Eno Sarris Baseball Chat — 6/30/16

Eno Sarris: Listen I heard this on Jason Schwarzman’s show and it’s some sort of Doobie Brother cover played on like a casio and I know that sentence is way up its own ass but I dunno I like it.

Bork: Hello, friend!

Eno Sarris: Hello!

Bob Dobolina: Worried about Samardzija? Dude’s getting knocked around.

Eno Sarris: here’s the weird thing, if you look at his peripherals, they are exactly the same as last year. The balls in play results are different.

Eno Sarris: I think he’s a highish ERA okay WHIP meh strikeouts guy basically. 3.75/1.25/7k9

Frank: Isn’t Teheran about to come crashing down? .209 BABIP now, and the lowest he’s ever had is .276. With the Braves system devoid of any hitters besides Albies/Swanson, why would they keep him?

Eno Sarris: I’d trade him. He might keep a .270ish BABIP based on the pop-ups for the next three years or so, but he might also bring back a nice haul now, and more than later.

Bork: It’s Canada Day tomorrow! If you had to pick a Canadian beer to drink to celebrate, which would you go with?

Eno Sarris: Easy answer is La Fin du Monde, but I’m not into Belgians. I think I’d like to try a Steamwhistle Pilsner, but there are also way more beers I know nothing about.

GPT: Hello, based on the pretty small sample so far, is Albert Suarez a legitimate MLB starter, or is this just a flukish run? His stuff and build looks the part, but his track record isn’t impressive.

Eno Sarris: League average sinkerballer type.

Zonk: Eno! I understand you weighed in a bit on Tony Massarotti’s article that “Kris Bryant is overrated”. Can you elaborate on your thoughts on that?

Eno Sarris: Oh it was terrible. He brought in numbers even while making fun of numbers, and his numbers were terrible. He pointed out that Bryant hits .233 against power pitchers, but didn’t point out that Bryant’s OPS against power pitchers was 56% better than league average OPS against power pitchers. The rest was gobbledigook.

Terry: Speaking of up its own ass – so I’m way out in front in my redraft league (like, WAY out in front) which is totally new to me. It’s great, obviously, but tweaking my lineup here and there is a LOT less fun than my usual practice of wheeling and dealing to break from the middle of the pack. Any suggestions to liven things up? Please don’t say daily fantasy.

Eno Sarris: Pretend you’re not in first and try to dominate, get 12s in each category, something like that. I did once get 10s-12s in each category one time.

Bork: You know who won’t hate Robot Umps? Me. And really, that’s all that matters.

Eno Sarris: Hah, I didn’t hate it until I realized how many extra strikes it will bring. And how it will ruin something that only baseball has in the negotiation between hitter, pitcher, catcher and ump.

Jeff in T.O.: You like Jake Lamb, right? Think he is playing over his head and will cool slightly, or continue what he is doing for the rest of the season? Thanks Eno!

Eno Sarris: Swing change, always hit the ball hard. Love him.

Brett Lawrie’s Empty Redbull Can: Eno! Aaron Sanchez is sandwiched between Greinke and Scherzer in fWar. Shut down Rockies in Coors over 8 innings last night. Thoughts on the Jays eventually moving him to the pen?

Eno Sarris: Love him. Give him another 40 innings? 60 at most.

MLB: I think a Bizarro Eno would be named E-yes Sarrisn’t

Steve Garvey: Bottle release for Double Dobis was over in three hours. Holy crap is it good.

Mike: Eno, if a lude is boring, is it really a lude at all?

Eno Sarris: introspective lude!

Ian: How’s your semaphore game? Tight?

Eno Sarris: Uh, flag or programming?

hscer: Kris Bryant had 16 total bases on Monday. In 18 games from May 14 to June 9, Giancarlo Stanton had 15 total bases.

Eno Sarris: “Anyone can go five for five” was something Massaroti said on tv.

Koppel: Heading to St. Louis in a few weeks, home of the beast of beers, AB. Please tell me there are better brewery options there than “drinkin Buds”. HELP!!!

Eno Sarris: Oh for sure. The book is out this week, and in it there are many places to go. www.beergraphs.com/book I’ll even send you the St. Louis chapter early if you preorder. One for free: Urban Chestnutt.

Q-Ball: Joey Votto. He’s still good, but definitely a drop-off since last year. Just a bit of a slump, or are we seeing a drop-off from peak Votto?

Eno Sarris: Yeah I mean I love the guy but he’s 32.

Jim: Weighing 3 starters for 2 spots in a 16-team keeper: Ryu, Jon Gray, and Mengden. All $1 next year. What say ye?

Eno Sarris: Mengden for sure. The other one’s tougher, and I’d wait with Ryu on the DL if possible to see what he looks like, what velo he has when he comes back. If he’s healthy, Ryu.

MikeMilligan: Hope you’re enjoying your Pliny the Elder. Do you see the Dodgers as players for Miller/Chapman ? If not what if anything do you see them doing ?

