Chat with Rob Neyer

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Welcome to SportsNation! On Tuesday, ESPN.com MLB Insider Rob Neyer will drop by to chat some baseball.

Neyer's book, "Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends," can be ordered now!

Send your questions now and join Neyer on Tuesday at noon ET!

More Rob Neyer: Search | Chats | SweetSpot blog

Steve (Boston, MA)


Rob, my friend says ERA and strikeouts don't impress me as much as wins do. The name of the game is to win. How wrong is he?

Rob Neyer
  (12:03 PM)


Steve, you should listen to your friend, who sounds to me like an exceptionally wise young man.

Degnem (MN)


Does Mauer win the MVP even if they lose today?

Rob Neyer
  (12:04 PM)


Sure. Most of the voters have already made up their minds and submitted their ballots.

Greg (LA)


As the rich teams get smarter, making it harder for the poorer teams to compete, isn't it time for a rehaul of the system - like a fully loaded amateur draft with fixed (low) slotting?

Rob Neyer
  (12:05 PM)


I don't see how saving money on the draft would help a great deal. It would be a welcome change for the lower-revenue clubs, but what they really "need" is more revenue-sharing.

Rytor (CT)


Rob, are you surprised by the Rays' firing of Steve Henderson? Seems strange to fire a hitting coach the year you set team records in 4 offensive categories.

Rob Neyer
  (12:06 PM)


Exceptionally strange. I should have blogged about this already, and might later today. All I can figure is that Henderson's taking the blame for B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro.

Dave (LV)


Rob, I hope the Twins win but even if they don't (and they wouldn't beat the Yanks anyway), I think this team deserves some real credit for overcoming the major injuries. Michael Cuddyer, in particular, has simply carried this team. Thoughts?

Rob Neyer
  (12:11 PM)


Well, he certainly chose a fine time to have his finest season. And I would say the Twins deserve real credit for all sorts of things.

Josh (Minneapolis)


Rob,Ducking out of law school this afternoon to catch what has to be the loudest baseball game of the season...why do you think Baker's flown so far under the radar? The combination of the bad start and playing in Minnesota is the culprit...Rock Chalk.

Rob Neyer
  (12:14 PM)


Well, I think Baker's under the radar because his ERA is just the 26th best in the American League. But he's better than that, I think. I don't know that he'll match what Nick Blackburn did a year ago. But I expect him to pitch well this afternoon

Greg (LA)


Do you think that we're going to be starting an era of salary deflation? The best guys will still get big money, but only from the half dozen big market teams. Everyone else will have to fight for "scraps" (if you think that making $5M is scraps).

Rob Neyer
  (12:17 PM)


I don't know that I would call it an "era" because I think of "era" as lasting more than two or three years, and we don't know how long this thing's going to last. But considering the drop in attendance this season, one would assume that we'll have some disappointed free agents this winter.

Mike (Ohio)


Miggy Cabrera...what the heck is he thinking? If the Tigers lose today--and especially if he has a poor game again--does he become the scapegoat for this collapse?

Rob Neyer
  (12:18 PM)


Sure. I don't know that he deserves it, all by himself anyway. But few are going to blame Jim Leyland for anything.

Mike (San Diego)


Speaking of Twins flying under the radar, how many people do you think would be able to answer the question "Who is leading the Twins in RBI this year?" It's not Mauer or Morneau...

Rob Neyer
  (12:19 PM)


Right. It's Jason Kubel, a great object lesson in being patient with talented players.

Paul (Philly)


Who finishes #2 in the NL MVP (since we all know Pujols wins)?

Rob Neyer
  (12:22 PM)


Prince Fielder or Hanley Ramirez, and probably Ramirez because some voters won't be able to distinguish between Fielder and Ryan Howard.

Alex (Chicago)


Surprise Team in 2010? How about 2011?

Rob Neyer
  (12:26 PM)


Gee, I'm not sure I should answer because it'll just be one of the teams I pump up every year. Like the A's (2011) or the Rays (2010, but good luck finishing better than third) or the D'backs (?).

Joshua (annapolis, md)


which Cole Hamels shows up this week?

Rob Neyer
  (12:29 PM)


Cole Hamels is exactly as good right now as he was a year ago. Then, he was slightly overrated; now he's slightly underrated. Either way, he's a lovely No. 2 starter.

Dave (MN)


Sure the Dome is old and worn down, but there's no way Target Field will ever be as loud or intimidating as the Dome. I've never had a sports moment quite like the Dome was in 2006 when Morneau and Cuddyer hit back to back homers against the A's and the place almost came down it was so loud and there were homer hankies everywhere. I'm seriously going to miss the Dome...

Rob Neyer
  (12:30 PM)


So with the Twins, I think, on sort of a per-game basis. But they're going to make more money in the new place.

Mike (SLC, UT)


The NL Cy Young Award should go to Lincecum, right? I know some people think Carpenter should win, but Lincecum has over 100 more strikeouts than Carpenter. That's a lot of strikeouts.

Rob Neyer
  (12:32 PM)


That is a lot of strikeouts, and he would certainly be my choice. He's not going to win, though. The voters might forgive him the wins, but they're not going to forgive the ERA (which of course is excellent, but is little better than Wainwright's).

George (NY)


More revenue sharing so the Marlins owner can get richer and lower the payroll even more? Right, the magic wand of revenue sharing. How about better owners?

Rob Neyer
  (12:34 PM)


So if all the owners were better, everything would even out? Not sure how that works ... The Marlins have actually done a lot of smart things over the years -- notwithstanding Emilio Bonifacio -- and I have to think they'd win more games if they had a bit more money to spend. That said, I don't know much about their finances.

