Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 3/9/17

12:19
Eno Sarris: You’re

12:01
Eno Sarris: I’m here I’m here

12:02
Eno Sarris: Just finished up a talk with John Mallee the hitting coach for the Cubs. Got a good piece for next week.

12:02
botchatheny: are you familiar with michael jackson (the beer guy)? you should be on talk shows showcasing beer –

12:02
Eno Sarris: The other Michael Jackson! He was a great writer.

12:02
bl27: Charlie Morton or Nathan Karns as late option ?

12:02
Eno Sarris: Karns is at 92 or so, a little bit of rise. Morton at 94, so much sink. Would love to know how much he’s throwing the splitter. Lean Morton a bit.

12:03
John: Please rank the following for a keep forever points league: Gary Sanchez, Trevor Story, and Alex Bregman

12:03
Eno Sarris: Sanchez Bregman…. Story

12:03
OldManRoto: Who has the better fantasy season?

12:03
Eno Sarris: Me!

12:03
senorsilver: Fantasy keep forever. Bregman or Benintendi?

12:03
Eno Sarris: Bregman.

12:03
The Average Sports Fan: Any hope for Mondesi Jr to take the starting 2b job and do something with it?

12:04
Eno Sarris: He still has options. I bet it’s Colon and Merrifield. Cuthbert looks slow to me.

12:04
Gest: What are the things that separate Archer from Pineda?

12:04
Eno Sarris: Better command in the given year, enough strike ones to be less predictable.

12:04
Bork: Tim Tebow going to the wrong on-deck circle then gets a standing ovation for grounding into a double play. Spring Training is wonderful.

12:05
Eno Sarris: I think it’s amazing. If you just breathe and relax, it’s funny. I mean Will Ferrel took a real at-bat in a spring game. Everything will be okay.

12:05
CarrotJuice: How concerned are you about Lester velocity -2.0 MPH in his first Spring Training start? How many starts till it’s time to panic?

12:05
Eno Sarris: You can still get .7-1 tick over the course of spring, so it’s more of a medium concern now.

12:05
CapnZippers: How has nobody gotten hype about DeGrom dialing up to 96 in his first spring start???

12:05
Eno Sarris: I love that man.

12:05
Gest: Do you have home/road splits for individual pitch effectiveness? I’ve heard you report that Greinke had trouble with his slider at Chase Field. Is it surprising that Robbie Ray did so well with his slider last year?

12:06
Eno Sarris: Great idea. Also pretty granular. If you do it on all sliders home and away, you can get some sense of what altitude does. Coors robs like two inches of drop from the curveball.

12:06
Evil Goatee Eno: Eno, when is the last time you thought about Marquis Grissom?

12:06
Eno Sarris: I think of him sometimes when I see high socks or gaps in front teeth. That sounds mean, but I really liked that player.

12:07
Hannah Hochevar: ERod has managed some spring innings without the ER. (Sorry.) What does he need to show to be back in your good graces?

12:07
Eno Sarris: I guess no more talk about the knee, and good velo. I don’t know his velo.

12:07
chom: are we really expecting Ian Desmond to become a “better” or more consistent player in Coors? 2nd half of last year was UGLY and Arlington is hitter friendly. convince me I shouldn’t worry about his long cold stretches and that we’ll see 20/20 seasons ahead. or am I not that crazy to doubt this guy?

12:08
Eno Sarris: Well, he’s BABIP-dependent and that park is best for BABIP, so maybe the great stretches will be SCORCHING HOT.

12:08
rick: which peripheral stats do you look at for pitching now that may not be as well known as FIP, xFIP, and the like?

12:08
Eno Sarris: I don’t really look at those! I prefer swSTR% and GB% early on. Velocity.

12:08
brock stewart watch: what do you see from Brock Stewart this year?

12:08
Eno Sarris: Some great fill-in starts, maybe he takes a role late in the year.

12:08
Dave: Tried trillium and navigation breweries in the greater Boston area. Any others you can recommend?

12:08
Eno Sarris: Night Shift, Jack’s Abby.

12:08
Charityslave: Does Dozier hit 35 hrs this year?

12:09
Eno Sarris: Yes.

12:09
Erik: Should the WBC have proper qualifying rounds? As it stands, 75% of the teams qualify automatically. If the USA had to play 6-10 qualifiers in the years between tournaments, there would he more build-up to thr main event and fans would get used to rooting for national teams. Would that improve the tournament?

12:09
Eno Sarris: I don’t think there are enough (team-allowed) bullets in pitchers arms to have good pitchers at more games.

12:09
Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Soon I’ll be a grad student and will be living alone, shopping for one, and eating a lot of sandwiches. How should I shop to optimize my sandwich game while minimizing the excesses that come from having to eat everything alone before it spoils?

12:10
Eno Sarris: Just pair dinner with tomorrow’s lunch. Cook for 1.5-2 at night — it’s hard to cook exactly for one anyway — and use the leftovers in your sandwiches. Get good sauces and additions that don’t spoil. I’ve seen plenty bachelor fridges where the door is full of sauces and there’s nothing on the shelves. Just up that to the next level.