Eno Sarris: I think they’d want a starter, but they also have a lot of guys coming back. Asking for an outfielder is sort of hilarious. Maybe it will be a reliever.

Will Smyly be smiling?: Hi Eno…Smyly continues to be lit up. Still confident ROS?

Eno Sarris: The K-BB is great. The curve has changed a bit. Something has to give. I’ll give him the Ted Lilly package: a strikeout per inning, a good whip, and a 3.8 ERA.

Shawn: Session IPAs underrated IMO. What are some of your favorites. Easy Jack, Super Session, Hoppy Birthday (maybe not a true “session”), Even Keel, and Whirlpool all up there for me

Eno Sarris: Easy Jack and Super Session great. I rec those all the time. But Pivo Pils is sorta hoppy. and there are some nice light pale ales like AleSmith X that are close.

Young Jeezy: Scale of 1-10 on concern for Kershaw?

Eno Sarris: 3

Turbo: Will Harris or The Final Boss for ROS?

Eno Sarris: Harris

A. Reitz: Did you get a chance to see Brock Stewart start last night? Looked pretty good. Threw a lot of strikes, had some tough luck in the 2nd inning. 2 bloop hits and a mistake led to a HR.

Eno Sarris: Sat 93 mph with a lot of whiffs. Wonder what happens when other starters get healthy.

Thor thoughts: Hi Eno…any thoughts on Thor ROS with the bone spur? I read on FG that many pitchers have spurs and Thor says he’ll be fine but assuming his preform acne the last couple games is injury related, the numbers seem to say something else.

Eno Sarris: One problem with Bone Spurs is that people aren’t sure that removing them is good for the pitcher. There are more than a few pitchers pitching with them.

Erik: Aaron Nola has the league’s 4th-worst ERA-FIP (1.29). That stat can represent both bad luck or some bad skill we can’t fully identify, right (see Nolasco, Ricky)? Which is more likely in Nola’s case?

Eno Sarris: Wrote a whole long post on Nola, but I think it’s just a mechanics blip. He has real stuff, it’s not just command. But great command too, normally. Right now he’s throwing the sinker down broadstreet for lefties though.

Q-Ball: Where do you stand on bunts? I personally think only pitchers should bunt, but I don’t have any data to back that up. What say you, Eno?

Eno Sarris: Only pitchers should bunt.

Tucker: Of the Braves stockpile of arms, in your estimation how many end up as #1/2s, #3/4s, #5/BP? Higher/lower than most on any?

Eno Sarris: Not sure I see a 1/2 yet.

Brett Lawrie’s Empty Redbull Can: Like the decision to #LetMadbumHit in an AL park? First team to intentionally forego the DH since 1976!

Eno Sarris: It’s a bad baseball decision because between Pagan, Williamson and Parker, they have an extra bat that can hit better than Bumgarner, as good as he is for a pitcher. But it’s a great bad baseball decision because it will be fun.

Mikey: I can see how you like the Doobies cover. Best enhancement is not using a MacDonald soundalike.

Eno Sarris: I actually don’t love his voice, but I do like some of his songs.

Alex: Eno, looking for a light refreshing IPA to enjoy poolside this weekend out in So Cal, any recommendations?

Eno Sarris: Modern Times Booming Rollers.

Nerris: Is there something to the idea of building a bullpen of power arms, 5-7 deep, and asking your starting pitcher to only go 5 innings each night. Paying elite RP is much more cost effective than elite SP, and the injury risk seems far less. Even converting good power SP into elite RP has some merit to keep them healthy. There’s more to this idea/argument, but I wonder if a team like the O’s would think about it.

Eno Sarris: One problem is that RP are less projectable year to year. But yeah, I think we’re moving towards this with the Royals, Yankees, and Orioles sorta working that way.

Q-Ball: Will you get a chance to visit venerable old Turner Field before this old stadium classic is torn down?

Eno Sarris: I’ve been there plenty. Lived in Atlanta from 86-93 and visited a lot until 97.

Eno Sarris: It’s a decent stadium, actually. Way better than the Launching Pad.

PJ: Is it just me or has Green Flash really gone downhill?

Eno Sarris: I think they’ve just been passed by. They used to be the class of the town, but people are doing funner things now.

Shawn: Thoughts on Lucas Giolito’s debut? I know it was short, but anything good or bad pop out at you?

Eno Sarris: Lots of high fastballs and even a high change. Knows how to use his stuff. Change didn’t look great, but the other two pitches might be elite enough.

Art Vandelay: You mentioned a few catchers didn’t want their names printed, what percentage of all the players you interviewed were either “no comment” or wanted to remain anonymous?

Eno Sarris: 25%

Eno Sarris: Some almost recoiled in horror at the question haha.

Eno Sarris: Hey the first song went well, let’s try this one. it makes me dance in the car.

L Nygaard: What’s your prognosis for Conforto? Will he rebound and be what you thought he’d be?

Eno Sarris: I still believe.

MarinerDan: Who goes to the bench when Miguel Sano returns — Grossman? Kepler?

