Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 4/27/17

Eno Sarris: Dad admission: didn’t even know they made Viet Cong change their name didn’t even know they had a new album.

Eno Sarris: I like some of the new tunes like this one. Oh, and we had a beer with them over at October https://oct.co/articles/having-beer-preoccupations

Rick Sanchez: Is Bundy for real? Any concerns with the velo?

Eno Sarris: I am concerned with him. I’d be shopping pretty hard. First, there’s the injury concern. Then there’s a two mph dip in the last start, two mph off from last year. Velocity drop is the biggest indicator of injury.

botchatheny: trouble in st. louis ? –

Eno Sarris: Dude always shows up when I try to quantify managers, in a bad way.

Frank: Are you getting worried about Dansby Swanson? Seems to be a solid amount of bad luck but golly at some point you gotta start hitting.

Eno Sarris: In terms of strikeouts he’s not too far off his normal work, the d is still good. He’s swinging less and reaching less, and those are the most meaningful stats. They’re throwing him a lot of hard stuff and almost no soft stuff, and he has to adjust. I think he will.

Ritt Momney: 14 team: Tim Anderson or Gregorius ROS? Drop any of Anderson/Bell/Renfroe for the likes of Schebler?

Eno Sarris: I like Tim Anderson in deep leagues where his defense will keep him on the field, but .250/10/15 is not super sexy. I think Didi can .270/15/5, which is a little better. Schebler hits the ball hard, I think he can be a Duvall type with a little more patience. I’d pick him up.

Bryan: Harper already ar 2.1 WAR. Chances he eclipses 10 this season?

Eno Sarris: I thought he’d have a huge season this year, with his health issues ironed out.

Kaki Bryan: Are you concerned with Hamels’ lack of strikeouts?

Eno Sarris: Swinging strikes are gone, velocity down a tick… a little bit, yes.

Georgie: Where is Bregman’s power? What can we reasonable expect from him the rest of the way?

Eno Sarris: His GB/FB is totally flipped from the numbers that gave him so much power last year. That’s no bueno. He did cut the Ks like I hoped, but where have the fly balls gone? Gonna have to revise those power estimates down.

The Average Sports Fan: Is Jurrickson Profar ever going to be anything?

Eno Sarris: Nearly 700 plate appearances with a .100 ISO. Plate discipline and contact are okay, but without any power he’s just a utility guy.

Big Tuna: As a fervent Jharel Cotton believer, are you at all worried by the slow start (high WHIP) or is now a buy low opportunity?

Eno Sarris: I’m worried more by his lack of swinging strikes and Ks. I think he’s a dynasty acquire, because that’s a nice changeup and the cutter and fastball are good, but not necessarily a 12-14 team pickup.

Sour Beer: I know he’ll probably fall back to earth, but what’s the player comp for JC Ramirez’s ideal outcome?

Eno Sarris: I keep thinking about how Danny Duffy started throwing the two-seam more towards the middle of the zone and the whole package hummed better. I know he’s right-handed and his secondaries aren’t maybe as good, but Ramirez is a bad command guy with interesting stuff.

Relsh: If you had to choose a current baseball player to be a part time writer for fangraphs, who would it be and why is it Joey Votto?

Eno Sarris: I think it could be Sam Fuld, who has a degree in economics and has actually done research (is fouling balls off a skill).

Jeremy: How was that Fat Head IPA?

Eno Sarris: I love Head Hunter, the JuJu was a little old when I got it, and the Red was basically Blazing World or Nugget Nectar. Very good stuff.

Ham Sandwich: Does Votto continue with this new approach year round?

Eno Sarris: No, he’s always good for a strange month. One year he pulled everything. Maybe he’s trying to lift the ball more, but I doubt he deviates this much from his normal approach all year.

Hannah Hochevar: Enjoyed reading about JC Ramirez. Where would you slot him among his AL peers?

Eno Sarris: Ahead of Nate Karns, around Trevor Bauer.

Erik: My DL is full of better players, and Koda Glover just went down with an injury. Would you hold onto him, or drop him for a similar but uninjured reliever like Nate Jones, Trevor Rosenthal, Sean Doolittle, or Ryan Madson? Or even someone more speculative like Joe Jimenez or Jacob Barnes?

Eno Sarris: Doolittle, Rosenthal. There are too many DL guys in this life to hold on to all of them.

yojiveself: samardzija’s ERA and FIP are saying one thing, his xFIP says another. Who is right?

Eno Sarris: I like doing the slider more than the cutter. I want to see a non-COL start with that mix.

JJP: How long do you think Bellinger will be up?