12:11
Hannah Hochevar: I appreciate the Kid Wave sentiment, but this power pop has too much power and too much pop for the morning. How about some RIP Leon Ware?

12:11
Eno Sarris: Ok!

12:11
Chaz: What do you expect from Darvish this season?

12:11
Eno Sarris: Cy Young.

12:11
Sonny: So this Tyler Glasnow outing doesn’t matter right? right!?! Oh god he’s ruined

12:11
Eno Sarris: Lots of long levers to get in the right place.

12:12
Brent: Argh! Hit “enter” too soon.
The rest of my question: H2H 20 team/8 keeper/standard categories
Trout, Goldy, Thor, Scherzer, Rizzo, Story, Stanton are easier. Now I have to choose between D.Gordon, Desmond, Lucroy, W. Contreras, or Yu for my final spot. Any help is welcomed! And again, I promise this will be the last week I ask it!

12:12
Eno Sarris: Should be Yu or Contreras. Lucroy is great but there’s enough growth possible in Contreras that I take him.

12:12
Babe Lincoln: You’re where?

12:12
Eno Sarris: Cubs camp.

12:13
Sterling Mallory Chris Archer: Talk to me about Trea Turner. I want to reach for him at pick 11 in a 10 team standard, but I’ll be taking him over fantasy stalwarts of Miguel Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, Rizzo, etc.

12:13
Eno Sarris: Who you taking at pick ten though. I’d rather pair Turner with one of those guys. Then you get power and speed, and positional value and slugger dude.

12:13
Flossy: Scale of 1-10 how concerned are you with Greinkes diminished velo? Was maxing out at 89 FB yesterday and gettin smoked. Lots of hard hit balls

12:13
Eno Sarris: 7ish. Hopefully he sits over 90 next time out.

12:14
Novice Drinker: Are beer bellies real? Even if you work out?

12:14
Eno Sarris: It’s just a place extra calories go. You should be fine, but do spend some time on low weight pecs to battle the boobs.

12:14
DTH: tease your Mallee piece: he have anything interesting to say about non-MLBers? Candelario, Happ, Young, etc.

12:15
Eno Sarris: Think more like my Driveline piece from last year but for hitting.

12:15
Dan: What are your thoughts on DRA, and when is it coming to Fangraphs?

12:15
Eno Sarris: It’s hugely different now or just slightly? I need to read up on the changes.

12:16
El Duderino: Are the yankees the most exciting team to watch in Spring? Seriously, all the kids are hitting well, and every pitcher they throw out there is mid 90’s plus it seems!

12:16
Eno Sarris: I like that team a lot. I’m a bit worried that some of the mid 90s fastballs are low spin, but I like Green and they have enough quantity that if just a couple of them pop, they’ll be really good as soon as this year.

12:16
Sandy Ravage: AL only auction. Really want Trout but custom league value generators are little help. How high should I go? $45? $55? $65?!?!

12:17
Eno Sarris: I’d stop around $45. I’d throw him before Altuve and if you don’t get Trout, go to $45 on Altuve.

12:17
Tim: Are you on a first name basis with Joey Votto now? Feels like you’ve done 3 or 4 stories on him. Can you give us a “chat only” anecdote you found interesting about him?

12:18
Eno Sarris: He’s really funny and really cocky but not in a way that puts me off. Asked him about lineup protection and he said he’s never seen a difference in pitches he gets depending on who’s behind him, just who’s in front of him. “Who’s going to protect me anyway, Babe Ruth?”

12:18
Matt: Mac Williamson has options and so Jarrett Parker is favored to get the LF job out of ST. That aside, who would you rather see the Giants roll with every day, assuming they don’t platoon the two (Sabean has said they won’t)?

12:19
Eno Sarris: I think Mac is the better overall hitter. I know he’s right-handed but that team has good lefties. I’d rather Mac.

12:19
Rich: What are your thoughts on not going after an acebut instead getting 4 in the top 40 range – (like Quintana, Cole, Duffy, A. Sanchez)? Is this viable or is that one ace necessary to finish near the top in Pitching?

12:19
Eno Sarris: I see a tier that ends around 32 so whatever you can do to get as many as you can in top 32, yes.

12:19
Rusney Castillo: ‘member me! i was supposed to be really good

12:19
Eno Sarris: I did the weirdest thing with Rusney. I felt he would bust, but I collected shares in fantasy just in case I was wrong. So I was wrong twice or something.

12:20
GPT: Neil Ramirez looks pretty good so far in Spring, and his velo is apparently back to 2014 levels, a legit MR option for the Giants?

12:20
Eno Sarris: He’s very good when right. They got the find they needed.

12:20
Moltar: Do you think Fulmer has more growth potential or is he what he is? I kept him at the min over a market-rate Lester and now I’m having some regrets since Les is by far the best pitcher not kept.