Eno Sarris: Grossman. Perfect fourth OF.

Eno Sarris: Less upside going forward than Ze German.

Randy Savage: Sweetwater Brewing Co recently had two tucks full of beer stolen. The beer was recovered, but has to be destroyed for safety reasons. Pour one out for this tragic loss of tasty goodness

Eno Sarris: I hadn’t heard the second part and it’s the saddest part because I imagined Smoky and the Bandit racing to California with a truck full of Sweetwater.

Frank: What are the chances Neil Walker gets a QO? What about Bartolo?

Eno Sarris: Good. A little bit less good, given his age.

hscer: whose performance will catch up to peripherals first, R Zimmerman or G Gonzalez

Eno Sarris: Zimmerman. Hitting the ball hard.

PJ: While it is not a megalopolis, when will Fangraphs come out to Pittsburgh? PNC is maybe the best park in the majors, and its a cheap city.

Eno Sarris: It is not due to hatred of your city. It is due to the fact that there aren’t a ton of FG brass living in that vicinity. But I do think we have a guy or two there, and I want to visit, so maybe I’ll advocate for a meetup there next year.

G: Are you gonna be able to get your hands on a King JJJuliusss? Perfection in a can

Eno Sarris: It’s amazing.

Art Vandelay: I tried Pseudo Sue (delicious) and Hopslam (insanely overrated) this weekend. Having a brother-in-law across the country is really paying off.

Eno Sarris: Agree on all three things!

Rockies fan: Am I crazy for getting excited about Jon Gray? His underlying metrics and stuff looks great. Think he has a chance to be our first ace since Ubaldo?

Eno Sarris: Really nice fastball. Great slider. Curve he doesn’t trust in Coors. Can he be an Ottavino type as a starter? He told me Ottavino told him to vary the slider, and you can see he’s throwing a cutter thing against lefties. That’s still really only 2.5 pitches.

Brett Lawrie’s Empty Redbull Can: To answer Bork’s question about Canadian Beers: Flying Monkey’s Smash Bomb or Muskoka Brewery’s Mad Tom IPA. All about the Bombs and Toms baby

Art Vandelay: Seriously though, I thought Hopslam was way too sweet.

Eno Sarris: Syrup.

Erik: Is there a case for making Baez the Cubs primary shortstop, and reducing Russell to more of a utility role? He seems to be a slightly better hitter and by the eye test is a better defender by a hair.

Eno Sarris: What about Bryant in left and Baez at third?

Young Jeezy: What sized leagues are you giving up on Marcus Stroman in?

Eno Sarris: 10

Sik Bro: Sporer ripped Devon Travis for being overhyped; then he went on a torrid run. Who’s right? DJ SpoSpo or Devon Travis?

Eno Sarris: We ate our Travis crow. Just thought those pins in his shoulder would be a big deal for his power this year.

Ronnie: Is the fact that a 31 year old former catcher who spent three years in unaffiliated baseball is currently their best pitcher the most Milwaukee Brewers thing ever?

Eno Sarris: Hey! He’s good. But. yeah.

Coach McGuirk: Yesterday my wife was holding the baby and having a beer while watching me play catch with my son in the yard. A ball deflected off my glove and flew straight at the baby’s face. Wife knocked it away with her glass and spilled Omnipollo Fatamorgana all over the baby’s face and clothes. It was a bad intersection of a lot of great things. I don’t have a question.

Eno Sarris: I approve of this story.

Sik Bro: If Trump played in the MLB, what position and what’s his WAR

Eno Sarris: Listen, Jay Bruce is a decent bat, and I wouldn’t want to wish this comp on anyone, but Jay Bruce. Full of pomp (HR) and circumstance (BB) but signifying nothing (so bad at D he’s replacement level).

Eno Sarris: Oh damn so Kershaw goes on the DL. I’ll move it up to 6 out of ten. Epidural!

Bork: Basketball has the negotiation between player, coaches, and refs. Not saying it’s the same as baseball but a bad ref can change a game just as much as a bad ump.

Eno Sarris: The T as a weapon can really shut them up, though. And it’s not as… private.

Sik Bro: Good beer coming out of Left Field Brewery in Toronto.

Eno Sarris: I look forward to drinking it in September. (Shhh… I’ll probably be out in September.)

Jared: Just to update a comment you made when I tried to argue the Astros won’t be going with a closer by committee but they don’t exist. The Giants aren’t using a committee like you argued. Thank you for your time

Eno Sarris: They aren’t common! But sometimes it works well. The Athletics are sorta doing it now. The White Sox have done it under Guillen. There was a week when the Giants were doing it and then their closer had a hissy fit on the mound.

The Kid: 1) Do you start Matz against Cubbies tonight? 2) Do you start Walker against O’s tonight? I am actually leaning more towards a yes on Walker than I am on Matz…

Eno Sarris: More yes on Matz for me.

