Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 4/13/16

Eno Sarris: Let’s get in trouble together.

Eno Sarris:

J.D.: I know you’ve looked at guys with statistical indications of “closer stuff” before. Anyone stand out from the leaderboards who’s not closing yet?

Eno Sarris: Neris of course. Nothing else is obvious though if there were no cost concerns, I’d say Arodys would take over for JIm Johnson pretty soon. Rosenthal for Oh might happen by velo and ks…

annoying cubs fan: the Cubs keep grounding into double plays. I know it’s April, but they weren’t really a big double play team last year. Should I be worried?

Eno Sarris: Not the kind of thing that’s really sticky and they don’t seem like a ground-ball team.

osman: hey

Eno Sarris: sup

J.D.: When evaluating pitchers’ pitches/movement, what are the first pages you pull up on Fangraphs? And what do you look for?

Eno Sarris: Movement tab on PITCHf/x, and I look for change in movement and pitch selection first.

The Hills!: Barnette the guy to grab in the lone start state?

Eno Sarris: I don’t really believe in him. Doesn’t have great swinging strike stuff or velocity. Would rather have Leclerc over him. If Bush is hurt, though, then I’m into Jeffress eventually. Might hold Dyson since the situation is so nuts.

Erik: What do you make of Jeremy Hellickson? He’s not striking anyone out, but he’s also not giving up any runs. Would you drop him for someone like Mike Leake or Amir Garrett?

Eno Sarris: Maybe Garrett. He’s not getting any whiffs on his fastball, which is just weird. I guess he’s a bad fastball guy which is weird because I thought he had gas.

Eno Sarris: But yeah I’m a little worried about Hellickson, he showed up as the second-biggest increase in contact rate in a piece going up today.

StL Steve: How bullish are you on Conforto in a dynasty? .280-30-100 guy in the future?

Eno Sarris: Maybe more 25 HR but yeah I love him.

James: Eno I’m a bit behind in my h2h matchup and looking at some weekend streams. Wins are pretty important. Who do you like: Chatwood @ SF, Morton @ Oak, or Skaggs vs KC? Thanks in advance

Eno Sarris: Morton.

clump: let’s talk about Ryan Zimmerman. what do you see?

Eno Sarris: Guy who hits the ball hard who has talked of lifting his launch angle and hasn’t done it.

John: Has anyone written about Jose Abreu’s decline? His 2014/15/16 wrc+s went 167/129/118. Just a matter of the league adjusting after his rookie year?

Eno Sarris: They started pitching him inside more than 99% of the league and he’s not able to do much with those pitches.

Eno Sarris: I think he can still be decent but he’s not a star.

toki: I need someone to hold my head and stroke my hair while consoling me with whispers of “steals aren’t fickle”.

shubbles: over/under: my thistle or my gristle?

Jocelyn: Where do you *hope* Kakie Bryan signs?

Eno Sarris: some inside and outside jokes for our first interlude.

Big on big: I know you loved that Conforto homer last night

Eno Sarris: Took it to bed with me.

Matt: ENO. Make me feel good about the Phillies

Eno Sarris: I like Franco more than most. He’s hitting the ball harder than almost anyone.

Crag: Aaron Judge!!!!!

Eno Sarris: Okay not harder than that guy.

Eno Sarris: One thing that’s annoying me about Judge is the lack of fly balls. He hit the ball over 110 like five times and four of them were on the ground.

Sterling Mallory Chris Archer: So uhhhh….those Austin Hedges offensive changes….

Eno Sarris: Almost like he was pumped up by the offensive environs in the minors!

adam: john lackey is the real big sexy

Eno Sarris: no

Erik: Are you rushing to pick up Aaron Judge after three homers in three games? Should I be dropping Cesar Hernandez for him (who I’m surprised isn’t owned more than he is)?

Eno Sarris: I think Cesar can steal 25+ this year, and that’s going to be valuable, and Judge is hitting a few too many grounders, but I love love Judge’s improvement in K rate and he should be owned.

Eno Sarris: I just ran the stabilization point for contact rate with Brian Cartwright this week. Pitchers are going up today, but batters… 42 SWINGS! Judge has seen 109 pitches and swung at 40% of them, so his new contact rate is ‘stable.’ doesn’t mean it won’t change, but this is really good news.

Bubba: Are you on the Shelby Miller has fantasy value bandwagon? If so, what can we expect?

Eno Sarris: His peak velocity is back but he had a really hard time commanding it. Also not throwing changeups. Bet Ks will be better but dunno if he’s much better than a 3.75 ERA guy.

Keith Hernandez: Is Danny Duffy right now a reasonable comp for Finnegan’s ceiling?

Eno Sarris: I think more Gio Gonzalez.

adam: no questions just ludes

Nientsniew: Jharrel Cotton is great but what about jharrel polyester or wool? THIS WAS A GOOD JOKE OK

Hugh: Warms my heart as a Giants fan to see Matt Cain do well.

Eno Sarris: giving the people what they want.

Joe Bags: Any concern with Oh keeping his closer gig?

Eno Sarris: Velo down, am a little concerned, yes, and think Trevor could maybe take it back.

hscer: are you bailing on Waino yet?