12:20
Eno Sarris: Nope I would have done what you did. Fulmer can absolutely get more Ks if he goes back to the slider more after falling in love with his change.

12:21
Evil Goatee Eno: That’s a lot of love for Bregman after Tony Blengino made him sound like a lucky Jarrod Dyson.

12:22
Eno Sarris: Wow I’ll have to check him out from LA/Exit Velo stance , but a quick check says he was above-average from exit velo. I like Bregman from an old-school position: he’s demonstrated power in the big leagues, and he had better contact rates in the minor leagues.

12:22
Max: If I told you Noah Syndergaard will throw 220 innings this year, what would you say is his % chance of winning the Cy Young

12:22
Eno Sarris: 50%. Still a dude named Clayton in his league.

12:22
Evil Goatee Eno: Okay, when is the last time you thought of Quinton McCracken?

12:23
Eno Sarris: Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago if I remembered anyone off the first D-Backs team. Maybe it was an MLBN question.

12:23
E: How are you approaching steals in drafts this year? Seems like they are at a premium.

12:24
Eno Sarris: At AL-LABR, I went all in. Bought Lindor, Anderson, Odor, Pillar. The thinking was that there would be late cheap power because the league is full up on power. I got Smoak and Pedro Alvarez for $1, so I think I was right. This is AL-only power, before you tell me about Smoak, I know.

12:24
Fashion Police: What is up w Team USA uniform?? Those pants are the worst in both color and fit. They are boxy or something. A sigh for the old days of tight baseball pants for nice baseball butts. Still a few around but not obvious on Team USA. Ugly pants.

12:24
John E: Get your hands on some Kentucky Christmas Morning if you haven’t already. You mentioned you love Hardywood’s Gingerbread Stout and it’s the best variant IMO

12:24
E: Do you how do, Sarris, Eno?

12:25
Eno Sarris: that’s a thing.

12:25
Evil Goatee Eno: I like wine because beer is icky and I think Kevin Kiermaier has soulless eyes.

12:25
Eno Sarris: Get. Out.

12:25
Wes: Does Steven Matz have ace upside/stuff or is he more of a 2/3? I can’t think of another lefty SP with better velo/stuff besides sale

12:25
Eno Sarris: Ace stuff, possibly *more* injury risk than we thought Sale had early on.

12:26
CamdenWarehouse: What do you mean bachelor fridges with nothing on the shelves? Isn’t that where the beer goes?

12:26
Eno Sarris: hah I meant no *food*

12:26
J: I live in NH and never see sours anywhere. Is it a location thing?

12:27
Eno Sarris: yeah, sours live in Oregon, California, and Texas so far, mostly. But you should be able to find Goose Island’s sour sisters: Halia/Juliette/MadameRose.

12:27
Scruffy-Lookin’ Nerf Hurler: Earlier in the week Travis said that Bellinger could be one of the best LHH in the league at peak. Agree? What’s a reasonable peak comp/line?

12:27
Eno Sarris: Yes I love him. I think he’ll make more contact but have power like a Sano.

12:28
Goose: 10 Team 6×6 OBP. Goldy for 40. Dozier for 18. Lindor for 19. Which two are keepers?

12:28
Eno Sarris: The MI.

12:28
Erik: Isn’t the whole idea of players skipoing the WBC to avoid injury total nonsense? Those that skip just go play in spring training games, where you can still get injured.

12:28
Eno Sarris: There’s an effort level difference.

12:28
kevinthecomic: Per rotoworld: Sonny Gray will be shut down for the next three weeks due to moderate lat strain

12:28
Eno Sarris: Oh man here it goes again. Triggs and Hahn make the team I guess.

12:29
CarrotJuice: ? When you go to the delicatessen store,
Don’t buy the liverwurst,
Don’t buy the liverwurst.?

12:29
Tebowned: Did you see Tebow’s CLUTCH GDP to score a run? A winner is a winner.

12:29
Cheese whiz: A guy made out like a bandit at our local grocery. This full wheel of Jarlsberg was marked 9.99 a pound but then total price of $1.31. So he bought it. Should have cost over $200. So many sandwiches.

12:29
Eno Sarris: Do you see how this story started out low and slow and finished with a bang?

12:29
DTH: I’m a big believer that Hop Stoopid is basically Pliny but cheaper and way easier to find. any other beers like this? I’m trying to be a beer lover on a budget

12:30
Eno Sarris: Budget: Knee Deep Lupulin River is my Pliny. Modern Times cans aren’t expensive. Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion and Pivo Pils. Victory Prima Pils.

12:30
Sonny: I’ve had excellent beer since Oct.co launched. TY

12:30
Eno Sarris: Hey that’s perfect.

12:31
DYLAN BUNDY’S CUTTER: im baaaaaaaaaaaack

12:31
Jesus: My league is switching over to OBP and SLUG. While everyone is ponying up on sluggers, do I go against the grain and try to find value in non-power players who help in categories like runs and SB’s?