Eno Sarris: See I like Toles and Joc and Puig. When they’re all healthy, there’s not a great spot for Cody. I think he goes back down.

mikecws91: Is Avisail Garcia for real? He’s not going to carry an OPS north of 1.000 all year, but he’s looked better than I’ve ever seen him.

Eno Sarris: Finally put more loft in the swing and added more exit velo. I’ll give him .275/.325/.450 going forward? 20 homers?

Eno Sarris: in all

Big Tuna: Do you think Berrios gets called up when the Twins need a 5th starter on May 8th? Is he worth stashing now?

Eno Sarris: In leagues where this is a possible thing you would do, then yes. Not in leagues where you’re dropping a Guy.

toki: Wild idea for the all-star game. Use Dead-ball era rules and allow pitchers to modify the crap out of the ball like they use to. Just for this one game a year. Think it would be interesting?

Eno Sarris: I AM NOW APPLYING VAGISIL TO THE BALL LET US SEE HOW IT MOVES

Max: What’s Nick Castellanos’ ceiling?

Eno Sarris: .280 with 25 homers, scratch defense and baserunning, probably 2.5-3 wins?

Edwin: That Preoccupations album is fantastic. What are your thoughts on Jesse Hahn? How does he rank with, say Snell, Hammel, or your boy JC Ramirez in a 12 team roto league?

Eno Sarris: Probably take Hahn over JCR because I’ve seen this stuff for a long time, and it’s finally looking like it should.

Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Shohei Otani is valuable as a two-way player. Plenty of high school players were two-way and would be viable as pitchers and hitters, but they’re always trained one way. If two-way players are so valuable, why not train them in both? If the answer is that it’s hard to train both, what did Otani do that was different?

Eno Sarris: Ignore his coaches? It’s a great skill if you don’t get killed for it.

Orange Whips: Purely looking for most saves rest of season, and I have only 20 moves for the rest of the season so I can’t do a ton of adds/drops. How would you rank these options: Glover, Doolittle, Wilson, Benoit, Norris, Nate Jones.

Eno Sarris: Doolittle Jones Wilson or Wilson Jones.

Updog: What is going on with Gsellman? Do you think his struggles will continue or will he start pitching to his fip/xfip?

Eno Sarris: Velo was down late, hope he’s not hurt. Some of it is poor luck, but I’m also not sure his secondaries suggest a great strikeout rate. Still a real life 4 for me.

ryan: what happened to jose abreu’s power?

Eno Sarris: Getting busted inside and it’s sapped his power. Still, they’ll make mistakes and he’ll hit 20+ with a good average. Just not amazing like we thought. Well, amazing, because he’s a major league baseball player.

kdallas: Any chance TEX gets its act in order and just lets Delino leadoff everyday?

Eno Sarris: I’d try this and make Profar super util at this point, yes.

abestinkin: Alternate question if you hate that one, keep 2: Chris Davis, Margot, Bellinger

Eno Sarris: I love Margot and Bellinger. If you’re winning now, though, you have to keep Davis. I’d keep all three further into the season and trade Davis at the deadline if you’re not in it. Margot if you are.

Erik: How close to droppable is Eric Hosmer in a 12-team league? I was only expecting moderate results from him, but I haven’t even gotten those.

Eno Sarris: Can still .270/16/4… man 16 deep in first base rankings has you around Carlos Santana and Trumbo, who I’d rather have. But if you have a CI slot, you really want to go 24 deep and look at… Victor Martinez and Matt Holliday? probably take Hoz but might take Holliday.

Bo: Any hope for early-season flops Greg Bird and Keon Broxton? Are both droppable in a 12-team 5×5 mixed H2H for a boring vet power-speed combo like Moreland-Dyson? Or would you hang on to the upside?

Eno Sarris: Actually for Bird I think so. He’s walking, K-ing, swinging and reaching like he always has, and he’s hitting fly balls like he always has. Broxton always had such a small chance because of that K rate.

CapnZippers: ENO! I took a trip out to Trillium the other day and walked out with too much beer, which isn’t a problem, I just don’t have enough room in the fridge! Super impressed with their Cutting Tiles and American Soak so far

Eno Sarris: True story, told my wife I’ll catch up to you and the boys at the train, lemme jump in here and buy some Trillium, showed up, they’d been waiting forever, I was sweating, huge box, she looks at me, disdainfully says, let’s call an uber.

Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: Will Alex Cobb put it together to the point where he can be traded for more than an interesting A-baller come the deadline?

