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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 1/14/2020
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Meg Rowley
2:00
Hi everyone, and welcome to the chat.
2:01
A couple of things to point you to before we get started. First, and we'll have more on the Astros in the days ahead but, Jay broke down the Astros' punishment and what this all means here: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/rob-manfred-hammers-the-astros/
Michael Augustine took a look at Tyler Glasnow and noodled on how a very good pitcher might get even better: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/pitch-design-tyler-glasnow-can-be-more-eli...
2:02
Dan has your 2020 ZiPS projections for the Reds: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2020-zips-projections-cincinnati-reds/
All of the ZiPS we've released so far can be found in the handy nav widget at the top there.
And Craig is asking for your help on a project: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/which-star-player-has-the-most-trade-value...
2:03
Looking ahead to later this week, we'll have the Cardinals prospect list.
Ok, let's get to your questions.
TK07
2:03
The obvious question: is the Astros punishment too harsh? Not harsh enough?
Meg Rowley
2:04
I found parts of it satisfactory, and others less so. A maximum allowable monetary penalty is good, though I think this illustrates that that number likely needs to be raised, particularly when you consider how much they (and the league) made on the 2017 World Series.
The draft pick penalties are substantial, but it is interesting that they'll still be able to play in the international space.
2:06
I like very much the message sent by Luhnow and Hinch's suspensions, that regardless of how much you know (in Luhnow's case) or how badly you feel about it (in Hinch's), if you're the person in charge, part of your mandating is to know, and a failure to do that, or create a culture in which your employees behave ethically, is a failure with consequences.
Baseball orgs are huge, geographically spread out, stuffed with smart folks, and laden with very high stakes.
2:07
You have to be confident your folks are doing the right thing, and inspire them to self-police because you can't see everything.
Am I skeptical of Luhnow's account of what he knew? I am! But the nice thing about this is it didn't matter.
2:08
But with all of that said, I don't know how you embrace that notion of responsibility and then leave Crane alone. Who does the buck stop with if not the dude with the bucks!
2:09
Manfred specifically noted the broader baseball ops culture, including the bits that led to and were revealed by the Taubmann incident, as part of the problem here. But that culture was aided and abetted by the team's PR folks - that's the business side.
On balance, I think this was pretty stern, but still imperfect.
2:10
And I would have liked Taubmann's culpability to be more explicitly elucidated. Cynically, him getting stuck with a cheater label probably does more to keep him out of baseball a year from now than his clubhouse outburst, and now we don't know all there is to know about that.
Guest
2:10
How do you feel about the punishment given to the Astros? I've noticed that a large number of people believe any owners would be willing to give up $40-45 million to win a championship, if that's what it costs
Meg Rowley
2:11
I don't think vacating titles is necessarily the right tool - if the thing that hurts the most is the money, go after the money imo.
Fred
2:11
Better name for an infamous baseball incident: "Merkle's boner" or "Banging scheme"?
Meg Rowley
2:11
Banging Scheme because I can say it to my mom, and if she repeats it, not die of embarrassment.
2:12
Banging Scheme. A banging scheme! Have you ever heard a better thing? I have not.
Banging Scheme
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Ok, I'm done now.
(I am not done)
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