12:31
Eno Sarris: Gold for you are the stolen-base guys on middle infield that still carry a decent slugging percentage.

12:31
Guest: Is there any hope for Matt Cain this year? Say something good about Matt Cain please.

12:32
Eno Sarris: When he was asked about Matt Cain’s chances of making the rotation at the winter meetings, Bruce Bochy said “It’s the last year of his contract, right?”

12:32
AG: speaking of Votto, did you get the chance to ask him what he’s looking at in LF?

12:32
Eno Sarris: dude. I knew there was something to ask him. I did talk to him about anticipation. There’s another story in there.

12:33
Bt: Will Jose Berrios make the rotation to start the year? And is it safe to say at this point he may not live up to his hype?

12:33
Eno Sarris: I’m still hopeful. Great command, made a small adjustment to his delivery late last year.

12:34
Marty: How concerned are you with Kipnis and this Shoulder injury?

12:34
Eno Sarris: It’s not good, particularly for a guy who has seen fairly wide vacillations in his power.

12:35
Bork: If Justin Smoak continues to be Justin Smoak, how long of a leash will Justin Smoak have with Rowdy Tellez waiting for his chance in the minors?

12:35
Eno Sarris: did you see that thing Sullivan found on Smoak? That blew my mind. I don’t get it. They must see something in him.

12:36
Brendon : Are you or anybody at FG thinking about doing something on if/how high GB% SP like Stroman/Sanchez/Felix (and other guys that historically worked low in the zone) are reacting/adjusting to hitters changing their swing plane to create higher launch angle? Seems like it would be an interesting interview piece with any of those SP types.

12:36
Eno Sarris: yeah just asked Mallee about that. I think you saw a little bit of it with Stroman throwing a few more four-seamers and sliders late last year.

12:36
Marc: Now that Taillons up and throwing stikes, any chance we see a K increase? I fhe does, would Cueto like be a fair fantasy comp?

12:36
Eno Sarris: I hope that changeup with the new grip is what he needs.

12:38
Marc: Thoughts on Domingo Santana this year? What are you expecting/hoping for? You higher on him or Keon this year?

12:39
Eno Sarris: Piece coming on both. I think I like Domingo more. I found more evidence of him doing what he wanted to do in the second half, plus he was injured and there’s evidence he’s figured that bit out too. Keon said that when he hit the wall, he put a crack in his wrist all the way across. He says it’s fine, of course.

12:39
Guest: Eno, what do you think of the ATC projections for fantasy. they’ve got votto wOBA’ing more than trout.

12:39
Eno Sarris: I like that they cherry pick the stats from each of the projection systems. That’s compelling. It might lead to more correlated errors, but it’s something different.

12:40
Busta Slimes: I know it’s a very SSS, but Profar looks really good in WBC. Should the Rangers just give him the opening day LF job and let him sink or swim?

12:40
Eno Sarris: I think DeShields is a capable fourth outfielder. I don’t love Rua much. Seems like it should be Profar.

12:40
Evil Goatee Eno: Re: New Hampshire and sours. Allagash isn’t that far away and they love brettanomyces.

12:40
Cool guy: Who are your favorite deeeeeeep SP sleepers this year?

12:41
Eno Sarris: Was very happy to get Chad Green and Nate Karns for two bucks in LABR. Think Berrios has a real chance. Andriese, Musgrove. Deeper?

12:41
Guest: What are your thoughts on Mallee as a hitting coach?

12:41
Eno Sarris: Love him.

12:41
MLB Duck: your thought on Paxton..? will he have great season and why?

12:41
Eno Sarris: He’s down to 94 and is oft injured, but even at 94, if he puts together 180 innings, they’ll be great.

12:42
DB: How far does today’s injury news on Sonny drop him in your ranks (if any)?

12:42
Eno Sarris: I had him below two or three of his fellow pitchers, and all in the late 70s I think. So, no about the same place.

12:42
soaktherich: How common is it for a pitcher who throws a straight FB at 96 to learn to dial it back to 92 with movement? Is that even teachable?

12:42
Eno Sarris: There is an inverse relationship between velocity and movement, but it’s a small one, so you’d also want to look into grip changes IMO.

12:42
Larry David: How many Canadian indy beers have you had and which ones are your favourites? We have a Flying Monkeys brewery in town and they make a lot of freaky stuff man.

12:43
Eno Sarris: Huh, have only really had Bellwoods and Bench from what I remember, and really liked both. Steamwhistle was aight and Bonecrusher or whatever was decent.

12:43
Pat: Going to AZ for Spring Training in two weeks, staying in Tempe. What places to I need to go and what beer do I need to try?

12:44
Eno Sarris: I don’t know Tempe that well, but my favorite spots are: Angels Trumpet (bar) and Kings Convenience (store/growlers) and Wren House downtown, Arizona Wilderness in Mesa, and McFate and Papago in Scottsdale.

12:44
Tommy: AL Only, please cut one (or more): Semien 13, Gausman 11, M Duffy 7, J McCann 1. Much obliged!