El Guapo: Yasiel Puig’s BB% is down around 4%. Young player, who’s had starts and stops to his season and just hasn’t gotten rolling yet? Or sign of a bigger downturn to come (Chase % back to career high at 37% etc? Results haven’t been good this year but do you believe there is a rebound in the cards? Thanks.

Eno Sarris: I don’t get it because he’s been way better in the past. I think there’s a better bat still in there.

Kakie Baker: I met a stripper name Sheila and have given up on baseball. I’m in New Mexico right now. Don’t contact me.

Brett Lawrie’s Empty Redbull Can: its a lewd lude, with a rude ‘tude

JR: If a lude falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Eno Sarris: pretty much right in a row, ducks on a pond, I’m just driving them in.

ShakeyourtooshyHasegawa: Enooooo! Great piece on Dozier! I’m flummoxed that he can perform at an above average capacity given such a singular approach – read: pulled balls in the air – that also leads to too many pop ups. How many years of quality production at 2B does he have left?

Eno Sarris: Yeah I do think it has ramifications for aging. At some point he’ll be pulling those balls into the ground and it will look real bad. He’s 29. If you’re not in it in a keeper league, move him now. Even if I think he can be good this year.

Erik: Was discussing with a friend recently whether Babe Ruth’s pitching career matters much in the “Best Player Ever” conversation. Do you think it gives him extra points?

Eno Sarris: Sure. Take some away for the fact that he was only playing white dudes.

Josh: Gotta drop one of these pitchers: Shoemaker, Jaime Garcia, Nola, Gio Gonzalez, McHugh, or Giolito. Who gets the axe?

Eno Sarris: Garcia or McHugh have the lowest ceilings.

ShakeyourtooshyHasegawa: Office dresscode tip: want to get away with wearing a t-shirt instead of a collared shirt? Weat a t-shirt with your company’s logo.

Eno Sarris: This is Smart.

Risky Disky: Please, kind sir, would you name a few high upside starters to target in second half, available in most mixers. Appreciate thee!

Eno Sarris: Smyly? Mengden. Guerra. Ryu. Desclafani. Snell. Conley but be careful. Gausman.

Bart: What’s your thoughts on Lonnie Chisenhall, hot streak or has he figured something out?

Eno Sarris: He’s a good deep league platoon bat.

A. Reitz: Leoynis Martin has had a nice season, but even w/ the increase in HR rate his last month has been…meh. Is this just a mirage season, or as a 27 year old, can he actually get better from here. Like, 25 HR, 30 steals better?

Eno Sarris: .260/20/25 is nothing to cough at.

Eno Sarris: Even if he only hits 18.

Miles: Eno, am I just an anxious, spoiled, stop-freaking-out Cubs fan, or is Jake Arrieta’s game off? It pains me watching these 30+ pitch first inning outings every night out

Eno Sarris: He’s throwing more sinkers, and it reads like pitching to contact in order to reduce pitches, but it’s leading to more pitches. Command looks a little off. I’m not jumping off the bandwagon or anything.

Brett: Does DeGrom’s lack of velocity concern you ROS? Hasn’t seemed to gained it back but the results are still there.

Eno Sarris: He has good command, and some of the velo came back. I still like him.

A. Reitz: Raiseal Iglesias has looked really good out of the pen…I guess this is his ROS outlook? 2 innings every 3-4 days?

Eno Sarris: I wish they made him a closer.

GPT: Just finished your robot umps article. Great stuff! What do you think about the technical challenges presented in maintaining an accurate zone batter to batter? I know there are issues with PitchFX with that, especially the top and bottom of the zone.

Eno Sarris: You can tell the computer to measure the hitter and define the zone by their height, that’s not so bad. But backdoor pitches and bouncing breaking balls for strikes are going to make people mad.

A. Reitz: Preseason…I believe you were one of many that though C. Rodon could become an ace this year. He’s looked really good his last 2 starts. Thoughts on him turning a corner? Velocity has increased, I’ve noticed.

Eno Sarris: He’s been pretty good for eight starts now. Amzing he’s doing this without a change.

Guest: Hey Eno, AJ griffin, Pineda and Zach Davies, all going today in a head to head points league, who to start and who to sit?

Eno Sarris: First two.

Maxamuz: I just picked up Edwin Diaz in a holds league. He has the elusive SP tag and seems to be gaining trust. Thoughts ROS?

Eno Sarris: He’s fire.

Alex: Fulmer isn’t this good, right? So what’s the regression look like?

Eno Sarris: I mean not a two ERA good, but he’s really good.

Craig: Does De Leon get the next crack in Dodger Town?

Eno Sarris: News is they are looking outside the org.

Brett: In San Fran for the next couple weeks, what breweries/beers you recommend?

Eno Sarris: Cellarmaker and City Beer Store are the musts and are near the park. If you go to Oakland, Fieldwork and Rare Barrel. Monk’s Kettle in the mission, Papalote for burritos.

Miacehell: I saw DOB use comps for Teheran as an ace with Fernandez, Kershaw and other big names, then say Teheran WONT get multiple bats, yet Shelby did… WTF?