Eno Sarris: yes.

No Walks Till Brooklyn: Tim Anderson is having issues getting on base. Seems like this is going to be a problem this year? I know you paid a good amount for him in LABR. Thoughts?

Eno Sarris: He was a deep league play for me. I think his defense and team situation keeps him on the team all year, gets him 20+ steals. That’s worth more in a deep league than a shallow one, because it might only come with a .250 average and ten homers.

hscer: have you ever bid 30% of your FAAB and not gotten the player?

Eno Sarris: Around the trade deadline, yes.

Joe Bags: Other than Devenski, who are your top mid/long relief pitchers?

Eno Sarris: Montgomery. Do you want innings or Ks?

2-D: Why is there a dearth of left-handed splitters?

Eno Sarris: I think you don’t make it as a lefty until you have a change (They throw changeups 16% more often than righties), and the splitter is Last Chance Saloon for people that can’t find a changeup, mostly because of the injury risk associated with it.

Maddux in a Row: Duda. Amirite?

Eno Sarris: Duda Duderoni.

adam: why dont people serve chicken and waffles as a sandwich. boneless chicken wedged between two buttery waffles. what’s with all of this bone-in sitting on top of waffles? how are you supposed to eat that. it’s anarchy.

Eno Sarris: couldn’t rush faster to agree.

Hannah Hochevar: Which Big PUN lyric from “Still Not a Player” best captures Adalberto Mejia? I crush a lot, sure, but then there’s the off-hand back-and-forth “‘You nasty twin’; ‘I don’t care.'”

Eno Sarris: Well done. We’ll see if this good spin rate and extra velo gets him some whiffs…

Steve McQueen: Noticed Paxton’s arm motion looks like he has less elbow bend then other pitchers. More of a catapult vs. a whip. Guessing that motion leads to more shoulder problems vs. elbow problems. Which problems would teams prefer?

Eno Sarris: Not sure about the first part, but sure about the second: elbows. Fix easier, fixes ‘take’ better.

Logan: Dude! Please let me know if i have been blowing you up too much lately. Not sure if im just getting the silent treatment or your super swaped with questions at the start of the year. Im trying to get a pulse on Charlie Morton. You talked on the pod about how we would know right away if his stuff is real. And i think it is! But im wondering if that moves him up a couple tears in your ranks or if that just solidifies him as the 103 best SP in the games. Thanks!! Considering dropping B Snell or D Norris for him.

Eno Sarris: he’s throwing the cutter more than that split change, but lefties aren’t killing him and the velo stayed up. I’d give Norris and Snell another start though. Snell didn’t walk anyone haha also didn’t strike anyone out, and Norris velo stayed up and he has more pitches than Morton. Morton is more like a 75 or so now.

Not Rob Manfred: If MLB ever goes to a robotic umps, will that get rid of the framing attributes for catchers? Will that completely change how teams value catchers?

Eno Sarris: Sure, I’d guess they’d want sweet arms, and they’d all train them to block better.

Eno Sarris: mood

Scooby: You’ve advocated for Chase Anderson to some degree in previous years. He’s teased us with good performances for short stints in the past. Any reason to believe that his very good start is worth an investment in, say, 12-team mixers?

Eno Sarris: I’m happy to have identified a guy that is capable of being a real life 4/5 but I don’t think he’s much better than that. I don’t see a real change in mix or movement that would be super meaningful. If he keeps the ball in park, maybe he’s a 3.8 guy.

Jose: Do you think we ever get to a place in baseball where someone in a booth with an algorithm is determining and signaling the next pitch to the pitcher via headset?

Eno Sarris: They’re pretty adamant about not allowing communication devices on the field and in the bullpen so I doubt it!

Bleh: What do you make of Brandon McCarthy? Velocity looks good, two good starts (SSS). Looking like a great 4th option for the dodgers at the moment

Eno Sarris: Perfectly useful for the Dodgers.

A. Reitz: Curious your thoughts on Matt Boyd. Always liked the stuff, like the velocity too but, potential #3?

Eno Sarris: Impressed to see swinging strikes on breaking balls. think the velo lowers his ceiling a bit, but he can at least be a 4/5 and maybe a three.

Dan: Obligatory Amir Garrett question…to me, looked like a young David Price last night. Has his changup developed to the point of a breakout?

Eno Sarris: It’s a good pitch. Let’s watch the fastball in the next start. Price had much more velo.

Bob: How would you rank Finnegan, D. Norris and Gsellman?

Eno Sarris: Tough one. Had to poke around. Gonna close my eyes for a second and try to blink this one: Finnegan Gsellman Norris

Scraunch Haunch: Plate discipline metrics stabilize pretty fast, right? At what point should we be worried about Villar’s swing% being up 10 whole points, chase rate up 9 points, and Z-contact% down 8.5 points?

Eno Sarris: 55-60 pitches in the zone for o-swing and z-swing, that research that goes up Monday shows. Yeah I’d be worried, might shop a little sell low to see what I could get.

Moltar: Need a temporary fill in for Segura at 2B, with the full intention of dropping them once Jean is back. Kendrick? Scooter? Cesar Hernandez?