12:45
Eno Sarris: McCann I guess. He’s aight but the rest have more than $5 surplus.

12:45
Babe Lincoln: Was the Matt Cain contract bad when signed? I don’t remember people thinking it was an albatross at the time. But geeze….

12:46
Eno Sarris: We spent like two weeks trying to figure out if pop-ups were a skill and how sticky they were and if Righetti had figured out how to coach people in SF, so even if we didn’t call it a terrible deal, we were obviously trying to figure it out here.

12:46
E-Sar: When Dylan Bundy becomes more well known, his portmanteau will be “D-Buns”. You heard it here first.

12:46
Terrible Ted: What do you see going forward from King Felix?

12:46
Eno Sarris: If he can sit 92, I have a bit more hope for him.

12:46
soaktherich: Kevin Heller was drafted by the Red Sox out of Amherst College in the 40th round a few years back. He played three straight years in High-A Salem, getting three bitter cups of coffee in Portland but never sticking in AA. Do clubs hang onto guys like him with a potential front office role in mind after his playing career tops out at A/AA?

12:47
Eno Sarris: Or coaching.

12:47
John Baker: Let’s fight.

12:47
Eno Sarris: No way dude. No way. I’d rather get in an ice bath with you.

12:47
Snarfle: Do you ever get sentences stuck in your head, kind of like songs? A few weeks ago I was stuck on “I will never tell what befell Latrell Sprewell in the stairwell.”

12:47
Sonny: Re: Our Crap Lager piece damn right I’ll drink ‘Gansett all damn day

12:48
Tommy: Co-workers are ruining the TB Devil Rays birthday with excitement over 2nd string wide receiver signings. Sadists.

12:48
Eno Sarris: Nice.

12:48
Seth: Alex Bregman – more manny machado or justin turner

12:48
Eno Sarris: Uh. Turner.

12:48
Henry: How Insanely high is Benintendi’s ceiling this year? Is it a possibility that he is in the top 3 of the AL MVP voting if he hits that ceiling?

12:49
Eno Sarris: No I think that’s like a 1% thing. I think he’ll have a high OBP and hit 18 homers, steal some bases, be good.

12:49
Playin’ Games with Swihart: Quinton McCracken was an original Devil Ray. He was a D-Back after the world series run.

12:49
Eno Sarris: See I knew I had it wrong.

12:49
Bored: Heading to Miami this weekend for the WBC. Any beer/food suggestions?

12:49
Eno Sarris: J Wakefield, Concrete, anything in Wynwood Walls. Only one outside of that I know anything about is M.I.A.

12:50
Kerry: Hop Stoopid in six packs tastes MUCH different than Hop Stoopid in bombers. Maybe brewed in different location? Can this really be a thing?

12:50
Eno Sarris: That was always a thing with Sculpin back in the day. Good be storage (light) or different breweries, yeah.

12:51
Marc: The beer Capital of the US is _____?

12:51
Eno Sarris: San Diego. Portland… it’s there, but there’s a lot of ‘yeah we’re a restaurant so we brew our own beer’ that’s not super relevant to answering this question, IMO. Chicago should be in the convo, and New York is rapidly doing its part.

12:52
JR: Have you ever made your own beer?

12:52
Eno Sarris: I wasn’t great at it.

12:52
Minty: For keeper, how worrisome is Nola’s elbow and Rodon’s/VV’s ability to figure it out?

12:52
Eno Sarris: totaly worrisome. Worry all the time about your pitches. What else can you do?

12:52
soaktherich: There’s been speculation about the latest HR spike coming from juiced balls. Is it possible that higher quality control in modern baseball manufacturing means fewer duds getting into games and more consistent exit velocities? Seems like low QC in the olden days would result in more duds than superballs (i.e. a one-tail curve with tail on the left), therefore depressing HR numbers on average compared to a high QC curve with no big tail.

12:52
Eno Sarris: The exit velocity spike happened like from one day to the next in late 2015 though.

12:53
Joe: Last keeper in a 12 team points: $10 Justin Turner or $7 Matt Moore?

12:53
Eno Sarris: Turner.

12:53
E5: Can we just make Opening Day a holiday already?

12:53
soaktherich: Portmanteau means suitcase, not nickname.

12:53
E5: Cashner’s going to prove you wrong this year Eno!

12:53
LudeBurger: damn Spring Training is really making the early season ludes weird. Good job, gents. Almost in midseason form.

12:53
Dan: I love Kyle Seager. Do you think he can take the next step and become a truly elite top 10-15 hitter in baseball?

12:54
Eno Sarris: I think this is him. He’s a massive video guy making the most of what he’s got, I don’t know what’s left to change.

12:54
Snowflake:
XOXO my love is very special

12:55
Joe Ross: Somebody talk about me

12:55
Eno Sarris: Believes in his change more than his brother I think. Injury problems starting earlier.