Eno Sarris: Teheran is a true number two, which is rare, and confuses people.

hscer: only pitchers should sac bunt. there are a few players out there who are pretty good at bunting for hits

Eno Sarris: Oh right, bunting for a hit is different.

ShakeyourtooshyHasegawa: I received a full ride scholarship to Cal State Fullerton (back in 2003). I had Tommy John and got burnt out on rehab after a couple years and a few setbacks. I’m 31 now but i can still reach back and throw 96 and snap off a below average slider and split and I can only control the fb and slide. I work a desk job in the steel industry and have a brand new house and an almost 2 year old son. Considering how bad the idea is I would never try it, but would you give me over/under on 0.001% chance of signing a minor league deal if I dedicated the next 8 months to getting back into pitching shape. 6′-6″, 240…obviously this is a pathetic hypothetical, but I think it’s less than that percent while my friends say it’s above that…

Eno Sarris: Everyone needs a reliever, Wilhelmsen had a similar-ish story. Call up Driveline baseball and get to sitting 94, make a youtube video and send it out. I say over.

Craig: So wait, if a bunt advances a runner from first to second, you’d rather have 3 chances to get two hits to score that runner on 1st than 2 chances to get one hit and score the runner from 2nd?

Eno Sarris: People score from second on singles, too. If I only want one run, if it’s super late, in a low-scoring game, then the bunt becomes more defensible.

gee: which rookie pitcher do you like most rest of season…fulmer, taillon or giolito?

Eno Sarris: Fulmer. Up for good, strikeout stuff.

A’s Fan: Eno, know of a surefire spot to find pliny in the bay area? I live in the peninsula and want to bring some down to a wedding next month

Eno Sarris: On tap, there’s places. In a bottle, it’s tough. I don’t see it that often. Drive to Santa Rosa?

Josh: If your Coppy, do you go out this offseason and package some prospects to bring a building block position player aboard? I mean they gotta start improving right?

Eno Sarris: I think some of their position player prospects are close. It’s the pitchers I worry about, but pitching is about quantity, so at least they’ve been working on that.

Austin Meadow’s Ass: Thanks for the sweet pub, my dude!

Josh: Going to DC this weekend; is Flying Dog in Maryland worth the drive?

Eno Sarris: I think you can get their seasonals in better DC/Baltimore beer bars.

Bill: If robot umps result in a too-big strike zone, it should be easy to tweak. Human umps, far less so (remembering 1969 and how jumbo strike zones lingered for YEARS with some umps).

Eno Sarris: True, but it will require a rewrite of the strike zone.

Mike: Robots are bad? So don’t call a strike when it’s a strike? So let’s play a game where we can fool someone and get credit for something not earned? You want PED’s out to make things legit but let’s cheat behind the plate?

Eno Sarris: My feeling about the human element, the negotiation behind the plate, is only part of my objection. The other is how it will absolutely destroy offense. And I don’t think I’ll enjoy watching pitchers try to game the robot zone that much. We’ll see catchers setting up a foot outside the zone and catch sinkers that were strikes for a millimeter.

J.J. Johnny: Do you think Oh can keep the STL closer job for the rest of the season, or do you think Rosenthal will reclaim the job at some point?

Eno Sarris: I like Oh, but Rosenthal has the velocity of a traditional closer, which is actually related to save chances.

Jimmy: Eno! I need your help. I’m traveling to NYC late next month. I’m catching a Rockies/Mets game with my girlfriend but also need a recommendation of a local brewery with a tasting room to tour. Which one do you recommend? I saw you answer a similar question a couple weeks ago so i apologize for the redundancy.

Eno Sarris: I really enjoyed Threes. That and Other Half are the class of town, unless you travel north to Singlecut. Threes and Other Half are in Brooklyn, near each other.

Art Vandelay: Have you talked to any players about the axebat? SSS, but it seems like it’s helping Kurt Suzuki.

Eno Sarris: Jimmy Rollins didn’t love it. I know it’s good for protecting the hamate, but it does alter your swing path a bit.

PL: Btw, if you’re ever looking for tacos while in Oakland, check out Tacos Sinaloa on 22nd & International. 5-10 minutes from the Coliseum.

Boston Bart: Hey Eno! You think the Braves would give us Teheran for just Devers and Espinosa and nothing else?

Eno Sarris: That’s a really nice package actually. But Teheran so cheap, I bet they ask for a non-major arm they like on top.

Eno Sarris: this is Good

Matt: When starting to sell off all of the older, veteran guys on your team during a rebuild, is it better to do it over time or just do it all at once and pick up stopgap pieces off the wire?

Eno Sarris: Do it as soon as people will let you.

rustydude: Loved your piece on Semien. Considering he’s changed his approach, what adjustments would you make to his FG ROS numbers?

Eno Sarris: Just add a bit of power. .250/.320/.450, 12 more homers. Will end up around .250/27/10 which is real nice for a shortstop.