Eno Sarris: He says he’s still searching for the feel on that change, and that it will come. It’s kind of amazing that it disappeared, you’d think it could come back.

Moltar: So I’m trying to convince myself that it’s early and the sky isn’t falling in Flushing, but, the sky is falling, right? Hitters can’t hit, defense sure as hell can’t defend, bullpen has been overworked and now with Thor going down, the entire rotation is a major headache. Any signs for optimism other than that it’s still somehow April?

Eno Sarris: Fourth-worst offense, and that’s with Jay Bruceing. Pitching still a strength, but Rafael Montero starting Saturday for Thor. Sigh.

Lord of the Infield Flies: Have you seen anything indicating that Eflin becomes more than a fringe starter?

Eno Sarris: No Ks.

hscer: if you ever need help getting through the queue, I volunteer. although everyone will hate my answers

Eno Sarris: 11:57

Lord of the Infield Flies: How does it feel to be the hottest FG staffer?

Eno Sarris: No way. Jeff Sullivan is great looking.

JV: Schebler continues to rake.

Eno Sarris: Exit Velo King.

Eric: Too soon to cut bait on Maeda in a 12-teamer?

Eno Sarris: Pitching mix problems I think. Too many four-seamers.

Yonder Alonso: Is my new swing legit? The flyballs certainly make it seem so!

Eno Sarris: He wanted to do it, and he did. Very compelling story. I think maybe the BABiP comes down though, he’s averaging 20 degrees which is p high for line drives.

Sans-Saves: Who is the next closer to screw the pooch and lose their job & who is your replacement pick?

Eno Sarris: K-Rod, Wilson.

Moltar: So this weekend I’m going to support my friend who is competing in a home brewing festival. Having never been to an event like this or home brewing myself (I have the tiniest of city kitchens), what can I expect from the event? Any tips for pacing myself all day?

Eno Sarris: Find a way to not drink some of the beers, which may not be great. Go to the bathroom and pour some out. Drink water!

Hoping…: What do you expect from Berrios and LWeaver ROS? Worth a stash?

Eno Sarris: They’re funny because they might be opposites. Stuff vs Command. I’m biased toward Berrios, but both are interesting and will start in majors.

Andrew: In general, what 3-5 stats do you consider to be the most reliable indicators of hitter or pitcher performance. In other words, what do you look at to determine whether a player’s fantasy numbers are for real, or due for a correction in one direction or the other?

Eno Sarris: pitchers at this point, I’m looking at velocity, pitching mix, swinging strike rate, maybe GB%. hitters at this point, I’m looking at swinging strike rate, strikeout rate, swing rates, reach rates, gb/fb.

HP: thought I had while reading your article about command….do you think catchers ever intentionally set the target somewhere other than where the pitch is supposed to go, as a psychological ploy against hitters or runners on 2nd base trying to indicate location?

Eno Sarris: Yes. There are also ‘peakers’ or hitters that look back at the location.

Jack: Does an increase in FB% with a decrease in LD% suggest a hitter may be trying to hit ball in air more? I’m looking at Yelich here who has GB% same as last year but more flyballs and less line drives? Do you think he’s trying something here?

Eno Sarris: yeah I think his angle is changing. Can try BaseballSavant.mlb.com for angle research.

Eckstein123: Was rereading an old high profile Madison Bumgarner article. He’s got a lot of very dangerous hobbies.

Eno Sarris: “I like to take my chainsaw on my ATV and mow the meadow that way”

NewFaces: ROS for CArroyo and CBellinger? What are reasonable comps?

Eno Sarris: I don’t know about Arroyo’s power, maybe a Matt Duffy type. Bellinger swing so hard baby, I think he could end up looking a lot like Rake Lamb looked last year.

El Duderino: Would you actually be interested in the HR Derby if Gallo, Stanton, Judge, and Sano were competing?

Eno Sarris: I sat in the crowd at the last home run derby and… really enjoyed it!

Eno Sarris: hey not bad

Vegan Man: Is Severino a frontline starter again with him throwing the changeup more/more effectively?

Eno Sarris: it’s not an amazing pitch but yeah throwing it 10% and getting grounders from it is huge.

Robbie Ray: How’s my curve?

Eno Sarris: P good! Good velo, tons of grounders, great whiffs, 80% grounders vs righties… this could be the thing. Now let’s figure out why his four-seam is getting whooped by righties.

Erik: How many of the Phillies hitters are definitely part of the next core? It was supposed to be Herrera and Franco, but Franco has been shaky for over a year now while Hernandez has been excellent.

