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Jay Jaffe FanGraphs Chat - 4/27/20
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AvatarJay Jaffe
12:51
I'm at least 37,000% certain I can do a better job of owning the Mets than the Wilpons, and they already have an excellent ballpark and a lot of room for improvement.
Player salaries
12:51
Buster Olney said in an article over the weekend that MLB would never recover in terms of losing fans from not having a season this year if the sides didn't agree to it because of money. Is this going to be owners' talking point to get he players to agree to salary reductions?
AvatarJay Jaffe
12:52
seems quite likely it could be used against them, but "needlessly endangering our health because of money" is a pretty strong counterargument from the players, one that the general public supports while GOP tries to force-reopen the economy (which from what I've read is largely about getting unemployment claims off the state tabs)
Hopes and Dreams
12:52
Any advice for a recent college grad attempting to get into baseball?
AvatarJay Jaffe
12:53
You are in for some rough sledding right now, I fear. I'd say keep polishing your skills — programming, quantitative, writing — while you can
brad
12:54
Jay, but playing 1 or 2 games in November is a lot different from assuming you can play until thanksgiving and have the entire month to play....I don't see social distancing ending anywhere before sept 1 and that is likely a best case...baseball is sadly not going to happen.  You cant force players to live in a hotel in AZ not see their family and small kids for 3-4 months.
AvatarJay Jaffe
12:54
To be clear, i meant November as a postseason option with a limited number of teams playing. And no, nobody can force people to do something like that.
JoJo
12:56
Which of these AL rookies will play everyday this year?: Nick Solak, Austin Hays, Nick Mdrigal?
AvatarJay Jaffe
12:57
My guess is that Madrigal and Hays are more likely than Solak, whose status I think owed something to Calhoun's injury, which he will presumably be past if/when the season opens
Zaza
12:57
How does first and third base play out for the Rays?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:00
Via our depth charts and my own research for the mothballed Positional Power Rankings, Ji-Man Choi is the team's top option at 1B against righties, with Yandy Diaz perhaps supplementing that against lefties but seeing more time at 3B. Given that both Lowe and Tsutsugo swing lefty, Jose Martinez could be the platoon beneficiary there if Diaz remains at 3B. Joey Wendle and Tsutsugo could also see time there.
Curtis
1:01
Who is your favorite Hall of Famer & why?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:03
ah, man, too hard to choose. Jackie has a case that's head and shoulders above the rest. I have a big affinity for "my guys" — the players for whom I've advocated over the years such as Bert Blyleven, Ron Santo, Tim Raines, Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker, and now Ted Simmons. But it would be tough to pick just one
Charles Xavier
1:04
In terms of historical context, what other matchups are in the same realm of Satchel Page vs Josh Gibson?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:08
in terms of ones that happened, I'd think Babe Ruth vs. Walter Johnson and Lefty Grove would be pretty special (Ruth vs. Christy Mathewson or Cy Young, neither of which happened, would be very interesting). Mays and/or Aaron vs. Koufax comes to mind among the more modern ones. I'd love to see Pedro Martinez or Greg Maddux go at Barry Bonds. I'm not sure any of those rise to the mythical levels of Paige vs. Gibson, though — that would be tough to beat.
Curtis
1:09
What is the most underappreciated statistic attached to a player or one you simply just marvel at every time you see it?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:10
Cy Young's 511 wins is just a jaw-dropping number that will never be approached again, even if wins are sorta bullshit. Nolan Ryan's 5,714 strikeouts boggle my mind too
branik best
1:10
What HOFer (or non-HOFer) do you wish we had statcast data on?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:10
Babe Ruth for hitters and Bob Feller and Walter Johnson for pitchers.
Sam
1:10
You get a magic wand that allows you to add any 5 non-Hall of Fame players to the Hall of Fame, but you also have to remove 5 currently enshrined players (the wand really likes equilibrium). Who are your 5 for each side?
AvatarJay Jaffe
1:14
Dick Allen, Minnie Minoso, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Bobby Grich: IN

Tommy McCarthy, High Pockets Kelly, Jesse Haines, Lloyd Waner, and Harold Baines: OUT
1:15
OK folks, I need to take advantage of this window of child-free time to get some other work done. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be safe, and I'll see you next week.
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