Steve (NY)

Rob, enough about whether he belongs in the pen or the rotation, can you explain why Joba's velocity is down as compared to last year's STARTS? He was regularly throwing 94-96 MPH and was DOMINANT. Now he's at 91-93 and getting hit. Verlander redux?

Rob Neyer

  (12:02 PM)

He's not getting hit *that* hard, is he? It certainly has to be a concern, though. If he really can't do better than 91-93, maybe he belongs in the bullpen after all. I'd give it a few more weeks (or months).

Dwight (Tulsa, OK)

Is Zack Grienke the best pitcher in baseball right now and do you see him keep up this level of performance and possibly winning the Cy Young this year?

Rob Neyer

  (12:03 PM)

I think the Cy Young's definitely a possibility, if not this year then some other. But he'll need a little help from his friends, and I don't know that he gets it anytime soon, especially not with Alex Gordon out for a while.

Mike(NJ)

Hey Rob, whats your take on the Ellsbury stealing home against the yankees. Mike Francesa was absolutly livid over it, saying we were showing the Yankees up.

Rob Neyer

  (12:04 PM)

Really? It was a close game, anyway, but any time you have a chance to demoralize your top competition, you take it. I don't want to characterize Francesa without knowing exactly what he said, but that sounds a little nuts.

Christopher Phoenix, AZ

I haven't found the guy yet who can do Albert Pujols justice, want to give it a try?

Rob Neyer

  (12:07 PM)

No thanks ... Sometimes the performance speaks for itself (or at least that's my excuse).

Dwight (Tulsa, OK)

What do you make out of Brian Bannister's first two starts? They've both been pretty solid, but we saw this last year and then he went in to the tank the rest of the season.

Rob Neyer

  (12:07 PM)

He needs to strike some guys out. Until he learns how to do that, he's always going to be a fringe major leaguer. Simple as that.

Matt (Philly)

Do you see a comeback for Liriano from his slow start?

Rob Neyer

  (12:08 PM)

He pitched so well last season that I have to think he's going to come around this season. Not that it's a sure thing, considering his injury history.

Jason (Birmingham)

Hi Rob. Are the Tigers better than many anticipated, or small sample size?

Rob Neyer

  (12:09 PM)

I'm not sure what you anticipated; I had them winning 83 games, give or take a few. And I think that's still a pretty reasonable expectation.

Onan in the ATL

Worried Mets fan here. I love Daniel Murphy but am I wrong in thinking that maybe the Mets should have worked harder to turn him into a 2nd baseman and Omar should have doggedly pursued a better LF defender for Citi? Even Abreu would be a huge upgrade defensively in LF. Your thoughts?

Rob Neyer

  (12:11 PM)

I think Murphy's miscast as a left fielder, both defensively and offensively. Job No. 2 for the Mets is probably figuring out what to do with all the guys they've got who really shouldn't be playing in the outfield at all (Job No. 1 is finding a decent No. 5 starter).

Dwight (Tulsa, OK)

How much longer do you see Sidney Ponson pitching this season? He's been a servicable #4 so far. I know there's been talk in the KC media about bringing Hochevar back up at some point.

Rob Neyer

  (12:11 PM)

Hochevar will be in the rotation before the summer solstice, and quite possibly before Memorial Day.

Steve (Lowell, MA)

Hey Rob. Is it absolutely necessary to have a catcher behind the plate? Say, there's no one on base, could a pitcher throw to no one and have an extra fielder behind him?

Rob Neyer

  (12:13 PM)

No. The rules are clear about this. You have to have someone directly behind the plate when the pitch is thrown, and in fact catchers cheat a little bit when they step out early to grab intentional balls.

Don (NY, NY)

Do you think that the economy will have a chilling effect on draft budgets this year and allow some of the big market clubs with more leverage to acquire talent by paying above slot?

Rob Neyer

  (12:14 PM)

Oooo, that's a good question! My guess is that the draft is the last thing to see the effects of the New Depression, but that really is just a guess.

Steve (NY)

Rob, not to take up too much of your chat time, but why would Joba's velocity be down as a starter compared to starting last year, forgetting him in the bullpen? He was throwing 96 MPH when dominating Boston in Fenway last summer. Where is THAT Joba?

Rob Neyer

  (12:18 PM)

Chamberlain, Wang, Sabathia, Burnett ... now you know what keeps Brian Cashman awake at night. If two (or three) of those four don't pitch like they're supposed to, it's going to be a long season in the Bronx.

Tommy(Boston)

What's up Rob, After the way Masterson pitched his last 2 starts plus his great relief job against the A's do you think he'll find his way into a permanent starting job?

Rob Neyer

  (12:19 PM)

I do believe that Masterson's talents are somewhat wasted in the bullpen, and that he will wind up starting, if not necessarily for the Red Sox.

James(Carrollton, GA)

Rob, do you think Cooperstown will put Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz in at once or put them in separately? If they put them in separately, the HOF could have 6-7 straight years of a Brave with the addition of Bobby Cox, Chipper and maybe Schurholz.

Rob Neyer

  (12:20 PM)

Well, they're not going in together because Smoltz is probably going to pitch this year, right? And Glavine's not officially retired yet, either. It'd be fun to see them go in together but it's not going to happen.

Tommy(Boston)

So your saying that the Sox would/are considering shopping Masterson. I say that would be a big mistake.

Rob Neyer

  (12:23 PM)

I'm saying that eventually the Red Sox might need a third baseman or a shortstop or a left fielder or a catcher, and Masterson might help get them one of those things. Doesn't mean you "shop" him; you do listen to proposals that include him.