Eno Sarris: Cesar.

Hugh: what are odds Posey could play an average 3rd? I understand it’s difficult but he played SS in college. This would allow Belt to stay at 1st, minimize Posey’s concussions, and Nunez could replace Gyorkis (!!!!) or Aaron Hill (!!!!!!). Is this a pipe dream?

Eno Sarris: He’s so slow. Not sure he has the lateral ability.

adam: did you know there are five physical phases of ludes?

Bassitt of Deplorables: Buxton is clearly playing the long game here – act like you have no command of the strike zone and that you’ll swing and miss at everything, then when pitchers predictably start throwing junk in the dirt to strike you out, you’re so fast that you can probably make it to first on a passed ball, then steal All Of The Bases. It’s Genius!

Brett W: Any thoughts on Sean Spicer? Plus-plus curve and an unbelievable spin rate, but can he overcome his command issues?

Eno Sarris: bordering on the political here

Ben: If a team could somehow have 3 Kevin Kiermaier clones in the outfield and 4 Andrelton Simmons clones in the infield, what do you think opponents’ BABIP would be?

Eno Sarris: Better than Cubs one last year? .255 for Cubs. .230? Fun idea.

Another Bad Dynasty Manager: Did you get to see Jordan Montgomery pitch yesterday? Is he worth holding on to in an AL-only league and an 18 team pts. league? I picked him for both this morning. Thanks!

Eno Sarris: Yes. Hold. Decent velo, got swinging strikes, threw four pitches. Good command other than a few pitches.

Soon to be Dad: If you could create a a pitcher, would you rather them have 70 velocity and 40 command or 70 command and 40 velocity?

Eno Sarris: Velo. Our best pitchers miss the catcher’s mitt by 9 inches on 3-0 counts.

A. Reitz: Today will be an interesting start for Jordan Zimmerman, in your opinion, has the stuff diminished or is it purely injury hangover from last season? Believer or non believer in a bounce back?

Eno Sarris: He better get some whiffs today. IF it’s another low-whiff but okay start, I’m selling.

Ninja Black Sock: Alex Cobb has a pretty good K/BB ratio. I know it’s early but the change up having less drop will likely equal more HRs/FBs?

Eno Sarris: The curve has been his savior. I’m still trying to sell with no luck. He had the curve before AND the change.

adam: joe Jimenez jogs jubilantly juwards jhe jound

Eno Sarris: Almost got there.

Babe Lincoln: If you had your druthers, how would you tweak fWAR?

Eno Sarris: Add catcher framing, switch out a statcast defensive metric.

hscer: Pretty sure I’ve now submitted more fantasy questions in this single chat than in the previous 6 years combined ; p

Eno Sarris: yeah man I guess you got a fantasy team haha.

Robbie: I’ve seen two sorts of proposals for limiting RP regarding pace of play changes – limit the total number of relievers in a 9 inning game, or require each pitcher to face X number of batters. Do you favor either? It would seem that one would up the value of guys like Devenski and the long reliefe ‘ace’, while the other really hurts the LOOGY’s of the world.

Eno Sarris: I hate those things. Pitch clock, please.

Eno Sarris: plus come to the SF October event https://oct.co/articles/new-family-craft-series-comes-san-francisco

Stephen: Do you think the power shown by Elvis Andrus is sustainable throughout the season (possible to hit 20+ HR), or has it just been a lucky week?

Eno Sarris: Power is the thing we should be the most skeptical about in small samples.

Phil: Worried about Bundy’s loss of velocity, particularly on the four-seamer, in his last start? Seems likely a dead-arm/fatigue blip, but not particularly encouraging following the marvelous opener.

Eno Sarris: yeah it’s not great, bob, I mean Phil, but since he had a more normal first game I think I’d wait another start to freak out.

tip tipson: Triggs? what do we think? whats the best case scenario for him (realistically)

Eno Sarris: Masterson style? I think lefties will blow him up eventually. Not getting many whiffs, but that angle is good for soft contact and getting righties out.

Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: In 13.0 IP, Brent Honeywell has a 2.08 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 20, count ’em, 20 strikeouts. Promote this man!

Eno Sarris: PRONATE THIS MAN

Joe Ross: When will I not be in AAA?

Eno Sarris: I mean, Jeremy Guthrie?

Tony: What can pitchers do to try to fix their command issues during the season? it is feasible for guys like Finnegan and Snell to hone in their skill midseason?

Eno Sarris: I think repetition can help. Also: changing the pitch mix can help. Maybe they can’t command a specific pitch. I noticed some cutters from Finnegan, for example. That’s helped Moore for sure.

Eno Sarris: Oh wow I just made 12:02 in the questions. Y’all are amazing.

Strokin’: guaranteed to make you feel SASSYFIED!

Ruffx2Tweet&Cameron: How many BBE does it take to have an EV average be stable?

Eno Sarris: I’ve seen a bunch of different answers, but 50 in-season seems the most right to me.

Big Tuna: I have Gray, likely, coming off the DL soon. Would you cut an upside arm like Morton or a “we know who he is” guy like Odorizzi or Shark?