Eno Sarris: I’m still in on Franco.

tonyc: It’s looking like it’s going to be a lost season for the Giants with all of the injuries and an offense we knew was going to be iffy to begin with. If things continue to go downhill, do they become sellers at the deadline, and if so, who’s likely to go?

Eno Sarris: I thought this sort of thing was coming but not necessarily this year. They just don’t seem like sellers, but if they were, I’d do what the Yankees did and shop Cueto and Pence.

Zihuatenejo: I need a beer rec Eno. My girlfriend only likes sweet/milk stouts (Left Hand, Mother’s Milk, etc.), which start becoming hard to find on tap this time of year. What might be a good spring/summer beer for someone with such a palate?

Eno Sarris: Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout always there for you, and they have a milk stout but it’s suuuuper sweet. But browns might also work. your local might have a brown around…

Big Tuna: On Rotoworld, they speculated that Cueto might be hurt more than most by hitters trying to hit fly balls. What do you think of this theory? Is he maybe more of a SP2 than 1?

Eno Sarris: Mix mostly normal, velo mostly steady, I think just a few homer blips.

Hmm: Interesting article on JC. Where do you rank him among SPs going forward?

Eno Sarris: late 70s.

Evil Goatee Eno: How do you increase trade activity in a fantasy league?

Eno Sarris: Make good offers? Have incentives for the second half, for the bottom half teams? Change to dynasty format?

Brandon: what in god’s name do the cubs do with ian happ

Eno Sarris: wait

Scooby: Eno! Thanks for chatting. Are you up or down on Matt Moore? Starting him tonight vs. the Dodgers?

Eno Sarris: Ks down because of increased cutter usage, but that should help his command stats. I think he’ll start mixing in more curves and I’m still in. I’d start him.

Zihuatenejo: I need someone at Fangraphs to acknowledge that the Dodgers have been disappointing so far this season. Can you be that guy Eno?

Eno Sarris: The offense has been, yes. They’d hoped for better than league average. Pen been p good, but starters a little worse than they’d hoped, due perhaps to some (forseeable) injury.

hscer: RBI’s are silly, except in standard fantasy of course, but how about the MLB leaderboard right now

Eno Sarris: Man I *never* sort this way. Oh look three Nats in the top three.

PTBNL: Red Sox struggling at 3B, Devers is not yet ready for the majors. Can Boston be a legitimate threat with Panda/Holt/Rutledge/Hernandez at the hot corner?

Eno Sarris: Yes. They Hawt everywhere else.

HankLloydWright: In a world full of ludes, the only ludes are baseball questions.

Kyle: Kid Keuchy still doing work

DTH: two weeks ago in fantasy, I sold “high” on Thames. I am not a smart man.

Eno Sarris: An interlude! I’m an hour behind and on page two of four. Wow!

The Kyd: How are you feeling about Harvey moving forward? Feel like he’s been a little lucky, to date, examining his peripherals, but that walk rate is encouragingly low.

Eno Sarris: Throwing to the middle of the zone. I’d be selling.

RMR: If Paxton can stay healthy, are we looking at a top 10 starter?

Eno Sarris: yeah that’s the only if really.

Guest: If you were managing the Yankees, would you start Bird or Carter at 1st against Sale tonight?

Eno Sarris: Carter.

Swan Ronson: How far ahead of the field is Kershaw in a 10-teamer? We have deep rosters, but I’m thinking about dealing Lester, Urias and someone else good to get him to pair with Scherzer.

Eno Sarris: Dooooooooo it

Coach McGuirk: Trade high now on Aaron Judge or Joey Gallo?

Eno Sarris: Gallo. Look at the contact rates.

Scooby: Who are some SPs you are looking to buy low now for a roster spot in 12 team mixers — underperformers, surprises, guys on the waiver wire who you believe will help our teams going forward.

Eno Sarris: I’d buy Kluber (not in dynasties unless year two/three is no big deal), I think I’d buy Verlander, Tanaka, Cole, if someone dropped Nola I’d pick him up. Specifics are way easier.

Pikup Androppov: This cute girl at Starbucks keeps staring at me. Should I go with the pickup line “I’ve noticed you’ve been looking at me a latte” or “I’m worried about Adrian Beltre’s calf injury”? Thanks!

Eno Sarris: Tell them at the register that your name is Adrian Beltre

Slothrop: You like any beer from Alabama?

Eno Sarris: Scanning the boards, it’s entirely possible that I’ve never had a beer from Alabama.

RMR: Gallo moves to LF/DH when Beltre gets back? Gotta keep his bat in the lineup right?

Eno Sarris: Yeah he’ll stick around.