12:55
Bobby Boucher: I have the 1.08 and 1.11 in a start-up dynasty draft (long story). Would you trade both for either 1.01, 1.02, or 1.03? My gut tells me 1.03 is the last pick that would be worth that.

12:56
Eno Sarris: I think I’d do it for the first two.

12:56
Caligula: Eno I know it’s a small sample size but I’d like you to make a sweeping declaration based on that and not on years worth of past data.

12:56
CamdenWarehouse: Do you think that fans are expecting more from young guys than they have in the past? If so, is it irrational and we’re being colored by recent successes or is the aging curve moving to the point where we should expect more?

12:57
Eno Sarris: There’s evidence that peaks are coming earlier than we thought. Might be as early as 24-25. And with velo declining from day one, you might just want to take a guy with some polish (can be a little less than Urias) and get him to bigs as quick as possible.

12:58
Justino: If Eloy Jimenez continues on his current path, what do you see being the more likely to happen? Cubs trade someone to clear room, or Cubs trade Eloy?

12:58
Eno Sarris: Cubs don’t seem to want to trade young bats. More likely he takes over for someone that doesn’t sign an extension?

12:58
Henry: Will Bellinger make his way into the lineup this year? Adrian Gonzalez NEVER misses games, but could he get in the lineup elsewhere or does he wait for a Adrian Gonzalez injury?

12:58
Eno Sarris: In the outfield, maybe. He’s athletic enough.

12:59
E5: My son’s BABIP in 8 year old little league automatically gets a .05 boost because we called then the Rockies, right?

12:59
Ninja Black Sock: Best beer for a non-beer fan?

12:59
Eno Sarris: Could be a sour!

12:59
Puig’s Left Bicep: Is Scott Kazmir’s drastic drop in velo indicative of decline?

1:00
Eno Sarris: It will *cause* the decline in results and is also a result of athletic decline.

1:00
Concerned: So while playing golf recently, I helped my partner search for a ball he hit in the woods. After he couldn’t find it for a few minutes I went to hit my ball. At that point he yells “Found it!” and hits a lucky shot onto the green. My question is, do I take that cheating bastards ball out of my pocket and call him a liar or do I let it go?

1:00
Eno Sarris: Uncle joke, but a great one.

1:01
Eno’s vanity plate: 2BZTWERKN

1:01
BJ: I have Altherr and Roman Quinn stuck at the bottom of my roster, need to figure out whether to renew their contracts to keep them past this year, or let them expire. Do either of them make a big impact in 2017? Do either have a future as a top 50 OF?

1:01
Eno Sarris: Have a bit more hope in Quinn and steals are scarce, but I wouldn’t put a bunch of money down on this one.

1:02
English Bob: I feel like Carlos Gomez’ strong finish last year is largely being ignored, in terms of his ADP this year. Thoughts?

1:02
Eno Sarris: I’m just worried there’s an athletic decline here and he’s got a game that seems a little more dependent on athleticism than most?

1:03
Eno Sarris: covering two beats has me running in a

1:03
Ninja Black Sock: Ok – Best intro Sour for a non-beer fan?

1:03
Eno Sarris: Rodenbacher Grand Cru.

1:04
E5: Is holding a after hours meeting at a place that I can drink beer ok? What if I’m getting paid a stipend rather than hourly?

1:04
Eno Sarris: Seems more okay in the case of the stipend if you ask me.

1:04
Tim in PHL: Eno – I tried a gose last year (Anderson Valley) and really did not like it. Will I find the same thing with a sour? Are they similar? Thanks!

1:05
Eno Sarris: Did you have the bitter fruit one or the blood orange. If you had the blood orange one maybe sours are not for you.

1:05
E5: Terry Cruz (muscle man and comedian) says that getting in shape is as easy as going to the gym every day so it becomes a habit. Says that it doesn’t matter what you do there in the beginning. Suggestions range from eating cupcakes in front of the treadmills or ordering pizza to the front lobby.

1:05
Eno Sarris: stretching to reach the doughnuts

1:05
soaktherich: Oops, it means coatstand/hatstand, not suitcase. Mon erreur.

1:05
Eno Sarris: Well let’s get it wrong one more time. Yeah in French, portmanteau literally means ‘carry hat’.

1:06
BobBobber: You’re expecting Cy Young from Darvish while all the projections are down on him? ATC has him at $8 value for my league with QS and BB. I also see him as at around a top 10 value — Are we being too optimistic?

1:06
Eno Sarris: They’re baking in injury risk, I would guess, but I think he’s in the honeymoon period. Even if he gets another TJ, shouldn’t be this year IMO.

1:06
Big Joey: Would you be shocked to see Trevor Story, Gary Sanchez or Alex Bregman as a top 20 pick next season?

1:06
Eno Sarris: Not at all.

1:07
First Time Poster: Currently holding Bearclaw (Ramos insurance) and Capps (CL upside) for the aforementioned reasons and for their ratios. Is this a good use of roster space? 12 teamer

1:07
Eno Sarris: They’re your first droppers, but going into the season, they’re decent guys to have.