Erich (CT)

Please rank the AL 2B, as you see them right now. I suspect that by the end of the year it will be Pedroia > Hill > Cano > Roberts > Iwamura.

Rob Neyer

  (12:24 PM)

Looks pretty good to me, except I'm not sold on Hill yet. Not at all.

Pete (NC)

In his last two starts, Cliff Lee has only given up 2 runs and 1 walk in 16 IP, yet has 0 wins because his offense scored 0 runs for him. At what point does a pitcher stop trying if his team doesn't give him any run support?

Rob Neyer

  (12:25 PM)

Pitchers don't think that way, Pete. Not many of them, anyway. Most of them are smart enough to be satisfied by a job well done.

Patrick(Hoboken)

Enough Boston-New York. Lets talk some Pittsburgh baseball! How do yuo see the Pirates doing by the time the break rolls around?

Rob Neyer

  (12:28 PM)

The Pirates are going to regress big time, in part because Maholm and Ohlendorf don't strike anybody out (or haven't yet, anyway). I think the Pirates may be better than people expected, but that means 75 wins rather than 82.

Paul (Provo, UT)

Is Ian Kinsler not a 2B anymore? If he is I'm not sure how he got left off the top 5 list. He can rake with the best of them.

Rob Neyer

  (12:29 PM)

Yeah, I figured we were forgetting somebody. I kinda like Asdrubal Cabrera, too.

Brian (Brooklyn)

I think the Mets need a second, third or fourth starter before they need a fifth

Garrett Hawk, Nashville, TN

The Cubs are getting nothing out of Derrek Lee, and Jake Fox (AAA 1st baseman) is currently the hottest hitter in the entire minor leagues. I don't think Fox is going to have a long, productive cafeer, but as a quick fix, shouldn't the Cubs go with the hot hand?

Rob Neyer

  (12:37 PM)

Not unless there's something physically wrong with Lee.

Mike, LA

Do you like Howie Kendrick at all?

Rob Neyer

  (12:38 PM)

I do. I keep thinking he's going to hit .335 one of these years.

Jason (Bmore)

Looking back, isn't the signing bonus paid to Hochevar pretty insane?

Rob Neyer

  (12:42 PM)

Sure, so far anyway. But it's early, and anyway you pays your money and you takes your chances. The Royals paid market rate.

Jeff (Walnut Creek, CA)

Bonds made the greatest comment last night on KNBR (Giants radio). He said if he wanted to he could have hit .350 for his career. Instead his ego and the challenge of hitting against the shift prevented him from that. I love this guy!

Rob Neyer

  (12:43 PM)

I missed that. I did hear him on the TV side, but only for a moment until I got tired of him and changed the channel. It's not that I don't like him; it's that I find him terribly uninteresting.

Paul, NYC

If the wind's blowing out at new Yankee stadium, that would explain the drop in veolocity for the Yanks' pitchers. It's pretty simple when you think about it.

Rob Neyer

  (12:44 PM)

I think the word you're looking for is "simplistic".

Mike (Columbia, MO)

Are the early errors by the Cards this season a glaring problem?

Rob Neyer

  (12:45 PM)

I think most outfielders really can't play second base well enough to survive there for long. Might be the lesson of the 2009 season.

Jason (CT)

Rob: Regarding Francesca's comments. He was mad about the curtain call more than the actual steal. As for the Met's needing a #5. They have 2. Perez and Maine. They need to find a 3 and a 4!

Rob Neyer

  (12:45 PM)

Well played, Jason!

James (Atlanta, GA)

Rob, you seem like the bowling type. Whats your average?

Rob Neyer

  (12:48 PM)

I'm not, but since you asked: 137.

Jack (Toronto)

Rob, while the Jays start has been beyond expectations everyone knows the weak rotation will catch up with them eventually. My question is on Halladay. He doesn't seem to have the same command that he had early on last year. He's getting hit quite a bit and he's not lasting past the 7th inning in most of his starts. Just early in the season or something to be concerned about?

Rob Neyer

  (12:48 PM)

I haven't watched more than a couple of his innings this year, but just looking at the numbers I don't see a single thing to worry about.

Steve (Boston, MA)

Any reason other small market teams (Pittsburgh, KC) can't follow the Tampa model to success?

Rob Neyer

  (12:50 PM)

Tampa-St. Pete's a bigger market than those others, but the only real impediments are skill and luck.

Rich (Boston, MA)

Do you have a cure for the Indians? Please tell me it involves sacking Eric Wedge.

Rob Neyer

  (12:51 PM)

I don't think Wedge is the problem, but someone else might be a part of the solution.

Jesse (Los Angeles, CA)

Should the Dodgers allowed Kershaw to stay in the minors another season or two? Seems like he will be inconsistent for a while.

Rob Neyer

  (12:54 PM)

Talented young players usually force the issue, and Kershaw did that last year. Guys just have to take their lumps in the majors for a while.

Rob Neyer

  (12:54 PM)

Talented young players usually force the issue, and Kershaw did that last year. Guys just have to take their lumps in the majors for a while.

Jay (Wichita)

Rob, Thanks for taking this. just a guess, what % of AAA players are better than "experienced" major leaguers on rosters right now?

Rob Neyer

  (12:55 PM)

Not many. Four or five percent, max. Probably less. It's not a perfect meritocracy, but it does work pretty well.

Justin (STL)

Can the Angels rebound and take the West once again or have injuries and tragedy ended their domination of that division?

Rob Neyer

  (12:56 PM)

Anybody could win that division, and at this moment I suppose the Angels should still be considered very slight favorites. Thanks for all the questions. I'll see you next week, and until then don't forget to stay away from fried foods, as they angry up the blood.