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MLBTR Chat: 4/4/23
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Anthony Franco
12:01
Hey everyone, hope you're all enjoying your morning!
12:02
Steve's off this week so I'm moving up my chat a day to take his typical Tuesday afternoon one
Let's get going
Peter Piper
12:02
Will Ben Joyce be given the closer job at some point this year?
Anthony Franco
12:05
I doubt it. He throws really hard but it seems like evaluators are iffy on the strike-throwing. There's a reason he fell to the third round and wasn't closing consistently at Tennessee despite routinely hitting 103+
I think he'll be a big league reliever fairly soon and could be a good one, but I wouldn't project him as one of the Angels' top two or three arms this season
The Guy Next Door
12:05
Will the Phillies figure it out, or is something seriously wrong there?
Anthony Franco
12:06
It's incredibly early. The Phillies were going to lose four games in a row at some point this year, as almost every team will. It's not inherently more meaningful because it happened now than it would be if it happened from June 11-14, it's just more visible now
12:07
I thought they were the third-best team in the NL East and a borderline Wild Card team coming into the season after the Hoskins injury. I feel the same way now as I did last Wednesday
Pirate Scott
12:07
Odds Pirates announce they have come to terms with Reynolds on an extension at the beginning of the home opener on Friday?
Anthony Franco
12:09
I wrote about this for Front Office subscribers in more depth yesterday but I think his camp needs to drop the opt-out and Pittsburgh should boost the guarantee somewhere between $120-130MM to get this done
12:10
It feels doable with how close they are, but it also seems like something they'll have to finish in the next couple weeks if it's going to happen. Friday would be a nice symbolic point but it obviously doesn't have to be by then
Altuve’s Buzzer
12:10
I’m sorry, my question kept submitting when I wasn’t finished. My question was: Are the Twins going to be a stronger team than Cleveland this year? They’ve looked good thus far.
Anthony Franco
12:10
Guardians have also looked really good but I lean slightly towards Minnesota in the ALC
AZ
12:11
Rotation looks rough. Symptom of opening the season with 10 games against legit World Series Contenders or something keep an eye on?
Anthony Franco
12:13
Assuming AZ means this is about the Diamondbacks. It's both but I think more the latter. Bumgarner looked horrible in his first start again, Zach Davies is a 6/7 type on a contender. I like Ryne Nelson but there's obvious risk in any pitcher who has four MLB games to his name
12:14
The pitching depth was always the big concern with the D-Backs, both behind Gallen/Merrill in the rotation and in the late innings. I'd be tempted to get Brandon Pfaadt up pretty quickly
Perfect Game 2023
12:14
Will MLB see their first perfect game in almost 11 years this season? Which pitcher will be the most likely to throw it? I know, complete crapshoot answer here haha, but fun to ask!
Anthony Franco
12:15
That it hasn't happened in over a decade makes it hard to project one in any given season obviously. But it'd be fun, so what the hell, I'll take Shane Bieber to do it next
12:16
Elite control, good team defense behind him, has the stuff to strike out 12 hitters on any given start
KC42
12:17
Braves have played Sean Murphy in only 2 games so far giving him a whopping 8 PA's to start the season. Is this a case of saving Murphy's legs for the long season or something else?
Anthony Franco
12:17
Yeah they're just easing him in. He's not going to only play in half their games if healthy all year
RAGBRAI
12:17
As a Brewers fan I love having Turang and Wiemer on the MLB roster. Do you see any of their other “star” prospects up soon? Will it take an injury to get the call or will someone force the issue with outstanding AAA play?
Anthony Franco
12:18
I think Frelick's going to force his way up soon, although that's in part because I'm not a big Garrett Mitchell fan
12:19
Just think Frelick's the better player ultimately. Much more faith in the hit tool than I have with Mitchell
Skipjack
12:19
The White Sox did nothing to improve their bullpen this off season and it shoes. So far it's been just as bad as last year. With the exception to Monday's loss to SF, the team's two losses were due in large part to the pen. I kmow it's early and all that, but is there any reason to believe they'll be more effective at some point this season given that it's the same disappointing group as last year?
Anthony Franco
12:20
I'd have them third in the Central but don't see them being that far off Minnesota and Cleveland. They've probably got more high-end talent than anyone else in the division. The depth isn't as good as those other clubs' though
Matt
12:21
The Guards are already pulling out close games, just as they did last year.  Luck or an X factor within their organizational philosophy?
Anthony Franco
12:22
I wouldn't pick them to win 62.2% of their one-run games again, as they did last year. That stuff tends to regress toward .500 over the long haul and the extent of last year's success (28-17) doesn't feel sustainable
12:23
That said, I buy that they're better than average in close games and could win like 55% of them consistently. They've got an elite closer (and a strong bullpen overall), a very good manager, and the contact/baserunning/defense team makeup probably gives them a slight edge in tight games
Cash
12:24
if Judge doesn’t lead the league in HR, who will?
Who will lead the league in stolen bases
Anthony Franco
12:24
I'll take Austin Riley and Cedric Mullins, respectively
Joe Davola
12:24
Are non-tendered players who sign free agent deals with other teams no longer eligible for arbitration?
Anthony Franco
12:25
They remain arbitration eligible, so long as they won't get to a sixth year of service during their first year with the new club
So Jeimer Candelario will be a free agent next year, but Garrett Hampson will not
Red Sox
12:26
Are you surprised by that offense?
Anthony Franco
12:27
Surprised by Adam Duvall hitting like .750 obviously but I've never really doubted that Boston could hit. It's the rotation and defense that concern me
bhkc58
12:27
Buddy and I were debating this, how much WAR would Yordan be worth in CF?
Anthony Franco
12:28
If he were a good defensive center fielder and stayed healthy, he'd basically be peak Trout. So like 8-10 wins
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