1:07
Turd Ferguson: What do you think the average fastball velocity was in the early years of baseball? Would an average pitcher today be absolutely dominant back then?

1:08
Eno Sarris: I bet it was in the high eighties. Still way more than I can even think about hitting.

1:08
Garriman: What’s the deal with Jung-Ho Kang? Will his off-field issues preclude him from being fantasy relevant?

1:09
Eno Sarris: He may get an MLB suspension, but legally, his sentence was suspended, so I doubt he misses more than 30 games, which means he can still be valuable. I don’t condone his actions, just answering a question. Fantasy owners often have to look past this sort of thing if they want to win.

1:09
Dan: You said Paxton is down to 94 mph this spring. Is there any reason to think he’ll build that back up toward 100 like he was last year?

1:09
Eno Sarris: If he’s sitting 94, that’s still top three or four velocity among lefties, and he could be 95 during season, so it’s not so much the velo as it is the injury history combined with velo that make me a little nervous.

1:10
CamdenWarehouse: I decided to cut the cable and get the MLB streaming package. I won’t be able to watch my favorite team (O’s) or Nationals and Pirates. How should I approach watching baseball this season?

1:10
Eno Sarris: Pick a new team to follow? One with some young players that you can watch grow?

1:10
GERB: Best opening week matchup is Kluber vs Darvish. That wasn’t a question

1:10
Eric: Chances Knebel takes the closer role?

1:11
Eno Sarris: Eventually? Very high. Specifically this year? Dunno. They’ll have the vets in and then trade the vets, most likely, unless they are surprisingly good, in which case they keep the vets.

1:11
InternetJackson: Saw Shelby Miller throw last week. He was hitting 95 and looked to be mixing in a sinker and cutter. Is he going to be good this year?

1:11
Eno Sarris: I heard he was more 94 in the shellacking that came after. I think he can 3.75/1.25 type thing.

1:12
Turd Ferguson: Is it bad, Eno, that I almost miss the steroid era? Like, watching Barry Bonds hit for a 244 wRC+ and a .582 OBP sure was fun

1:12
Eno Sarris: Was so amazing.

1:12
Hugh: The fastball documentary showed Walter Johnson going to a military base and pitching into their makeshift gun. He was measured at 83 mph.

1:12
Eno Sarris: There’s some decent error bands on those early machines, right? So I think it’s still possible that they were at 85/86/87.

1:13
Evil Goatee Eno: When is the last time you thought about Rusty Greer?

1:13
Eno Sarris: …

1:13
Holala: Bonjour… please pick 2 keepers: Berrios, De Leon, Kepler Clint Frazier or Profar? Merci

1:13
Eno Sarris: De Leon Kepler

1:13
Tom: 12 tm H2H points. Odor at $11 or C.Santana at $15. Auction calculator puts Odor at $20 and Santana at $26 but position scarcity at 2B make me lean towards Odor. You?

1:14
Eno Sarris: Oh sorry I didn’t reply to this, I was thinking about. Instinct is definitely Odor, but the shallower the league, the less the positional value is worth. Calc has that baked in… but $11 vs $9 of surplus is close enough to go with your gut, and Odor is the younger player.

1:15
Henry: Would the Rockies become a better team if they moved out of Colorado?

1:16
Eno Sarris: Yeah, I think so. I think Coors messes with hitters on the road and every pitcher hates it. Take the park out of it, and they’ve got a decent 3/4/5, good 1/2/3 pitching, decent end of bullpen, and depth isn’t terrible.

1:16
Dan: I recently had the La Folie Sour Brown Ale from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series. It was amazing. Similar to Rodenbach Grand Cru but maybe even better (tough call). Toughts?

1:16
Eno Sarris: yeah I think it’s better. Grand Cru is just a good spot to start.

1:17
Thursdays with Eno: I got Chad Green and Ty Blach. Because you love them. You do still love them, right?

1:17
Eno Sarris: Yes, though Blach is maybe my deepest sleeper. That’s just a play on the fact that I think he has decent command of a few okay pitches, a good team behind him, and will have some good matchups this year. I wouldn’t start him in Coors or anything, and maybe not even Arizona.

1:17
Evil Goatee Eno: Rusty Greer had a 4.7 oWAR in 1999. Dude is the Red Baron!

1:17
Snarfle: Yeah, Kepler. He was nifty for a bit last year. How nifty will he be this year?

1:18
Eno Sarris: I’m worried. Doesn’t have a power launch angle, didn’t kill the ball by exit velo, overplayed his context-neutral results, fell off in second half. Could be a .260/.330 15/15 guy, which is okay but not a star.

1:18
Vil B.: Tell Camden WH he can still watch the O’s & Nats. I’ve got mlb.tv too and it allows me to watch their road games. Also, the CSR said they’re working on a deal to allow home games to be watched (probably for an extra fee).