Eno Sarris: Samardzija getting a ton of Ks, throwing more sliders and fewer cutters, I’d give him another chance. Morton actually seems to have the most glaring weakness (lefties in the past).

Moonlight Graham: How honored are you to be named after this man?

Eno Sarris: I mean look at that picture.

Lost 6 pounds: Since taking your advice, I’ve cut out the sweets, kept the beer, and now…I BE STROKIN’!

Eno Sarris: Welp I didn’t know how dirty that song was when I posted it lol.

Stephen C: I tried asking Dave this yesterday, but sent it in too late. I’m a little confused by how highly ranked Swanson was on all the prospect lists (related, I’m a big Braves fan). He doesn’t seem to have any super impressive tools. So is it mainly that there is such a high degree of confidence as to what his floor is, and that that floor is somewhere around average, whereas there is more risk/uncertainty with other prospects who may have substantially higher ceilings?

Eno Sarris: I think his hit tool and power tool could be exciting, there’s some projection there.

Say it again: IT’S APRIL

Eno Sarris: It’s… April?

Jared: Dammit. Anyways question is is there a world where Martin has any value as a hitter? Is he so valuable behind the plate to overcome is batting short comings?

Eno Sarris: For his career, he’s 6% better than league average, which is like 26% better than league average catcher. Last year he as an average bat. I’m worried about the rise in whiffs, but once the power comes back, he’ll be fine.

Todd: What did you notice regarding Lynns repertoire in his 1st start?

Eno Sarris: Saw more changeups, two in a row to one guy. Reduced velo. P borderline right now at that velo and contact rate.

Pikup Androppov: When do we see Chad Green?

Eno Sarris: Jordan has taken his role, so you’re watching Severino or health.

Ruffx2Tweet&Cameron: Luke Gregerson absolutely looks like a very frustrating PA.

Eno Sarris: So many sliders and then when you look slider here comes the fastball.

tIM: JD Martinez nearing a rehab assignment. If this is really the timetable, seems like he fell way too far in drafts, no?

Eno Sarris: Huh I thought he was taking BP and early May was still the target.

Ned Yost: Am I the only one super excited about Graveman/Keuchel tomorrow night?

Eno Sarris: so. many. ground. balls.

Dan: disregarding position, who would you rather have ROS ender inciarte or jorge polanco?

Eno Sarris: Inciarte.

Michelle: Are you on the James Paxton train?

Eno Sarris: Always was! New arm slot, new life.

Scott: If Hahn can get it together (Or Gray gets healthy), do the A’s have a top 5 rotation?

Eno Sarris: It’s looking really good right now. Triggs will be worse and he just converted to starting, so they’ll need Hahn to figure it out either way, but 538 had them as the best rotation in the division coming in, so give them a bit of credit.

Sterling Mallory Chris Archer: My new roommate has 8 taps in our living room. What’s the best style of beer I should get in a keg that I won’t tire of after a few days?

Eno Sarris: American Pale Ale / Session IPA. Easy drinking.

Jerj Clooners: I brought a sandwich for lunch but found brunswick stew so…

Eno Sarris: Dunk one in the other.

Bob: What do you think of Keon Broxton?

Eno Sarris: just too many strikeouts to be a star.

Big Tuna: What are your thoughts on Domingo Santana? Would you trade Odorizzi for him in a 12 team OPS?

Eno Sarris: Domingo:

NowWatchMeYuuu: slim pickings on the wire..matt moore or pomeranz?

Eno Sarris: Pom.

l;dfd: Justin Smoak is terrible. Why does everyone but the Jays FO seem to believe this truism?

Eno Sarris: Maybe they just think he’s cheap.

Big Joey: Trade away JD Martiez for Sano in a keeper league?

Eno Sarris: yes.

Eno Sarris: Not so much about this year and the foot but about long term.

Pikup Androppov: Margot looks like he could be a star. Myers and Renfroe look to be solid contributors. Espinoza and Quantrill have a decent shot to reach double a this season. The Padres might be good sooner than is expected. Am I nuts?

Eno Sarris: I had this thought recently. Three guys in the lineup… Still all those guys they bought were so young. Still probably 2020 at earliest.

ctw: when Rodon comes off the DL, who are you dropping for him: Eickhoff or Nola? Or neither and have me drop my worst reliver (Bearclaw, in a holds and saves league)

Eno Sarris: I’m guessing Eickhoff but give it a little bit more time.

Thom: Bregman was dropped in my (admittedly shallow) league. He worth owning in 10-teamers?

Eno Sarris: Yes. He cut the Ks like I thought he would, here comes the power.

Eno Sarris: oh wow got to the second page and there’s a third page. I’ll hurry up!!

CamdenWarehouse: PSA – Ryan Zimmerman is still owed 32 million over 18/19 with a 2 million buyout for 2020

Eno Sarris: yowza

Eno Sarris: and the D Wright deal doesn’t look great either.

Maddux in a Row: Mike Clevinger has looked good in his first two AAA starts. If that continues, is there any situation where he takes a rotation spot on merit alone, or is he just the injury replacement in waiting?