Gus (New City, NY)


Hi Rob, You mentioned earlier that "what we "need" is more revenue-sharing". Before they do that, shouldn't they make sure that the teams that are getting revenue sharing are actually spending it on making there teams better on the field and not pocketing the money for themselves? Thanks

Rob Neyer
  (12:37 PM)


Sure. You don't want owners just pocketing the money they get from the richer owners.

Eric (IA)


I see you added Nick's Twins Blog to your links. Good pickup. And congrats to Nick on the extra traffic.

Rob Neyer
  (12:39 PM)


Thanks, Eric. But we've done a lot more than add Nick's Twins Blog to my links. Nick's now a part of the new SweetSpot Network, along with seven others. And there's more to come this winter...

Jack (St. Louis)


If the Cardinals and the Phillies end up playing in the NLCS, what are the odds Charlie Manuel lets Lidge pitch to Pujols in any situation at all?

Rob Neyer
  (12:40 PM)


Oh gosh, I haven't been paying close enough attention ... they actually are going to put Lidge on a postseason roster? What's the point?

Steve (NYC)


Rob, it seems like the Jason Kubel question is more of a "great object lesson" in the overvaluing of RBIs....

Rob Neyer
  (12:42 PM)


Really? He's had a pretty fantastic season, don't you think?

Ben (KC)


On the subject of teams pocketing the revenue sharing money they get from the Yankees, there also needs to be a rule on not allowing them to spend the money on players with stat lines like Jose Guillen.

Rob Neyer
  (12:44 PM)


Well, there's also that. But everybody spends money stupidly.

Joshua (annapolis, md)


Lidge is on the roster because he's scrappy and a good clubhouse guy (and they don't have a lot of options)?

Rob Neyer
  (12:45 PM)


I'm sorry, Joshua, but I don't believe that it's possible to justify the inclusion of a pitcher with a 7.21 ERA. Not unless there are some incredibly extenuating circumstances, and I don't see those here.

Doug (NYC)


Tell Steve from NYC that Kubel has the highest OPS vs. righties in the AL (min 400 PAs).Now a question: Is Greinke going to win the AL CY or is King Felix and his 19 wins ( almost Greinke-like peripherals) going to swoop in and snatch it?

Rob Neyer
  (12:49 PM)


I'm pretty sure Greinke's going to win, if only because every time I turned on the TV in the last few weeks, the baseball insiders were saying that he will.

Will (Halifax, NS)


Let me try again to get an answer to this: the James preface to your legends book seemed to question the point of the book to some extent. I found it refreshing (usually, prefaces from someone else just hype the book), but it was curious. What did you think? How do you view it?

Rob Neyer
  (12:51 PM)


Honestly? I don't exactly remember, except that I was thrilled that Bill contributed something and obviously put his heart into it. Good writing is good writing; the rest is just details.

Raul (Miami, FL)


Do you think Marlins can surprise next year? They have a lot of young pitchers behind JJ and Nolsaco. Only need a couple of them to grow up. Also have some significant hitting almost ready to graduate from minors.

Rob Neyer
  (12:52 PM)


Yeah, maybe they should have been my surprise team. If they get Bonifacio out of the lineup and Maybin in, they should be even better next year. Especially if one or two of the young pitchers improves.

Ben (Boston)


"Cole Hamels is exactly as good right now as he was a year ago." No, he's not. That implies he's pitching just as well now as he was then, and if he's less successful it's just bad luck. Do you refuse to recognize that players go through hot streaks (when everything clicks) and cold streaks (when they lose their touch)? That's just being a human being. Hamels in a hot streak is better than Hamels when he's not so hot.

Rob Neyer
  (12:55 PM)


With all due respect, Ben ... Are we *really* still having this conversation? If so, I suppose I should be glad; it means my work's not yet done. But would you look at Hamels? His HR, BB, and K rates are almost EXACTLY the same as last season. The difference in his ERA's is due mostly to luck; last year he was lucky, this year he's been unlucky. But he's fundamentally the same pitcher.

Jim (Pella, IA)


Rob, can you give us Cubs fans a ray of hope for next year? We're not as bad as we played this year, right?

Rob Neyer
  (12:55 PM)


The Cubs have some work to do, but I would say they're already in the mix for a division title next season.

Steve (Baltimore, MD)


In your opinion, did Wieters have a down year or is this what you expected? How big of a jump can we expect next season?

Rob Neyer
  (12:57 PM)


It was a bit of a down year, even compared to my expectations (and I didn't think he would immediately become Johnny Bench). But a (roughly) league-average hitting line for a 23-year-old catcher in the American League East? Nothing wrong with that, and he will be an All-Star.

pookie (Denver)


Do you think MLB should add a wild card team to the NL playoffs like they do in the AL? I am right in assuming only three teams make the playoffs in the NL, right? I haven't heard anyone on ESPN mention a NL wild card team?

Rob Neyer
  (12:59 PM)


Heh. That's a funny joke. But I do recall the Rockies getting a great deal of love over the last couple of months. Either way, I recommend just enjoying their success and not worrying too much about external validation. Life's a lot easier that way.

nathan (nyc)


Rob, Joba starter/setup man? Does he make the ALDS roster.

Rob Neyer
  (1:03 PM)


I believe that decision's been made and Joba's on the roster, especially after his solid performance on Sunday afternoon, coming out of the 'pen. I'm not wild about him, but Joe Girardi knows his pitchers better than I do.Thanks for all the questions, and if you want more from me later, check out our coverage of the playoff game this afternoon. Until then, remember: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

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