Vogelbach smash: Thoughts on Vogelbach now that he got the call up? Similar to Schwarber?

Eno Sarris: Less power. Much less power.

Mike Trout: Shoemaker or Skaggs ROS?

Eno Sarris: Shoemaker.

OC: How much variance is there in a pitcher’s movement on pitches? Does a pitches curveball generally have the same drop? Do pitchers with greater variance in movement have a harder time with control/command?

Eno Sarris: It’s generally about the same unless you’re talking breaking balls, sliders mostly, those have a wide-ass spread. I tried looking into breaking ball command for the THT annual a while back and it didn’t look like it correlated with much.

Braník Best: Will Shoemaker improve into an top 30 SP? Hasn’t looked great and started very poorly last night.

Eno Sarris: I wish he threw the split 40% of the time again.

Boss Man: Any hope for Domingo Santana? Thinking about cutting bait in my 12 teamer. Schebler, Choo available.

Eno Sarris: I think there’s still hope, but those guys are fine. Choo for me.

B: Keuchel… NOW are you believing?

Eno Sarris: I totally believe… he can be a fantasy two-three with a mid-threes era and middling k rates!

Eno Sarris: There are traditional stats that you should look at, not to believe in them, but to see what’s not believable. Like, for example, strand rate and BABIP. If they are super extreme (100% and .188 are about as extreme as you can get, in Keuchel’s case), then you don’t have to get so fine with your analysis.

Nate: I read somewhere that JC Ramirez has a new curve to go along with his heat, and he’s certainly getting Ks and (at least very recent) results. Do you see him turning into anything more than a stop-gap for the Angels?

Eno Sarris: Whole piece on our site about him today. I think he could maybe 3.75, 1.25 with 8k9, that’s p good.

Wade boggs’ head: Thoughts on Chase Anderson? Added veto, new arm slot, new approach I believe?

Eno Sarris: New pitch, too, a cutter. He’ll give up more homers, but 3.5/1.25 with 8k9 seems possible for this year.

bosoxforlife: Are you ready to accept the Yankees as bonafide contenders?

Eno Sarris: I had them in the wild card on my FG predictions.

Guest: Eno – Chase Anderson, Jordan Montgomery and Michael Wacha have been pitching well – are you moving any of the three up in your rest of season rankings or is this just a little bit of a good run for each?

Eno Sarris: Chase and Jordan in the late 60s, early 70s, Wacha up past that. He’s legit. Just want him to throw fewer cutters.

Dahl Makhani: A little tepid on Amed Rosario because he hits for almost no power, but then we saw what happened to Lindor’s ‘no power’ profile when he was promoted. Think there’s a shot he can pull a Lindor, or are we looking at Orlando Arcia 2.0?

Eno Sarris: I think he could be Elvis Andrus (pre late 2015) and the chance for Elvis Andrus (post late 2015) is in there.

Chuck: Do you think Motter can maintain near everyday ABs as a jack of all trades? And equally as important, can he keep this up?

Eno Sarris: Yes and I believe in his power, not like this kind of power, but .180ish ISO with decent Ks and versatility and speed.

Maikel Franco: What do you make of my across the board improvements? Buying?

Eno Sarris: yes

Grant: In all of your clubhouse interactions, who is the funniest player you’ve been around?

Eno Sarris: Stephen Vogt always makes me laugh. Jeff Samardzija, too. Joey Votto is p hilarious, doesn’t mind saying things others would be afraid would hurt their brand.

Nelson: Eno_- keep your fruit and veggies outta my beer!

Eno Sarris: GET OFf MY LAWN

Eno Sarris:

Eno Sarris: Just like the idea of playing flutes and yelling at people, half naked on a lawn, with a long ass white beard, and a hot chip beat in the background

Kvn: Jose Ramirez’s batted ball profile is very interesting so far. Materially more fly balls, more hard contact, less soft contact, going less to the oppo field compared to last year. Have you seen anything swing/approach wise here? Is this for real?

Eno Sarris: That’s the recipe everyone’s trying to cook with. I’m into it.

Josh: With Arizona trying to compete this year, they can’t let Rodney close, right? Do they have a guy on their current roster you like, or do you think they make a trade?

Eno Sarris: Archie. Bradley.

Merv Throneberry: Any reason to be excited by Kennys Vargas, other than the enjoyment I get saying his name?

Eno Sarris: He’s been a leader in barrels! I think he hits the ball v hard. Plate discipline doesn’t lead to walks but isn’t terrible in terms of reaching and the like.

