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Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 1/3/2022
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Kevin Goldstein
12:18
It really shouldn't make you feel worse. The second the players got locked out, you should have just assumed this wasn't going to go anywhere until late January at the least.
Nick
12:18
When working in the FO, if a (pro) player you were scouting piqued your interest (not even necessarily as a potential acquisition), what's the first thing you would check? His proprietary metrics? Contract/options info? A "do you like this guy?" conversation with someone else?
Kevin Goldstein
12:19
All of the above? If I found a player I liked, I'd always try to bounce him off other people . . . a hard core analyst, a video expert, etc. I think the best decisions are made from a diversity of opinions and different lenses.
NotAA
12:20
is there any particular reason that the same 5-10 people come up for every GM opening when there is probably 30+ qualified candidates around baseball?
Kevin Goldstein
12:20
Baseball is an exceptionally conservative industry. It's very much the "nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM" mindset.
Shadow of Denny Neagle
12:21
Why do teams and players add mutual options to contracts, knowing that they almost never get picked up?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
Usually to just have that buyout as semi deferred money.
Benji
12:21
Does top prospect Hunter Brown earn a spot in the rotation with the Astros out of camp?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
Unlikely.
Mets fan
12:21
Do teams do any vision testing for international free agents? Seems very measurable and probably one of the stickier attributes when scouting young teenagers
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
They absolutely do.
Scott
12:22
Hey Kevin, I know you grew up in the Chicago punk scene but I'm a huge Blues fan and Chicago was hopping for that music at the same time. Did you ever check out any shows just for something different?
Kevin Goldstein
12:22
One or two. Just not for me.
Joe
12:22
With no CBA agreement likely until February or later, how likely is an international draft for 2022 international free agents? Can all the logistics be in place for that class or is 2023 more likely?
Kevin Goldstein
12:22
Yeah, the January signing period is happening as planned, so if there's an international draft, it will almost certainly start in 2023 at the earliest.
Troy
12:23
As a recent AZ transplant who is absolutely stoked to go to ST games, on a scale of 1-10 how worried should I be about losing ST games due to lockout
Kevin Goldstein
12:23
I think we'll have a shortened spring training, but you'll certainly still have games.
Guest
12:23
Do you think Jackson Jobe has ace potential?
Kevin Goldstein
12:24
Sure. That's a rare quality to have, and at the same time, most teenagers with ace potential do not become aces.
Mitch
12:24
What is the closest you ever saw a trade to being complete but never got done? Was there ever a time where the FO was 99% a trade was happening but something at the last second fell through?
Kevin Goldstein
12:25
Oh yeah. Plenty of deals that I was quite sure were done that collapsed in the final mile. Sometimes it's a medical, and sometimes ownership pulls the rug out...
Kevin Brozestein
12:25
How many pitchers in todays game would you trust going third time thru the order?
Kevin Goldstein
12:25
My initial guess is this than ten.
Scott
12:25
I know back at BP you guys would organize some in person stadium events and gatherings with front office...if the world ever settles would Fangraphs consider this?
Kevin Goldstein
12:26
I mean, I joined FG in the midst of a pandemic, so I've yet to do an event, but I know we like doing them and I'd like to be part of one. Hopefully we'll get to a point where it's something we can do safely for everyone involved.
171
12:26
Did another team ever reach out to you about a player that you considered as an afterthought/just a minor league position filler? If so, did this ever lead to you/the team looking more into the player and discovering that they could actually be an impact player?
Kevin Goldstein
12:26
Yes; No.
Guest
12:26
Odds Bobby Witt Jr can have a better career than Wander Franco?
Kevin Goldstein
12:27
I really like Bobby Witt. He's wonderful. But like  . . . 23%?
Guest
12:27
What separates a typical reliever, or even a starter, from a closer? Is it a certain mental fortitude or clutch factor? Because to me, and I'm sure to others, it seems like you just need a straightforward three outs (most of the time.) Why are "closers" even a thing in today's game? I know their importance has dwindled recently but I feel like they're definitely still something with significance.
Kevin Goldstein
12:28
I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I'll say it anyway. It's not a straightforward three outs, and I do believe in the closer mentality thing. Some guys can handle the ninth, and some can't.
TooDamnTall
12:28
Makeup seems like such a vague all-encompassing term, not to mention being massively subjective. For you were there any players that really moved the needle up/down because of some aspect of their personality?
Kevin Goldstein
12:30
Oh absolutely. Makeup matters, and matters a TON. For me, makeup is about loving baseball and being driven to improve. I really don't care if they go to church on Sunday or help old ladies cross the street. I can think of a lot of players I would have no desire to interact with personally who still had great makeup.
171
12:30
Why do next to no players wear glasses/rec-specs any more? If you had to estimate, what percentage of players have some level of visual impairment that requires correction?
Kevin Goldstein
12:30
Tons of players wear contacts.
Guest
12:31
The least critically acclaimed (aka worst) movie that you like or love?
Kevin Goldstein
12:31
Paul Mazursky's The Tempest?
Mitch
12:31
Are you able to shed a bit of light on how teams evaluate a players makeup? For instance, I believe I recall Longenhagen talking about how some teams will give newly drafted players a written test/assessment of some sort to get a grasp on this. Is this stuff common?
Kevin Goldstein
12:31
Almost every team does interviews/talks/tests or some combination of those things for potential top 100 picks.
TooDamnTall
12:32
Which MLB player confounds you the most?
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