1:18
Airborne: is it okay to dislike Max Kepler based on his quote in yesterday’s article opposing the air revolution in the swing

1:19
Eno Sarris: yes, because it’s meaningful when put hand in hand with his own results.

1:19
Keeper Deadline: Keeper deadline is tomorrow: Please choose the best keeper set in 12 team roto: 1. Springer and Chris Davis, 2. Xander and Bregman, 3. JD and Myers? Thank you for your help!

1:19
Eno Sarris: I’d be tempted by 2. But 1. is the safest.

1:20
Marc: Best coffee porter/stout?

1:20
Eno Sarris: Speedway?

1:20
Ted Williams: I told you so!!!

1:20
Francophone: manteau is coat, chapeau is hat

1:20
Eno Sarris: Well there go my seven years of french right out the frigging window. At least now we’ve figured it all out.

1:20
Turd Ferguson: Can we bring back baseball nicknames like we used to have? I can’t get over that Charley Radbourne went by “Old Hoss” …… he did throw over 600 innings in a season though

1:21
Eno Sarris: There’s nobody that could carry that one these days I don’t think.

1:21
Old Dudes: Since auction drafts usually seem to overvalue the hot young dudes, what are your favorite aging dudes that seem undervalued?

1:22
Eno Sarris: Josh Reddick, Carlos Beltran ended up on my team. I like ones, paradoxically, on teams that can afford to sit them some. Might be able to keep the nagging thing from becoming a ‘you’re done’ thing.

1:22
CamdenWarehouse: Country Breakfast is an 80 grade nickname. At least as good as Old Hoss.

1:22
steve malkmus: you don’t seem to love bregman. why? SSS? Seems like the kid is gonna be a star. arenado minus maybe the massive HR totals.

1:22
Eno Sarris: I think you’re misreading my answers to Bregman questions.

1:23
Sonny: ST means the return of Wil Myers’ 80 grade ‘i missed that pitch so I’m going to pirouette on my front foot and flip the bat to myself bc i give no effs’ affectation

1:23
Shawn: Best beer town – Boston has to be up there, right? Trillium, Night Shift, Jack’s Abby, Exhibit A.

1:23
Eno Sarris: Yeah I almost put Boston down. Hurts a bit from how spread out they are maybe? Just thought about trying to see three great breweries in one day.

1:23
Big Joey: Why are people freaking out about Benintendi? He looks like he’s going to be more value in real baseball than fantasy. His ceiling isn’t Betts, is it?

1:23
Eno Sarris: Yeah I do think he’ll be an OBP monster that’s a bit overvalued in batting average leagues. Good real life player though.

1:24
D: How would you rank for a dynasty league Swanson, Piscotty, JBJ, and Sano?

1:24
Eno Sarris: Swanson Sano Piscotty

1:24
Terrible Ted: Explain how plum sauce’s main ingredient it pumpkin

1:24
steve malkmus: if misreading, what’s your real take. in a 10 team league and keeping him over kyle seager. wash or ? Too much hype? Would love the enovibe

1:25
Eno Sarris: By projections he’s right behind Seager. I might take that chance though because I think he cuts his K% more than projections say he will.

1:26
Coop: Hi Eno. 12-team roto H2H – keep one: Kyle Hendricks $4, Kyle Schwarber $8, Benintendi $4, K Herrera $4.

Hendricks probably has best surplus, but I prefer to keep hitters and there is some regression risk with Hendricks.

1:26
Eno Sarris: Schwarbs and hope he gets behind the plate enough.

1:26
Wade boggs’ head: Better rebuild thus far: Brewers or Padres? Which team makes the playoffs first?

1:26
Eno Sarris: Padres further away. Like the Brewers to be good sooner. and 17 year olds carry more risk.

1:27
Eno Sarris: Hey guys, I have to go get Jeff Zimmerman’s phone and then Jeff Zimmerman and then my bags and then get on a panel at SABR and then get on a plane to go home and then get on a plane to go to Hawaii to cover a beer fest for October and so I’m … I have to go. Love you guys!





With a phone full of pictures of pitchers' fingers, strange beers, and his two toddler sons, Eno Sarris can be found at the ballpark or a brewery most days. Read him here, writing about the A's or Giants at The Athletic, or about beer at October. Follow him on Twitter @enosarris if you can handle the sandwiches and inanity.

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HamelinROY
7 years ago

Need some help: Can you load the “Cure for the HR era” article (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-cure-for-the-home-run-era/) and tell me how long it takes for it to finish loading. Then if you have any sort of adblock, completely disable and reload and tell me that time?

It took me around 20s to load with minimal ad-blocking, then when I turned it off completely it was still loading 3 minutes later.

This may be a setup problem on my end, but it is a corporate computer that I have minimal control over. Regardless I am more than happy to support sites like FG that I support, but that differential is just crazy!

jimcalmember
7 years ago
Reply to  HamelinROY

Brave browser. 1.93s.

you are welcome

HamelinROY
7 years ago
Reply to  jimcal

Thanks, but that means you are blocking all ads from FG?