The Oriole Bird: Eno! Have you checked out KLaw’s new book (Smart Baseball)? He mentions specifically that you can’t quantify command. Gauntlet thrown down!!

Eno Sarris: Got a new approach! Trying again!

Grant: Do you like Sours?

Eno Sarris: yes.

Timmy (NC): In terms of verrrrry far off dynasty lotto chips, would you prefer Luis Robert or Kakie Bryan? Thanks!

Eno Sarris: Kakie 80s everyone, including mane.

Art Vandelay: Super Heavy Cascade from Henhouse is a revelation. No hops in the boil, a crap-ton added during fermentation. All the grass and citrus with very little (if any) bitterness. One of the most original ales I’ve tasted in years. Henhouse is seriously on the come-up.

Eno Sarris: They are a must-taste when you see them on a lineup.

DTH: Decided to take two weeks off drinking beer just to make sure I wasn’t an alcoholic. It seems I’m not, I made it, but I’ve discovered something I’d like to share: not drinking beer SUCKS

Eno Sarris: I put that on Monday through Wednesday, which, you know. aren’t the best days anyway.

The Kyd: I know Healy is your boy, but how are you feeling about him so far this season?

Eno Sarris: Stepped off the plate a bit and is missing more. I’d like him to reverse that decision. I still see great gap to gap power and decent bat to ball skills, which is a great combo.

Above Average Joe: Also your opinion on Castle Danger’s mosaic IPA and Surly’s Todd The Axe Man. 2 of MN’s best beers IMO

Eno Sarris: AXE MAN FTW

Robbie? Gross, man: Who gets booted from the A’s rotation when Sonny Gray comes back?

Eno Sarris: Manaea’s shoulder hurts. These things work themselves out.

Daniel: How can I learn to be as handsome as Jeff Sullivan?

Eno Sarris: Walk on your tippie toes and practice being super nice to everyone.

botchatheny: have you tried stone cold steve austins IPA (broken skull)?

Eno Sarris: I like it! El Segundo is great.

In the wrong chat: Keith, love the new book. Read it 3 times already. Whens your top 25 list coming out?

Joey Votto: I get bored easily. That’s the answer.

Velvet Merlin: With Cotton, it’s more about the thread count then the pitch count right?

Eno Sarris: Boom, I thought we might not and then we did.

Dahl Makhani: Under reported story line so far: what the hell is happening with Correa? He looked awesome during the WBC and has three extra base hits for the month of April.

Eno Sarris: I think with him these bad stretches are nagging underreported injuries.

Sonny: Teams are using the 10-day DL pretty liberally, should fantasy leagues increase the # of DL spots next year or is this just something to work around?

Eno Sarris: Yes. This sucks.

Art Vandelay: you’ve probably addressed this and I haven’t seen it. Are you for or against the 10 day DL as it relates to fantasy? It’s annoying for sure, but I think if every league added even one more DL spot it would be fine. The players on it would probably be out 5-6 games at a minimum anyway, so if I miss out on a pinch hit opportunity I’m not mad about it. probably safer for players in the long-term as well.

Eno Sarris: More slots.

eelz: got any Jacob Barnes shares? 30% swstrk on the slider and already getting into high lev situations. Him or Carl Edwards, ros?

Eno Sarris: Barnes. Have shares. Just can’t recommend for people specking on saves because he’s third in line.

Hannah Hochevar: What’s dj lemahieu’s DJ name?

Eno Sarris: Is DJ DJ taken or

Aspergillus : I forgot what the “E” is in the five-factor theory of personality, so I put “Eric Thames’ Big Dongs”

Alex: Why do people get so upset with sp high bb/9 if the corresponding h/9 is low, resulting in a decent WHIP? Are walks allowed eally that much worse than hits allowed?

Eno Sarris: Because h/9 is very hard to predict.

eno sunshine when shes gone: you have a typo in your JC article, maybe fangrapgs typo. curveball has 68 velocity instead of 78.

p.s. somebody tell bregman to give marlon byrd, justin turner, or jay bruce a call.

Eno Sarris: those aren’t velocities, they’re percentiles

Random question: Do you have a favorite pitch-type? Maybe favorite isn’t the word, but a pitch-type that you enjoy specially for some reason.

Eno Sarris: Splitfingers. Nothing combines terrifying movement with great velocity in the same way, IMO. Curves are fun though, that big old hump.

PD: At what point does an upper cut swing get too upper cut? When would you start losing fly balls and ending up with more pop ups? And why is the paradigm of this Trevor Story circa 2017?

Eno Sarris: yes the pop-up, and then the low BABIP (50% fly balls, Schimpf problem), that’s when you’ve gone too far. No player has consistently hit for more than 50% fly balls year in and year out.