Eno Sarris: Sixth guy. But that rotation has some decent injury risk.

abc123: So we’ve all seen the pitching porn from your boy Jharel. What does it look like to player at the plate, or the umpire?

Eno Sarris: Like, even when you know it’s coming, it’s too hard to slow the bat that much and get out there far enough to hit it square.

Big Joey: Benintendi has a decent hard hit % with a 50+% FB rate, 20 homerun power to be expected?

Eno Sarris: I always thought the projections were too low on his power.

ctw: were you higher on Wacha than most coming into the year? would you rather have him or Eickhoff now?

Eno Sarris: Yeah I was into Wacha as soon as I saw the spring velo readings. I like Eickhoff too, though. Guess I’d rather have Wacha, but maybe it’s time for a two for one.

brian: Late in the draft I got Healy, other guy wants Joseph.

Eno Sarris: ? Do not trade Healy for Joseph.

Maxamuz: Lucas Duda has more HR than Stanton. When will people realize that Duda is the real HR king?

The Real Thor: Is Shoemaker broken or wat?

Eno Sarris: Whiff still decent, I bet Ks follow the whiffs.

Pops: How do you see the Indians handling the potential surplus in the outfield? Trade Zimmer or Greg Allen at the deadline for a rental, trade Chisenhall for prospects, let go of Almonte and/or Austin Jackson?

Eno Sarris: They already went the trade route, and that outfield is not a strength right now. I think move a prospect into the starting outfield and try to catch lightning in a bottle.

Alastar: What do you make of Eric Thames and his not start? Can he continue to hit or will the league start to adjust once they see him more?

Eno Sarris: He’s swinging too little right now, but I don’t see that as a major weakness. Makes contact when he swings, I could see him trying to coax them into the zone for later.

canofcorn66: Any strong feelings on Adam Conley? Purely waiver fodder like, say, Skaggs?

Eno Sarris: like Anderson, I feel happy I identified a capable pitcher that can help people but don’t think he has a ton of uspide. Interesting that he’s throwing slider more than the change, I guess.

J.D.: Do we know what to do with spin rates yet? Any RPMs with certain pitches a near-guarantee for success?

Eno Sarris: Really only know that four-seam spin is meaningful. Everything else is TBD.

William Pea: are you more in the doolittle or casilla camp?

Eno Sarris: If anyone takes the job it’s Doo but if any team does this all year it’s the A’s.

mike sixel: He’s 23. It’s April. He has 500 or so ABs at the MLB level….when is it ok for a Twins’ fan to worry about Buxton? Oh, and I now live in walking distance of at least 6 breweries in Portland, gonna be a long year for my liver….

Eno Sarris: I don’t think I’ve ever been in on Buxton. I’ve traded like four shares of him by now and don’t regret a single one. Very capable defender that will be around forever and will have great streaks, but I doubt he has the ability to make enough contact to be a star.

brian: Hi Eno- late in the draft I get Healy other guy gets Joseph. He’s offering to swap and throwin Lynn. 12 team roto mixer. TY

Eno Sarris: no

mike allan: Who is Taylor Motter??

Eno Sarris: Righty grinder who has better than league average power, contact, and speed. Deep league daily lineups asset, good pickup for Mariners.

Wade boggs’ head: As a beer guy, how do you feel about aging/cellaring beer? Do you have a collection of bottles gathering dust? Any favorites?

Eno Sarris: i’m not sure it improves a ton of beers, maybe the ones that are too hot, or have too much alcohol, but I do like saving some beers for special occasions. Have like four Firestone Walker stouts (Stickee monkee, Velvet Merkins, XIX, XX) and a few sours that are always in the fridge in the back.

E: How do you manage your pitching staff in a h2h league? Pick and choose starts? Start everyone early in the week and bench as needed? Start everyone?

Eno Sarris: I am more liberal with starts early in the week and then more conservative depending on needs later in the week.

Tom: Thoughts on Nova so far this year?

Eno Sarris: Eh.

J.D.: What’s the best SSS data for hitters now? Swing rate?

Eno Sarris: Swing rate, reach rate, contact rate.

CamdenWarehouse: Hocus Pocus is obviously the best song that contains yodeling. Is there a number 2?

Eno Sarris:

Aspergillus: Thoughts on Matt Cain last night? I only saw highlights but his ball seemed to be moving better than last few years

Eno Sarris: Sinker was going, and he was able to spot it better. Decent start.

JJP: Any hope for Kang coming back this year?

Eno Sarris: I think so, yes. I don’t approve of what he did, but baseball hands out chances left and right.

Jeffrey: Asdrubal Cabrera has a team option for 2017 at 8.5 million with a 2 million dollar buyout. At this point, you’d have to think that gets picked up, right? I feel like he would actually be a fantastic defensive 3B and the swing adjustments make his bat more playable there.

Eno Sarris: yeah and that’s cheap now.

Jeff in Allston: Is Tyler Duffey’s future home in the rotation or as a reliever?

Eno Sarris: reliever imo

Sterling Mallory Chris Archer: Is Jharrel Cotton prone to shrinkage?

