They kept saying "Dave Phelps, Dave Phelps"

[Post Count Padder]

We acquired David Phelps today for Tom Hatch. I like Hatch a lot, hoping for the best for him.

 

Phelps on the other hand is a guy I wanted a few years ago. Stuff seems to be playing well returning from TJS.

[Cubswin11]

[Agony and Ivy]

We acquired David Phelps today for Tom Hatch. I like Hatch a lot, hoping for the best for him.

 

Phelps on the other hand is a guy I wanted a few years ago. Stuff seems to be playing well returning from TJS.

 

He has 5.4% swinging strike rate. I'm not even sure who he's an upgrade over.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If the velocity keeps coming back, then it's...fine.

 

[squally1313]

I assume this will be the thread that makes it. The tweet in the other one said he isn't missing many bats, which I don't know if I'd agree with given his 9.35 K/9 rate (slightly above league average for relievers). 2 home runs in 17 innings, and a low GB rate doesn't seem great. I would say that he's one of those guys where someone in the org identified a fix, but we haven't had one of those in a while.

[Old Style]

BRB. Going to call my bookie to lay my life savings on the Cubs winning it all.

[Banedon]

[Post Count Padder]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[Cubswin11]

We got cash back in the deal too, he also has a cheap team option for next year. $1 mil if under 30 games, $3 mil if between 30-39, $5 mil if 40-49. He’s not reaching that $5 mil threshold.

[jersey cubs fan]

I assume this will be the thread that makes it. The tweet in the other one said he isn't missing many bats, which I don't know if I'd agree with given his 9.35 K/9 rate (slightly above league average for relievers). 2 home runs in 17 innings, and a low GB rate doesn't seem great. I would say that he's one of those guys where someone in the org identified a fix, but we haven't had one of those in a while.

I was a little confused about the decent K rate and comments about missing bats, but his swinging strike rate is abysmal. He's literally not missing the bats.

[Post Count Padder]

Cue #PTR

 

1:37pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Blue Jays will send cash to the Cubs in the swap as well.

[Brian]

There's the Kintzler level pitcher I called yesterday.

[Post Count Padder]

There's the Kintzler level pitcher I called yesterday.

Basically the same trade. Got an unexciting middle reliever with a cheap option for the following year in exchange for a minor leaguer with a low ceiling/high floor. He'll likely replace Kintzler in next year's pen.

[Banedon]

Bruce is all over this.

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[squally1313]

I assume this will be the thread that makes it. The tweet in the other one said he isn't missing many bats, which I don't know if I'd agree with given his 9.35 K/9 rate (slightly above league average for relievers). 2 home runs in 17 innings, and a low GB rate doesn't seem great. I would say that he's one of those guys where someone in the org identified a fix, but we haven't had one of those in a while.

I was a little confused about the decent K rate and comments about missing bats, but his swinging strike rate is abysmal. He's literally not missing the bats.

This is more hypothetical than anything else, but given the absurdly low swinging strike rate compared to the slightly above average K rate, it would seem to me he's getting a lot of takes on pitches in the zone? I wonder how that compares in terms of predictive value vs swinging strikes.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I assume this will be the thread that makes it. The tweet in the other one said he isn't missing many bats, which I don't know if I'd agree with given his 9.35 K/9 rate (slightly above league average for relievers). 2 home runs in 17 innings, and a low GB rate doesn't seem great. I would say that he's one of those guys where someone in the org identified a fix, but we haven't had one of those in a while.

I was a little confused about the decent K rate and comments about missing bats, but his swinging strike rate is abysmal. He's literally not missing the bats.

This is more hypothetical than anything else, but given the absurdly low swinging strike rate compared to the slightly above average K rate, it would seem to me he's getting a lot of takes on pitches in the zone? I wonder how that compares in terms of predictive value vs swinging strikes.

 

Just eyeballing his Fangraphs graphs, there doesn't seem to be a consistent correlation between his contact rate and his ERA or FIP. He has run higher contact rates pre-surgery, so even if that part doesn't change it's not necessarily bad news.

 

That would seem to indicate that his ability to be effective is more weighted on control and/or command though, which makes taking him on post-TJS all the more risky.

[Cubswin11]

I don’t mind this move for next year (don’t give a horsefeathers about using the Thomas Hatch’s of the world for real MLB talent). But it seems dumb to basically have to 25 man a guy who’s still clearly working his way back from TJ when we have thin margins the rest of the way. Would be nice if we could phantom IL him until September and let him work his way back in AAA or wherever.

[Post Count Padder]

It's official

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[Agony and Ivy]

I assume this will be the thread that makes it. The tweet in the other one said he isn't missing many bats, which I don't know if I'd agree with given his 9.35 K/9 rate (slightly above league average for relievers). 2 home runs in 17 innings, and a low GB rate doesn't seem great. I would say that he's one of those guys where someone in the org identified a fix, but we haven't had one of those in a while.

I was a little confused about the decent K rate and comments about missing bats, but his swinging strike rate is abysmal. He's literally not missing the bats.

This is more hypothetical than anything else, but given the absurdly low swinging strike rate compared to the slightly above average K rate, it would seem to me he's getting a lot of takes on pitches in the zone? I wonder how that compares in terms of predictive value vs swinging strikes.

 

This has been studied there's an article on Fangraphs somewhere but I'm too lazy to find it. Basically it concludes that called strikes isn't really a skill and it doesn't correlate to K rate.