Tony: Re: Samardzija… 4 of 5 allowed HR have been in COL & ARI.

Eno Sarris: Yesm.

Eno Sarris:

Alex: I disagree with BeerGraphs ranking Torpedo #8 among Sierra Nevada beers. I think it’s at least top 3. Where do you stand Eno?

Eno Sarris: I’ll take Tropical Torpedo over it, and maybe Narwal too.

Joe, Esq.: Hey Eno, not that it ultimately matters, but do you realize that you have talking about a 2017 season in a chat dated 2016 (for at least the last few). I was wondering if we could talk to Present Eno and not Eno from 2016, because his foresight has been amazing so far.

Eno Sarris: sigh.

Gub Gub: What hairstyle do you wish you could pull off?

Eno Sarris: Short.

Oddball Herrera: Where are you on the Heyward Optimism Spectrum, 1 being “Hooray he’s no longer terrible” and 10 being “He’s back to previous form”?

Eno Sarris: 6?

Sim: Do we abandon ship with R. Hill?

Eno Sarris: He’s supposed to throw today!

Tom: Great piece on JC Ramirez. Rank ROS in 12 tm h2h pts: JC, Morton, Wheeler?

Eno Sarris: Might take a shot on JC there. Although, just noticed that *righties* are crushing Morton now, which is maybe a good sign. Small sample platoon splits are not useful and he’s had a problem with lefties forever. Okay, Morton, JC, Wheeler.

Erik: Wait this is the same JC Ramirez who was a terrible reliever for the Phillies? The guy from that awesome Cliff Lee trade?

Eno Sarris: Yeah dude, it’s weird. But he was throwing a poopy four-seam back then.

Josh: Have you done any more research into the potentially decreased drop in Kershaw’s slider you noted before? Is it possible that he’s actually throwing cutters now (closer to 90mph) that don’t drop as much, which are being counted as sliders? If so, what’s the deal with the cutter?

Eno Sarris: yeah it’s still up there, maybe it is a cutter http://www.brooksbaseball.net/velo.php?player=477132&b_hand=-1&gFilt=&…

Eno Sarris: I made it to page three!

Hemhaw J. Bullhockey: That is not my wheelchair. Mine is the velvet seat.

Grape: Got any grapes?

hooha: which would be a better closer, the thinker or the stinker?

Eno Sarris: Obv the stinker.

bat first : Seager the Younger, Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, Thames, Trout, Haniger, Eaton……who should I trade for a little pitching help?

Eno Sarris: Thames I guess though people might think you selling high, while Eaton has that great combo of not being obvious sell high, being useful, and also being tradeable.

Jeetness: Rank them for OPS dynasty: Kepler, Franco and Bird.

Eno Sarris: Franco, Bird, Kepler.

Big Boy: Judge really looks to have fixed a lot of his plate discipline issues. Could he realistically hit 270 with 35 homers this year?

Eno Sarris: Contact rate holding steady, that BA is becoming more possible every day, and the power was always possible.

Jack: Are you selling Bundy even in a dynasty league? Got me scared about his velo

Eno Sarris: Yeah.

Ben: What’s your first move to correct the Nats pen? And when do you make it?

Eno Sarris: Get Treinen right, get his command right.

Robert the Bruce Banner: Any idea how much of all of this translates to high school baseball? Things like all the players being so much weaker does it make sense to still elevate the ball, etc

Eno Sarris: In the lower levels, contact and contact alone is more useful because defense is worse, but you still want to optimize your angle for your exit velo.

Dumpster Fiers: If I recall, you’re not big on Buxton. Is he worth a stash in a deep dynasty league?

Eno Sarris: Still worth a stash, but I’m not buying.

Franklin: Man, I just love watching AJ Pollock at the plate and on the bases. Is he quite possibly the most underrated player in baseball at the moment? He is soooo good when healthy.

Eno Sarris: Yes I really enjoy watching that guy.

Ryan: Is this newfound power from Alonso real or is he still a fringe double digit HR guy?

Eno Sarris: I think he can hit 18 or so this year.

Josh: Which of these statcast numbers is most interesting/predictive: Avg EV, Avg EV FB/LD, 95mph+% EV, or Barrel %?

Eno Sarris: Most of the research I’ve seen says you want 50+ balls in play in the bucket, and we’re only getting to that for AVG EV. As you get further in, the rest become more interesting.

