text: JotCast | FanGraphs After Dark Chat - 8/1/17
  FanGraphs After Dark Chat - 8/1/17
  It was a damn nice catch and crowd reaction.
  Still, don't give us Boston fans any sympathy. We're insufferable.
  Johnny Rockport
  Are the Dodgers unstoppable? Even given the randomness of the playoffs?
  Randomness aside, yes, as long as Kershaw comes back healthy and Hill/Wood stay healthy, I can't see how they lose. They're just too stacked.
  Were the Mariners in 2001 unstoppable?
  A lot of stay healthy being thrown around
  With all due respect, the 01 Mariners rolled out Sweaty Freddy, Aaron Sele and 38-year-old Jamie Moyer at the top of that rotation, and the bottom of it wasn't much better.
  JON LESTER 2000 K ALERT
  Wow, all of the milestones tonight for Lester.
  Maybe he'll pick off two batters ...
  It's absolutely unfair to call anyone the next Cabrera/Pujols...but if anyone was the next Cabrera/Pujols, they would look a lot like Rafael Devers, right? Coming up at such a young age and showing excellent contact and power.
  Yes, that'd be the idea. And, if you'll recall, both Cabrera and Pujols started at 3B.
  I'm just not completely on the band wagon yet
  They mentioned on the Cleveland broadcast once that the front office would like to see Mejia's English improve before he gets promoted.
  Yeah, I'm sorry, but that's the kind of BS thing that teams like to say because they know we can't disprove it. I'm sure his English is fine. If it wasn't, all of his Double-A pitchers would be getting shelled on a nightly basis.
  Regarding my comment abut O's and grounding in reality. I understand both the fact that GM operates at mercy of owner, and budgets. But I consider owner part of the "FO" that should be grounded. Also, budgets and this and that but...sell Machado (though, I guess in fairness, there wasn't really a market).
  Yeah, I get what you're saying, but owners are definitely not part of baseball ops. They're very rich men, and in my experience, they aren't usually at the ballpark on a day-to-day basis. Because they don't have to be! They're very rich men (and women) who do as they please.
  What's your take on the 5-man OF situation the Yankee have going into next year? Dump ellsbury and rotate the other 4 with the DH slot?
  As I wrote a few weeks ago, I don't see them dumping Ellsbury. I think that Ellsbury has been dealt a lousy hand this summer because he got a concussion, and he wasn't ready to come back, but they rushed him back when Hicks got hurt. Now he's hitting like crap because he's not 100% and everyone wants to get rid of him. But I'm sure Girardi and the Yankees front office knows they gave him a raw deal bringing him back too quickly.
  I think they should eat the salary of the old guys via trade and release and look to pick up a FA stud. They're the Yankees damn it.
  I think rotating to DH is definitely a thing that will happen, and I also think they'll look to trade Gardner this winter, because Gardner is having his best season since 2010, and he'll never have more value than he will this winter.
  Paul, I respect teaching respect, and understand that you like the Sox. But don't you feel like you're involved in a moral wrongdoing by teaching your son to like the Red Sox? They're awful. Now, a team like the Yankees. They're class A.
  I just want to see his kid with the full Boston accent.
  You have seen him! He doesn't have an accent. My daughter might though.
  Would it be crazy to say that Devers will have more career WAR than Judge? Judge has the longer MLB track record, but it's still super short, but Devers had a longer minor league track record and is 5 years younger. He also doesn't have a history of scary strikeout rates. What do you think? How would you set the odds?
  The 5 years younger is a big difference, but again, I think we're jumping the gun with both of their careers.
  I guess I'd set the odds, today, right this second, as 70% Judge, 30% Devers.
  I think it may come down to position and defensive numbers. It's what makes Trout and Harper great.
  Thoughts on Doug Gottleib non sense?
  None, I saw him trending and moved on
  Paul, I agree with you 100% on Ellsbury. I differ in one point though. I've spent a lot of time arguing for him, showing people that his numbers drop after he gets injured. Then I realized that he gets injured All. The. Time.
  Yeah, but that's why they need to rotate him in 4 days a week. If they have Judge in RF, Hicks in CF, Frazier in LF (or Frazier in CF/Hicks in LF, whatever), and Ellsbury subbing in 3-4 times a week with the OF who's subbed in moving to DH, then they can keep him healthy.
  The Rockies, I felt, laid out a good plan for Todd Helton in his last few years. Management (manager and FO) sat down with him before each season and planned out his off-days, so that expectations were set and he didn't get hard feelings when his name wasn't on the lineup card. I think the Yankees should try the same thing.
  McCullers and Calhoun too much to give up for Scherzer? Scherzer's a rental and my pitching has been hot garbage.