Jon: What type of player would you look to acquire for Jose Bautista in a dynasty league?

Eno Sarris: Just wait till he’s back. It shouldn’t matter but it does.

Bork: Trump does play in the MLB. His name is Jonathan Papelbon.

Eno Sarris: Also not bad.

Bork: Oh and aj pierzynski

Jake: Giants don’t have a closer by committee, Eno

Eno Sarris: I know.

Eno Sarris: But you happened to chat with me right after he removed Casilla for Lopez, remember that?

Tom: Think Trea Turner sees time in CF in Washington this year?

Eno Sarris: Espinosa has been fine and they haven’t seemed to trust Turner’s glove at short. Remember he played second when he first came up.

Eno Sarris: So… yes!

Paul: The first place team in my league is interested in Big Papi – my team is out of contention and he offered Michael Brantley for him. This is a keep forever league. Thoughts?

Eno Sarris: Sure.

Jeep: I’d love a comp on Mazara. Please and thank you!!

Eno Sarris: lefty Juan Gonzalez with a little less pop? I see a lot of great batting averages and good HR/RBI pop all over the park coming. Love that dude.

kvothe: You just don’t see that many fellas named Roger anymore

Eno Sarris: Or Christy

Oddbal Herrera: Do you think Meadows has a shot at the majors this season if someone is hurt/traded? Or do the Pirates choose to limp along with a space filler until super 2 next year?

Eno Sarris: I don’t know where he plays though.

Steve: Wasn’t Josh Gibson only playing black dudes?

Eno Sarris: Are we putting Josh Gibson in the conversation for best player of all time? Then we should mention that.

Jeep: You said Mengden would be a good guess for the first time facing a lineup. You want to change that to high upside second half arm? Okay with it just please clarify

Eno Sarris: I like what I see. I like him! The only thing that makes me nervous is what happens with more baserunners, if he can replicate that movement and velocity out of the stretch without all that delivery.

Mork: Please rank these robot ump prospects: Rosie, C3PO, Bender, Johnny 5.

Eno Sarris: Bender, Bender, Bender, Bender.

Pillow Fight: You’re coming to Toronto?! Say it with me: ssleeeeepoooooverrrr!!!!

Eno Sarris: yessss

kevinthecomic: Donald Trump’s best comp would have to be an umpire, wouldn’t it? Whenever he ejected a guy: GET ‘IM OUTTA HERE!

John M: Hitting the ball on the sweet spot consistently is a skill. Shouldn’t we be measuring this? Are we?

Eno Sarris: I have to check my Zepp stuff, they have a bat with sensors in it and I do think some teams use them. But I don’t know if it’s in Hit/fx or anything.

beware of robots:

Eno Sarris: Pooping robots I’ve seen it all

Sean: Devil’s advocate on robot umps: How would players handle the change from dealing with human umps at lower levels (little league, HS, probably most college ball), which would call the game much differently than a robot ump in the MLB?

Eno Sarris: Yeah that’s something I should have mentioned. It’s a bit much to ask every high school program to pony up for robots.

abestinkin: i know you and paul talked about the lack of curveball at coors, but what would a knuckleball move like at altitude? not something you could really teach at an org level but im interested in your thoughts

Eno Sarris: Movement of most pitches is reduced at Coors!

Eno Sarris: All, actually. It’s just more important to some pitches.

Trea Gordon: Ive sat with Trea for far too long on my bench. I NEED avg. help. Do I drop Trea and add Dee Gordon for the next month? 12 team roto, I’m alternating from Neil Walker to Baez currently.

Eno Sarris: Yes.

Mitchell: Have you noticed that the art of the batting stance has practically disappeared? Most are very generic. Gone are the days where everyone had their own style and stance.

Anal Hershiser: ENO! I’m in a tight battle for 1st in my 10 team mixed (keep 10) and don’t really have glaring needs, do I upgrade my SP5 scenario by trading Taillon and Lo Cain for Greinke? I have Adam Jones, Cespedes, BJ Upton, Choo, and Piscotty (we start 4).

Eno Sarris: Batting Stance Guy’s work has gotten harder.

Eno Sarris: Anal? Yes.

JacklElliot: eno, whats the best Fourth of July beer I can find in the boston area?

Eno Sarris: Jack’s Abby Hoponius Union is super crushable and has the word Union in it.

Craig: Most bunts are attempted to advance a runner from first to second. So think you need to address the question as asked and not make a scenario in which it backs up your theory.

Eno Sarris: Overall most bunts reduce win expectancy and run expectancy and so are therefore bad. That was my blanket statement. I addressed a situation you brought up.

cj: How much do you value consistency? For example a guy like chris davis vs joey votto. Davis eos #s will probably be better but votto wont lose you a week like davis could…… Speaking about head to head leagues btw

Eno Sarris: Consistency seems to go up as you get older (wrote a piece about age and slump-busting) and I do think it’s worth having a good mix of old and young on any squad, especially H2H.

