You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Kevin Goldstein FanGraphs Chat - 2/14/2022
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Justin
12:15
From your time in a front office, are you aware of any big focuses on sleep and/or diet with performance?  Can you think of any interesting facts from such studies worth sharing?   One thing currently on my mind is wondering what kind of difference could be expected by, say, sending a starting pitcher to the next opponent's time zone a few days early.
Kevin Goldstein
12:15
Massive focus on sleep and nutrition. I think one of the things that some teams did that I thought was really smart was just pushing back spring times. Why are we having these guys show up at 7am?
polite guest
12:16
What's the likely path to an agreement? Continued incremental inching won't seem to do it, and we've passed some dates that feel like they could have been deadlines. Any sense on what prompts one of the two sides to take a bigger step towards the middle ground here, or cede some space to the other?
Kevin Goldstein
12:16
I think we're going to be on this incremental step thing for a while. I'm not privy to what gets a deal done for either side, so it's hard to say.
Mitch
12:17
If the average baseball fan was given the opportunity to listen in on a trade negotiation call, would they be able to follow the dialogue, or would the language be way over their head? What about the average FanGraphs reader (who I am estimating to be more knowledgeable than most fans)?
Kevin Goldstein
12:18
I think they'd get most of it. It all depends with how in the weeds they are in terms of how CBT works, what is or isn't in a UPC, etc.
Guest
12:18
Do you there will be any 40-man roster players going to an international league until the lockout ends?
Kevin Goldstein
12:18
No.
Erik
12:18
When a player has suffered more than his fair share of injuries, but those injuries aren't obviously connected, should we view him as truly injury-prone? I'm thinking of someone like Corey Seager, who's had TJ, hip surgery and a broken hand in the last few years.
Kevin Goldstein
12:18
I think there should be some concern, but not as much as if they were connected injuries.
Jack B
12:19
Do you see similarities with what the Orioles are doing now vs what the Astros did 7ish years ago since Sig and Elias are running the ship?
Kevin Goldstein
12:19
I wrote about this on the Orioles prospect list that went up last week.
B-more
12:19
what do you see a peak Coby Mayo season being? Is a .300 35 100 out of the question? thanks
Kevin Goldstein
12:20
Super dangerous question, and not a good way to look at prospects. Could he do this? Sure. I could also say that about 100 players and a single-digit percentage will actually do it.
Inaccessible Rail
12:21
Should I consider the Phillies contenders for 2022?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
Favorites? No. Contenders? Sure.
Phil
12:21
When a team is scouting other teams' prospects for potential trades, what role do player development people play? Are there situations in which a team feels like a prospect who has stagnated in another team's system might thrive in theirs, and how do they make that determination?
Kevin Goldstein
12:21
Oh yeah. I love getting PD input on things when looking at a potential transaction.
Joe
12:22
You have said MLB and Sumo are the sports you really follow, but I was wondering if you ever came across some advance analytics/technology from other sports that peaked your interest or made you wonder how it could be applied to baseball.
Kevin Goldstein
12:22
Absolutely. I have spoken to people heading up evaluation in the NFL, NBA and big Euro soccer leagues in an attempt to learn.
@RationalMLBFan
12:24
You've written and spoken about how player "makeup" is an important, underrated (by outsiders) component of player success. What are some ways that teams try to assess makeup? I imagine it has to be beyond just speaking with a player or asking around, as anyone can ace an "interview" that may not be representative of real situations and subjective biases can cloud others' evaluations.
Kevin Goldstein
12:25
The argument over what makes good/bad makeup is an eternal one. I've said it many times. I just look at work ethic and love of baseball and desire to improve.
Dave
12:26
Is there any real talk in the industry about how climate change affects the future of the sport, especially in cities like Miami and Phoenix?
Kevin Goldstein
12:26
I've never heard any discussion of this.
Mitch
12:26
How often does a "nerd" in the front office notice a specific trend going on with a player (increase in a hitter's GB%, etc.) and take action by notifying a coach about it? Is there a process for these types of things?
Kevin Goldstein
12:26
Absolutely a process, and if something needs to be shared, it is shared.
palbro
12:26
Hey, pal-bro, at what point does an org start to talk to their prospects about swing decisions?
Kevin Goldstein
12:27
[Repeats mantra]: It's very player to player. Some guys want that kind of information right away, and others need to fail before being open to suggestion.
Dave
12:27
Is your home buying taking you out of the Barb city?
Kevin Goldstein
12:28
It is, but we will still be in northern Illinois. We have an offer out right now, but good lord due I hate this process.
Frodo
12:28
What MLB organization is most in need of a new Spring Training complex?
Kevin Goldstein
12:28
Detroit, almost solely off of location. They are really isolated in Lakeland right now.
Joe
12:28
How much would an international draft change the structure of teams international scouting departments?
Kevin Goldstein
12:29
I think it requires big process changes far more than staffing changes.
Jack B
12:30
Why don't scouting reports that are published online include a player's makeup?
Kevin Goldstein
12:31
Often hard to get that info.
Maddoning
12:31
If and when the lockout is over, are all of our favorite writers at Fangraphs ready for the deluge of transaction writeups, ZIPs changes, and revised projections that are sure to follow?    Rest up now.....
Kevin Goldstein
12:32
Oh yeah, we've had meetings to discuss already. It's going to be chaos.
Mike
12:32
Do players/FOs like spring training? I'm sure it's great to go down to Florida for a few weeks in a low-stress environment, but it must get boring towards the end right?
Kevin Goldstein
12:33
Yeah, you pretty much nailed it. Super fun to go, really exciting at first and by Early to mid-March you want it to be over. It really does become Groundhog day.
Connecting…