Chris: Thoughts on beede when cain implodes?

Eno Sarris: When looking at his numbers in minors, remember that the team made him put away the four seam for a few years and that’s where the Ks went. I think he could be pretty good actually.

Ampersand: Last night I went to an event where fancy charcuterie was paired with Goose Island Sour Sisters and I thought of you. Mmm meats and beers

Eno Sarris: Love those sour sisters.

Samuel: How much is Dave Hudgens to blame or praise for the Astros hitting?

Eno Sarris: I think a hitting coach’s number one influence is in the swing/don’tswing department. He’s a guy that preaches patience so I like him. But I also know he reads all the most recent research on hitting and is very knowledgeable and open minded to new techniques and tools. Him and Mallee are my favorites right now. Andy Haines in the Cubs org is great too.

scam newton: Daniel Norris tomorrow @ Cle… yea or nah

Eno Sarris: yes

Jeff: Are we really worrying about Seung Hwan Oh after a week? His velocity is fine, he is getting swings and misses all the while pitching in meaningless 5 run games in every appearance. What gives?

Eno Sarris: His velocity is down almost two ticks. And he wasn’t known for velocity before he came here.

Eno Sarris: His contact rate is almost half what it was last year!

Eno Sarris: He might be okay, but I also like Rosenthal’s stuff.

Bart: what’s your thoughts on Max Kepler?

Eno Sarris: Love the fact that he’s above-average in most tools, wish he hit the ball harder.

Mike: Is Fieldwork the best brewery in the Bay Area right now? I pretty much everything they make.

Eno Sarris: Yeah and they don’t focus on one style. They have a hazy ipa, but also great crisp clear ones. I don’t always love their sours, but man are they good.

Sreeb: So session NEIPAs are really bad.

Eno Sarris: I could believe this. And I’m starting to have bad regular NEIPAs too.

You Can’t Grow Beards in Space: Gwang going to get any regular playing time this year from the Giants? I want some bat flips!

Eno Sarris: I guess the problem is that they aren’t playing Nunez in the outfield, and Hwang doesn’t have experience there either.

Mike: Is Mazara putting it together finally? Or do you feel this a high point with the inevitable low coming?

Eno Sarris: He’ll hit worse going forward of course, but I couldn’t crush on a guy harder than Nomar and I love that he’s cut down on grounders a bit.

James: With Soroka now in AA, and off the a great start btw, could you make it to Atlanta by the 2nd half of 2018?

Eno Sarris: He’s one of my favorite minor league starters, yeah.

Anthony Weiner: Oh, you said ludes? Please do not check your photo inbox

Ampersand: I’m afraid to click the article about “The Three Dingers of Yoenis Cespedes” at work. Are they, like, clustered together in the usual spot or are two of them on other parts of his body?

HankLloydWright: BTW, my first few months reading this chat I just thought everyone really liked quaaludes.

Eno Sarris: We all stuck in the 70s.

David: My buddies and I loved your Cain tweet. The fact that he wasn’t a part of the convo, but wanted to share his insight, adds a rare dimension to it all. We discussed that tweet over many IM’s.

Eno Sarris: Cain peeked his head in to talk about spin rate, which is very far gone from when he sorta derided me as the guy who comes around with stats. I think it’s a good sign, and the guys he trained with this offseason said he got on baseballsavant and checked himself out. He even pointed out that his spin was only okay, and I said if he adjusted for velocity he was actually v good. So now he’s throwing sinkers down and four-seamers up and trying to think about spin a little. Could be a little resurgence for the vet.

Eno Sarris: Was a great day in the clubhouse. Pence acknowledged that I have a fine point of view and he was sorry that he didn’t think about the game the same way but that he found it interesting. He just thought he could only ‘get quick’ basically, and the rest was reaction. Thought that pitchers were naturally more analytical.

Eno Sarris: Goldschmidt even opened up a bit! Then said, well, you’d know better, you’re the numbers guy and closed back up.

The 303: Wil Myers for Trea Turner? Which side of the equation would you rather be on? And how big is the gap?

Eno Sarris: Trea side.

You Can’t Grow Beards in Space: What is greater: Addison Russell’s beauty or Jon Lackey’s lack of it?

Eno Sarris: I’m going to be thinking about this far too much today.

hscer: guessing those 16% of lefty changeups mostly become sliders for righties, given the platoon splits of each pitch?

Eno Sarris: Exactly.

HankLloydWright: I WANT A CHICKEN AND WAFFLE SANDWICH.

Eno Sarris: Yeah I’m going to try and make one today.

Bored: An impatient owner shockingly dropped Bregman in a 12 team dynasty league. Would you spend 20% of your FAAB on him this early on? I typically use it all on streaming.

Eno Sarris: Buy.

Jerj Clooners: They had a buffalo chicken and waffles sandwich at Turner Field last year

Eno Sarris: The chicken I have is curry mustard chicken, but it might still work with some syrup, gotta think of the rest of the sandwich though.

Ron Brucedon: This belt isn’t just for holding my pants up

Mike: Taylor Motter has been fun for a couple of days. I imagine you don’t just luck into three 100+ mph hits in a game, right? Do you see him dipping into Valencia’s time once Segura is back?