Craig: Why not bunt everytime you have a runner on first? Get him to second and play for a run every time with two outs to accomplish it? Probably score as much if not more than never bunting

Eno Sarris: This is demonstrably not true.

Jobu: Did you get any Stickee Monkee? Thoughts? I got the last bottle at one of the local stores. Waiting til this weekend to drink it.

Eno Sarris: Crap I have two years of that, guess I gotta buy this years and have a vertical.

forever it: Monument Liquor in Concord has Pliny in bottles

Eno Sarris: Look at that.

CK: Your 5 favorite IPAs all-time?

Eno Sarris: Tree House King Julius, Trillium Fort Point, Alpine Nelson, Toppling Goliath peseudo Sue, Cellarmaker Double Dobis.

So: Earlier dude had a hopslam 6 months after it came out and called it overrated. When will people realize freshness matters and do you see breweries trying to highlight that more?

Eno Sarris: I think he was talking about having it over the course of the year. I had it fresh and found it overrated.

Eric Weinstein: If you were the Cubs would you trade Schwarber for Miller? I certainly would not.

Eno Sarris: No, no I would not.

Brett: Is there anything being done or any tools available that account for command? Two examples for consideration: David Price and Michael Pineda should be having a lot better seasons based on FIP and the peripherals in general, but they have been getting hit hard in the zone.

Eno Sarris: It’s very hard. I’ve tried. There’s CommandF/x, which measured the distance between the target and the pitch hitting the glove, but that’s problematic given how catchers show targets differently to different pitchers and in different positions. I tried to look at breaking ball command by reducing it only to counts in which the pitcher was looking for a swing, but even then it’s tough.

Cris: Who is Tyler Naquin and why should I care?

Eno Sarris: I mean he’s probably the Indians’ best defensive center fielder, so he’ll stick around even when Brantley is back. But he’s more of a .260 hitter than a .330 one, and I think he’s over his head power wise too.

Todd Frazier’s true outcome: Eno, Todd Frazier has 57 hits this year, 22 of which have been home runs. What is the record for least hits to most homers over a full season?

Eno Sarris: I have a feeling we should look at Adam Dunn.

Guest: Thoughts on how Manaea looked last night?

Eno Sarris: Better velocity. That new changeup grip treating him well. Still don’t love the breaking ball.

Eric: I tweeted about this too, so ignore if you’re going to discuss on the pod, but how successful can closers like Dyson with a poor k/9 rate be? Thanks.

Eno Sarris: I agree in general. Velocity and K9 are related to closer change. But guys with these super sinkers and 60+% ground balls, and the ability to miss bats as well… the Britton types? Seems different than a Joe Borowski or Jeanmar Gomez type.

Biff: Seeing anything from Yasiel that offers encouragement?

Eno Sarris: Making good contact since he came back?

Jim: You know what else kills offense? Umps calling balls for strikes.

Eno Sarris: Not nearly on the same level. Umps get things wrong 15% of the time now. But they get backdoor strikes wrong 70% of the time. Imagine that! Backdoor and frontdoor strikes will skyrocket. There will be more than three times as many!

Catcher Guy: What hitter would thrive the most on sinkers that are strikes by a millimeter?

Eno Sarris: Hitter? Can’t think of one. Pitcher? Chris Sale, Robbie Ray, Matt Moore, Aaron Nola, Jordan Zimmermann, Bartolo Colon.

Shawn: Put me down for a vote for Singlecut or Finback in NY. Other Half overrated IMO. Good stuff, but from what i’ve heard about the wait at the brewery, not worth it

Eno Sarris: True, I haven’t actually loved their beers. Threes, though.

Eric: I took your Twitter advice and traded Morales/Castro for Russell/Shaw. Let’s hope it works better than when I took the advice and traded Colome for Baez/DeSclafani. All in on Eno advice!

Eno Sarris: Wait, I’d say that Colome deal is about to start working out for you.

Coach McGuirk: Singlecut is so close to Citifield though. Other two are 60-90 minutes away by train.

Eno Sarris: True if you uber. Not great to Singlecut by train.

Carl Carlson: Would you drop Peter O’Brien in a keep 5 NL only to activate Iglesias?

Eno Sarris: If you’re competitive, yes. O’Brien is a bat without a position at best.

CANADA BEER: The brewery that made la fin du monde was bought out, and it has taken a dive. Steamwhistle is average at best, we must educate you on canadian beer. What’s the Toronto Section like in your Craft Beer Baseball Guide? You must know about Bellwoods, or Great Lakes Brewery(Toronto Iteration)?

Eno Sarris: I had a lot of help for Toronto section, no worries. Bellwoods is in there. I just can’t recall every chapter without bringing it up.

Blorp: This chat has been only 85% accurate. Can we get a robot Eno next week?

Eno Sarris: The human element has been off the charts.

Chris : Hi Eno, can Jonathon Schoop keep this up? He’s on a tear, hitting over .300, and even has a few walks this month. Is he breaking out or just riding the wave of an historic offensive month for Baltimore? Or somewhere in the middle?

