a beer at Cigar City in Tampa.

Eno Sarris: I spend much of March at Spring Training… in Arizona.

Bruce: Think Trevor Story will start for Rockies this year? If so, what his numbers will be like?

Eno Sarris: Gotta trade Reyes first. Maybe he starts in second half.

Eno Sarris: And will k a ton.

Bork: Chen apparently seeking $100m 5 year deal. Who’s gonna give it to him, Eno? CALL IT.

Eno Sarris: Nobody.

Corey: Thoughts on Drew Smyly. Can he come anywhere near the 10.40 k/9 and 3.47 xFIP he posted last year in 66IP.

Eno Sarris: The second number but not the first.

JoeStrange: Born and raised in Jersey City, but living down South just outside of Philly. It’s a bit of beer hell, unless you like Flying Fish and some of the stuff from Victory & Troegs

Eno Sarris: Well unless you go into Philly, which might have the top beer distribution in America!

Eno Sarris: (and HEY JERSEY CITY! Lived there four years!)

Bork: Buzzkill.

Eno Sarris: You know what will make us all feel better? STEEL DRUMS

Eno Sarris:

Derek: Do you buy many beers from outside the US? Like every Weinhenstapher beer I’ve had I fell in love with.

Eno Sarris: they good. Pinkus Organic Ur-Pils is my favorite pilsner!

Kristen: Suggest a young near-ready C prospect the Rangers can trade for giving up just prospects in return.

Eno Sarris: TINSTAACP

Eno Sarris: There Is No Such Thing As A Catching Prospect

senpaisanto: actually been thinking of spring training in AZ this year – any tips 4 noobs?

Eno Sarris: If you need to see the Giants, see them on the road in another park. Always show up early because you won’t recognize the players after the third or fourth inning. Salt River is the best park.

Bork: Funny story, me and my girlfriend were walking our dog (chihuahua) and a random steel drum band came down the street. I’ve never seen a dog so scared.

Eno Sarris: See? It worked… for us at least. Sorry for the dog.

Corey: Last year you were all about Ottavino in Colorado. Who is the cheap undervalued RP you’re targeting this year?

Eno Sarris: Keone Kela? Liam Hendriks? Joaquin Benoit?

JoeStrange: Is there any SP who you think could see a decent spike in k% this season? Looking for decent sleepers in fantasy.

Eno Sarris: DeSclafani. Ventura. Graveman. Rubby.

Eno Sarris: Bassitt

Guest: Hardywood Gingerbread, Troegs Mad Elf, Ballast Point Peppermint, Bell’s 30th, and a 2013 Rogue Imperial Stout. Will I win Christmas?

Eno Sarris: Gingerbread!

Miketron: Mychal Givens!

Eno Sarris: Givens!

Johnny5Alive: Hudson takes over for zeigler, right? Right?

Eno Sarris: Has to. I mean, according to research, which suggest velocity and strikeout rate is the only thing that has any relationship to closer change. The other risky closers: Cishek, Melancon.

Derek: Have you ever pulled a Dock Ellis while at the ball park?

Eno Sarris: Dude, all those people, yelling, in one place, with no place to run away? Naw.

Miketron: Interested in the new Star Wars movie or no?

Eno Sarris: I can’t *not* go. I can’t go opening day/week/month either though.

Breather: So our keeper league dissolved from 10 –> 5.. Do we take a breather and try to regroup next year? Join an Ottoneu together or start a 10 team, 5 owner hybrid NLonly + ALonly where we all own one of each?

Eno Sarris: Wait. Send feelers out. You still have five. That’s enough to hope.

Guest: From pnw going to Ventura nxt week any beer recs I should try or bring home?

Eno Sarris: Ventura, CA, right. Do you get El Segundo at home? I love their Hop Tanker and Mayberry. Wrote about this sort of thing here http://www.beergraphs.com/bg/874-twelve-practical-beer-gift-ideas-for-the-holidays/

JoeStrange: Dashboard Confessional playing the Atlantic City Beer Fest next year. Thoughts?

Eno Sarris: I would go if I could.

Mike R: Arizona’s home to AZ Wilderness anyway, whose stuff should make Cigar City fans embarrassed for themselves.

Eno Sarris: I’m going there this year. I have promised myself. I liked FATE and OHSO.

ManFred: Martin Perez and Chi Chi Gonzalez; are either of these guys going to amount to anything?

Eno Sarris: Supermeh on both for me. Chi Chi at least has really weird looking stuff. I’d rather have him.

Eno Sarris: I should probably write something.

Eno Sarris: I mean, I’d rather hang out. But it’s after noon for y’all and I’m still sitting on my …

Anderson Cooper: Run away with me, Eno

Eno Sarris: I love you.

Manny: Rumor is Dodgers want Archer and may include Seager in the deal. Thoughts?

Eno Sarris: Cameron just wrote about it. Do you know how ridiculous the Archer contract is? $25.5 million. !!!! It will take a Seager type to make it happen. I doubt it happens. Feels way too big.

marc: so my finance only likes chocolate/coffee/carmel etc porters and stouts what are somethings i should get her?

Eno Sarris: You have to also tell me where you are and where you are going. It’s like not knowing your league settings.

Bruce: Albert Almora have a chance at being a starter in the bigs?

Eno Sarris: If he’s a CF, yes.

Corey: If Mark Teixera wasn’t in the picture and we could expect 600 PA from Greg Bird. What would be a realistic HR projection?

Eno Sarris: I’d be conservative and give him 27 or 28.

marc: RE coffee stouts. Pittsburgh area so like that and the ohio/maryland beer markets

Eno Sarris: oh go get the Hoppin Frog BORIS if you can. The Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald. I like most things from Jackie O’s. Weird thing, though, everything in PA is near Philly not Pitt, huh?

JoeStrange: Have you ever had Sweet Baby Jesus? I have many friends on both sides of the love/hate with this beer

Eno Sarris: Peanut butter milk stout. I actually loved it once, but have not ever felt the need to go get it again. And felt a little shame because it’s basically like a peanutbutter chocolate milk beer.

Pete: Pittsburgh area coffee stout. GET FOUNDERS BREAKFAST STOUT

Eno Sarris: Yes is v good

Dan: Would you guys consider not allowing comments under the name Dave Stewart?

Eno Sarris: Wouldn’t Dave Stewart by any other name still be Dave Stewart though.

The Boat: If a conservative projection for Bird is 27 HR, is it fair to say you’re high on Greg Bird?

Eno Sarris: Steamer has 11 in 235 PA, so I’m a middle guy.

j peterman: screech is going to jail for stabbing a dude

Eno Sarris: our lives are falling aprt around us

JoeStrange: Most of my family still lives in Jersey City. Got a good local brewery you can recommend that I can pass on?

Eno Sarris: Carton? Kane.

Mike R: For your Pittsburgh guy – if Maumee Bay is distroing from Toledo, try their stout and see if she’ll branch out into their barrel aged Scotch Ale which is every bit as good as backwoods bastard.

JoeStrange: The Yankees can’t throw Bird back into the minors next year, and they can’t start him with Tex and ARod still on the roster. So what would you do with him? Split 400 at bats between Bird, ARod, and Tex and rotate Bird between DH and 1B?

Eno Sarris: Yah the old men will break down and give him opportunity.

Eno Sarris: ok I have to go