Eno Sarris: Ah! interesting, there is some opportunity there. Or platooning with someone in OF, since he has good D value.

Scott: You get a chance to see Triggs send the royals hitters on a tangent last night? I will always cosine a performance like that.

Eno Sarris: I cosecan’t go there.

Liberty Valance: Time to bail on VV?

Eno Sarris: He’s striking everyone out! Too early to call him a Pineda. He’s no Ray because he has multiple pitches. No.

ctw: are there any minors guys you think might take a big jump early this year? a few years ago it was mookie. should i just be trolling Carson’s fringe five for names?

Eno Sarris: Tyler Krieger. Jasrado Chisholm.

Anzdawg: Echoing what you said earlier about pitch movement, what are your thoughts on Graveman being a top 25-ish arm this year?

Eno Sarris: Gotta look at the mix: 90% fastballs. limits ceiling. Helps command but limits ceiling.

Eno’s Podcast Mic: Microphone check 1, 2

Eno Sarris: Man me and Paul have the same damn Mic. We’re trying to figure it out. Sorry!

Tod: Why don’t they play as many of the games as possible couple weeks of the season in the southern-most states and domed-stadium teams?

Eno Sarris: Scheduling is hard.

Anzdawg: What’s your favorite dumb baseball stat? Like, what really doesn’t matter but is interesting nonetheless? A new league I’m in uses GWRBI as a category. Part of me loves it. Most of me hates it.

Eno Sarris: ROE?

Eno Sarris: It’s so tempting to think it’s useful!

Terry Collins: Should I just play Michael Conforto every day? Haha just kidding I’d never do that

Dave Kingman: I’m freakin’ out about Buxton. Talk me off the ledge?

Eno Sarris: oops don’t scroll up

E: I was thinking about that ball that got stuck to Yadier Molina’s chest protector last week, is putting a sticky substance on the chest protector a thing? I never thought about doing that to help block wild pitches.

Eno Sarris: Hah. I assumed it was on the ball from the pitcher. Or that Yadi had it on him for the pitcher.

pH: As for that chicken/waffle sandwich…https://www.redrobin.com/bees-knees.html

Eno Sarris: I mean yeah McDs has a breakfast sandwich with waffles I think, too.

Aer: What percentage of MLB players do you think knows about/reads Fangraphs?

Eno Sarris: Rising every day. When I started, probably 10%, now I bet it’s up past 50% even.

Maddux in a Row: Which currently active pitcher do you see as being the most “cerebral,” as they say, relying more heavily on deception and unpredictability than stuff?

Eno Sarris: It might be Dan Straily.

Andrew: Spring weather has arrived, so I think we could all use some windows-down tunes:

kdallas: What do you think of Eickhoff’s early returns? I’ve been all-in on him since your preseason pod comparison to pre-breakout Kluber + haven’t looked back! Is he doing the things you’d want to see him doing to breakout?

Eno Sarris: I’d like to see more breaking balls actually. And a lower walk rate.

Young GC: Does it ever bother you that baseball, like all entertainment, is nothing but bread and circuses provided as an opiate to the masses by the draconian corporate fascism that enslaves us all?

Eno Sarris: Only bothers me when we treat it as something so holy and sacrosanct that we can’t have fun while we do it. I mean if we aren’t having fun with it, then man we’re screwed three ways.

Tim: You might already have a dozen of these questions, but: Who takes the closer job in Texas short-term? And who do you think is closing there come June?

Eno Sarris: I’ll handle it again. I’m holding Dyson if I can. Leclerc is interesting but Jeffress is my pick if Bush is hurt. Barnette is too sloppy, not enough Ks or velo.

Ryan Beano: I recently noticed that a can of Jai Alai states that the beer was brewed and canned by Oskar Blues for Cigar City. Is this common? Why does that happen?

Eno Sarris: Oskar Blues’s group recently invested in Cigar City.

Black Rob: Lunch at the desk during an eno chat while the boss is out of town is like whoa

Eno Sarris: Almost want to put the sound on and the feet up but there are STILL SPIES AROUND

Weekly Eovaldi Question: Weekly Eovaldi Question =..[

matt: Matt Moore looked great in his last start against AZ, is this the season where he puts it all together and carries a strong ERA/WHIP/FIP with Ks?

Eno Sarris: He’s been really good since he started throwing the cutter. I think it might be the key to unlock his iffy command.

toki: How would you rank Bellinger, Bell, Joseph, Tellez

Eno Sarris: you got it but put a …… between the first and second and a ………………. after Bell.

J.D.: Danny Duffy’s two-seamer was “worst contact management pitch” of 2016 (http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2016-al-contact-management-by-pitch-typ…), yet he’s nearly doubled his usage of it this year. #cantpredictball, or is movement looking better?

Eno Sarris: He uses it to get strike one. Throws to middle of zone with confidence. It’s fine, it’s important.

Matt: Do you think that by early to mid June Rosario comes up and Asdrubal replaces Reyes?

Eno Sarris: Rosario is only 21 but they put him in Triple-A so yeah that’s possible. Injury to Walker might speed up timeline.