Eno Sarris: He’s a bit over his head. Not a .300 hitter, will strike out a bit more. But the power is believable, and this is a good young player.

The GOP: Trump = Joe West

Snarfle: I’m sure a ton of people are asking this, so apologies if it’s earlier in the chat, but OBP league: Rupp or Kepler? Small position boost for Rupp.

Eno Sarris: I think Kepler is a more dynamic bat.

Snarfle: If you see a cat, talk to it! If it talks back it means you’re probably in a Murakami novel, and then you can make some pasta and have a beer.

Ryan: Hello. I come to chats to pick fights with the hosts.

Eno Sarris: You’re the most fun!

John M: if spin rate can be measured on a ball, shouldn’t we be able to determine who’s consistently hitting the sweet spot the most often

Eno Sarris: Not necessarily. Currently we’re using radar technology, which has a hard time with the moment of impact because it wants to separate objects.

Snarfle: Do you have any hunches on when Bregman will be up? Stashing him in a redraft and I wonder if this will end up being foolish.

Eno Sarris: Wait to hear about this Gourriel deal.

Chris: Did you check out the Zymurgy (Homebrew Association magazine) issue of top beers/breweries? Seemed like lots of older/high hype beers and almost all IPA or barrel aged stuff. Thoughts on these “reader survey” lists – too much bias toward high availability or historically hyped beers? Seems weird that Pliney has been the “best beer in america” for the last 8 years

Eno Sarris: Yeah I always try to do ‘best beers of the last year’ to cull Pliny, and when I did that it was like 50% Tree House and Trillium.

Ed Riley: In 2017+ is Wil Myers a .300/.400 100/100 30/20 bat?

Eno Sarris: Under, under, under, under. He has power, and could steal 10+ next year again, but he’s also had a ton of problems with the wrists.

2-D: Forgot to do laundry and I’m wearing sliding shorts at work today, such an underrated under garment.

Eno Sarris: You’re ready for a lot more things than your coworkers.

Snarfle: “The End” by the Doors would make hilarious walk up music.

Eno Sarris: What a somber tone. Imagine it in the bottom of the ninth.

Toki: Now that Adam Jones has started to hit should I try to trade him while he’s hot or keep him? If I do trade what type of return would you expect in a 10 man dynasty?

Eno Sarris: This is a good time to trade him if you don’t need him for this year. He’s 30 and not going to steal 5 bases in a year again.

Who is John Gant?: Re:home runs per hit. Valbuena last year was close, with 19:52 through the first three months. Fell off pace after that though.

Bart: Speaking of Jeanmar Gomez, are you amazed he’s still closing out games for the Phils?

Eno Sarris: Yes.

Michael: Re: Manaea, I really want to see a start of his with a straight-away CF camera angle. I think it’s kinda hard to get a gauge his stuff from Oakland’s angle IMO, especially his slider. They go to Minnesota next week, so hopefully we can see something then.

Eno Sarris: It’s too slow, for one thing. At 77, he admitted to me that most people want more break and are fine with the velocity and he’s the opposite.

Bork: Honestly I prefer a lot of Ottawa/Eastern Ontario brewery’s more than the Toronto. But that’s just me.

Eno Sarris: I should look for those while I’m there though.

hare: Last night I got trashed at a Whole Foods. Life, hm?

Eno Sarris: They have some good tap lists!

Bork: I come to chats to pickup the hosts. It’s only worked once before.

Devo: I come to chats to pick fights with the dudes who pick fights with the hosts.

Sleeper Star: Talk about people who make fun of reporters who say “talk about” at press conferences.

Eno Sarris: There are only so many ways to phrase a question and ‘talk about’ is not inherently a bad one.

Eno Sarris: So judge the question on it’s merits, not it’s opener!

Lord Byron: Eno would love to hear your thoughts on Buxton for the rest of the season and for the future.

Eno Sarris: Cameron Maybin.

jimmy: Has the home run surge after years of declining offense once again thrown our perceptions of good pitching out of whack?

Eno Sarris: I just don’t understand it. I don’t get why. Strike zone is unchanged, velocity is up… why are there more homers?

Guest: I need a hug.

Eno Sarris: HUGS!

Eno Sarris: (did you get traded?)

Zorak: If you want to get from Singlecut to Citi Field and not pay for an uber, take the Q19 bus. The bus is the true secret to getting around new york. Don’t be afraid of the bus!

Poor Man’s Rick Reed: Not into Belgians?? Now I feel better about not being into sours. Belgian beer is lovely. There truly is something for everyone!

Eno Sarris: Well I love sours and saisons, which are belgian, but not dubbels and tripels. Too sweet and cloying for me. I taste the alcohol a ton, too.

Kang: “The End” would be good intro music for a closer though

Eno Sarris: We should get on this. Takes the right temperament. Closers nowadays seem very hyped. Need the Cool Hand Luke closer.

Eno Sarris: Okay! Back to work! Thanks for hanging out.