#BantheWave: MICHAEL CONFORTO WILL SOLVE ALL ILLS WOOOOOOOOO

Tony: Interesting article on the Hill blister issue yesterday! Where would you set the over/under on IP RoS and is he still 3.00ish effective when he’s on the mound?

Eno Sarris: 80 and yeah!

Robert the Bruce Banner: Thoughts on the Cubs decreased velo?

Eno Sarris: Man I want to jump into the park effects on that. Because yeah even if they all did pitch into the postseason, it’s weird that so many of them are having problems.

SteveO: What’s up with Vince Velasquez’s lack of Ks the last two starts?

Eno Sarris: Probably focusing on command I guess.

Robert the Bruce Banner: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could increase its launch angle?

Eno Sarris: more

Eno Sarris: #elevate

hscer: i still think pretty is a p strange adverb to abbreviate

Eno Sarris: even v strange

HappyFunBall: Bad command, high upside RHP with a nasty sinker … I mea, isn’t that the Aaron Sanchez seed package?

Eno Sarris: Yeah but you can’t just say 2017 Aaron Sanchez is what that is and call it a day. We need more info on Sanchez himself!

Pete: I am sure you have given your take on Thames in the past, but I missed it so – What is this guy (who I have a man-crush on, but that is beside the point)? Stud hitter? Lucky? What active hitter would you comp him to as far as expecting similar results? Thanks!

Eno Sarris: Guys see so much slop in Asia. I think that was his problem going in, and he got a steady dose of it, and got better.

propjoebaltimore: Jeff Sullivan kinda looks like Kris Bryant. No question, just an observation.

dad: gimme some ludey tunes

Wade boggs’ head: Yahoo sent me an email today telling me that Fantasy Football is open, renew my league! Huh! Why!

Eno Sarris: Luded.

Eno Sarris:

HappyFunBall: To survive a homebrew event sober, carry around a glass of water. Take beer shots for your tastings, but use the water to handle the urge that you should be drinking _something_ all the time

Don: Outside of the ethical ramifications of throwing 100 mph heat directly at an umpire, why don’t teams play their catchers in the infield with no outs?

Eno Sarris: I think there might actually be a rule about where the catcher can be. Equipment rules exist, remember when Rizzo had to put a second baseman’s glove on?

AD: If my SP2, 3, and 4 are Quintana, Maeda, and Matt Moore is it time to panic or do I hold tight another week or two?

Eno Sarris: Q is fine, but that’s a lot of risk for 3 and 4, I’d be at least collecting pitchers on my bench, and being v careful with Maeda and Moore starts for innings reasons.

Bear Hands: Love the JC Ramirez column. As a SP5 in an 18-team H2H league, do you want him or Gsellman or, say Triggs or Cody Reed?

Eno Sarris: JCR, Triggs, Gsell

Padilla Eephus: Have you checked out Tree House Brewing yet? It’s a little outside Boston but well worth the drive.

Eno Sarris: Had many but never been.

BING BONG: BING BONG BING BONG BING BONG BING BONG

Jumbotron: Shelby Miller getting a THIRD opinion…do we see Bradley in the rotation?

Eno Sarris: Hope not, love Bradley the reliever.

The Mystery of Dave’ Roberts’ Fa: How did Dave Roberts go from age 39 to 67 in the span of 4 years?

Eno Sarris: Managing like Presidenting that way.

tommy lasagna, sr.:

tooch: Had Bissel Bros Swish the other day for the first time. Wow. Also what’s goin on with Devon Travis?

Eno Sarris: Hurt?

Robert the Bruce Banner: No ludes today? Or not enough good ones? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

Eno Sarris: 12:59. But I have to go!

tommy lasagna, sr.: my two year old has a 2 day pee on the floor streak. how do i break it up?

Eno Sarris: Diapers?

Robert the Bruce Banner: Mario Kart has made me irrationally afraid of banana peels

HappyFunBall: If I can trade Eric Thames for Benintendi in a keeper, I should do that right? Even if he IS Barry Bonds, he’s also already 30…

Eno Sarris: That’s v tempting yeah. I do that.

Julio Franco: Any chance we’ll ever see a knuckleballer used as an “opener”? i.e. let them throw the first 3 innings every other day, to take advantage of the first time through the lineup and an attempt to exploit the knuckleball hangover effect. . .

Eno Sarris: Yeah I like that. Or a lefty that can throw 90-100 innings that opens games and screws people out of platoon lineups.

PL: Oakland’s food trucks as good as advertised?

Eno Sarris: I liked the Bulgogi one, heard the poutine one was overrated, tacos looked great.

Eno Sarris: Okay okay I have to do stuff. love and kisses!