Jeff in Allston: How’d you like the October hang out at Three’s brewing in NYC? any other city breweries you recommend for a hang?

Eno Sarris: Threes is awesome. Wish I could have made it to Astoria for Single Cut.

Dr. Zizmor: Woo! Been awhile! Okay so, we’re fully ensconced in the StatCast era and I’m loving it! My question is in regards to exit velocity. You already pointed out that Aaron Judgeuo9 oiO oH iofh OH OIH h HOIF fi8OH( 8 8h9 I”MF AWHEREWOFL

Rubio: What are your initial thoughts on Jose Bautista? You mentioned above that contact-% stabilizes pretty quickly and his is way down. Should I drop him in a 10-teamer, or am I overreacting to a slow start?

Eno Sarris: I’d wait, but I might offer him around.

Not Hot Dog Sandwich: What if the robot umps were sexy Westworld robots?

Eno Sarris: Then I’m down.

famin: you put any stock in jimmy nelson increasing # of split-changeups he threw in his 1st start? he said he’s confident in it and will throw it more often. still a streamer or would you hold on to him in 13team mixed?

Eno Sarris: yes, p interested. He added drop to the pitch last year and he’s kept that going. Could be a big deal.

Eno Sarris: RIP

Eno Sarris: RIP

GIFPeanutButer&JellySandwich: What would you add on me?

Eno Sarris: bananas?

my name: Can you give a shoutout to my friend tyler? I think he has a mancrush on you

Eno Sarris: yo

Steve: Re: “Our best pitchers miss the catcher’s mitt by 9 inches on 3-0 counts.” Isn’t that a meaningless statement without context? By how much does an average pitcher miss the catcher’s mitt? A poor pitcher? Even if someone with plus command still commands a pitch imperfectly, does that mean that command is definitely less valuable than velocity?

Eno Sarris: Average pitcher in 3-0 counts: 13 inches. four inches is meaningful, but I think it’s overvalued.

Eno Sarris: RIP

Alex: Does anyone do spin rate analysis for hitters? Presumably different swing paths and kinds of contact result in different kinds of spin off the bat, and you frequently hear about backspin leading to carry.

Eno Sarris: That data is not available.

Tony: Leclerec hype trickling in. I need Eno to tell me jyst

Eno Sarris: He has the velo and Ks to do it. If Bush is hurt and Jeffress doesn’t get next chance… it could happen. Wicked bad BB rates though.

Eno’s Liver: i’m totally fine, but thx for your concern

Eno Sarris: Haven’t had a beer yet this week!

Ben: Do you like wine?

Eno Sarris: Gives me reflux now.

Wade boggs’ head: If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to put some flowers in your beer.

Hank: Were you directed not to take beer questions?

Eno Sarris: Not many came today!

Quadrangular: current top candidate for “guy who comes up mid-season and rakes” is Bellinger?

Eno Sarris: yes

How far can margot?: East coast or West coast hip hop?

Eno Sarris: I love the East Coast, but don’t go there. Gotta be west.

Ritt Momney: Your Joe Ross response was kinda confusing…. “I mean, Jeremy Guthrie?” as in Guthrie’s got the spot (gulp), or as in it’s just Jeremy Guthrie keep your pants on and Ross will be there soon?

Eno Sarris: Ross will be up soon, if he’s not hurt.

dustyfingers: What is your take on Mike Leake?

Eno Sarris: Don’t see enough mix change.

randall: hey the worms need balls too

Guest: WRT Andrus – What do you mean power is the thing we should be most skeptical of? Do you mean homeruns/results or exit velos? Feel like I’ve seen stuff here that you kinda only need a couple swings to get a sense for a guy with a ton of raw power

Eno Sarris: 50 BIP better, especially if you have a track record to compare it to and it’s really different.

ER: How do you dunk a stew in a sandwhich?

Eno Sarris: Finger. Nose.

Kris: Snell had 3 walks last night 🙁 wish he didn’t walk anyone

Eno Sarris: Damn I must have checked in early. And only one K, right?

python-r: What helps a pitcher more with his command – an inning out of the pen 3-4 times a week, or 5-6 innings every 5-6 days? In other words, could a young starter struggling with command be Chris Sale’d into a pen role for a year, allowing him to both contribute to the MLB club and also improve his most glaring issue?

Eno Sarris: I think there are cosmetic changes in the pen — they stop throwing the pitch they can’t command.

Snarfle: Here are some words: striation, rind, ululation, soporific, trunk.

Eno Sarris: oooooh ULULATION, so onomonopaeic

Jones: Are the movement numbers also affected by the new change?

Eno Sarris: yes. They off. Try to compare a pitcher to his own fastball.

Wes: Recently had a sour beer and pretty sure I’m a blossoming fan. Do you have a sour for beginners guide?

Eno Sarris: good stuff here https://oct.co/articles/getting-know-sour-family-gose-weisse-grand-cru…

Eno Sarris: and more coming.

Eno Sarris: Man I couldn’t make it to the fourth page, I sorry. But it was fun!!

Eno Sarris: Later!