You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 10/22/19
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Meg Rowley
2:24
Yeah, I think I do. That Cubs/Cleveland series was great but 2001 was spectacular.
MikeM
2:25
Where do the Yankees go from here?  They actually pitched as well as the Astros in the ALDS but didnt hit with RISP.  There is an obvious rotation upgrade path for them (spend money on Cole or Strasburg or both!) but where can they realistically upgrade the lineup?
Meg Rowley
2:26
Better health luck accomplishes a lot of it, though that is tricky to count on, and will probably come with some regression from the all-worlds role player performances they got. Would imagine pitching will be the focus.
E
2:26
So the Indians were right that they would be able to beat up the lesser AL Central and other AL teams to win 90+ games, did they not account enough for the other good AL teams having that same advantage?
Meg Rowley
2:28
The issue with their approach, which assumes a weak field (rightly, as you note) is that you reduce your margin for error. Yes, spending doesn't always work, and yes, Cleveland's approach almost did, but it didn't. You don't even have to spend $300 million on Harper and Machado. They could have just made Michael Brantley a qualifying offer. Like, as a starting point? They could have tried to retain their own very good player?
Guille
2:29
114, 140, 134 are Mike Trout's games played the last three seasons. Is he starting to get a little injury-prone? are we going to get robbed out of those huge totals he could put up?
Meg Rowley
2:29
I'm not overly concerned about it based on the nature of the injuries.
Chris
2:30
Do you expect the league to step in and deal with this situation or is it more likely they try and ignore it?
Meg Rowley
2:31
I expect they will investigate. I don't know what if any action they will take. They have to be furious. This is the worst possible time for them to have a story like this out there (to be clear, would be bad and reprehensible no matter when it happened), though I guess people will talk about the ball less now maybe? What a time to be a fan!
GMPadres
2:32
What probability would you guess that Preller is able to convert the assets he assembled into a championship contending team?
Meg Rowley
2:32
I expect there will be consolidation in that system, yes. They have prospects to net very good players. Will it all work? Not sure they win a World Series (who is sure about that) but I think they'll be a contender in pretty short order here.
Kimball
2:32
On a topic of a less morally-painful thing to enjoy, in a chat a while back, you recommended an Italian restaurant in Seattle.  I wrote it down, but lost the post-it before I had a chance to go.  Can you share the name/location again?  Thanks!
Meg Rowley
2:33
Salvatore's!
notBillJames
2:34
Meg, if a starter came into tonight's game, which one would make you the most anxious?
Meg Rowley
2:34
Tomorrow's because man, what happened tonight to necessitate that?
Lunar verLander
2:34
What do you think are the odds that any significant repercussions are brought against Taubman or the Astros?
Meg Rowley
2:35
I remain tired and cynical and think he's still working there when pitchers and catchers report.
E
2:35
While he was not the leader, Dante Bichette had 141 RBIs and 0.9 fwar in 1996
Meg Rowley
2:35
This is a good one
Pete
2:36
How much hope for humanity is reasonable for me to place entirely on Sean Doolittle right now?
Meg Rowley
2:37
Just a slice -- not because Sean appears in any way unworthy of that hope, but because one guy can only do so much. I do think he has a very important voice in the game, and I am grateful to him for using it. I hope others follow his example, and that those who have already shown they will keep doing so.
Guest
2:37
As an Astros fan who defended the way the Aiken incident played out and a few of their other irksome dealings of years past, I'm finding it harder and harder to rationalize my fandom. It absolutely makes no moral sense, but it doesn't even make business sense. Who in the world is in charge of their PR?
Meg Rowley
2:38
My sense and my sense from others in baseball is that to assume this is an issue of the PR part of the org doing a bad job is to let the rest of the org entirely too much off the hook.
2:39
Which isn't to say there aren't good eggs working for Houston. But this is a problem that starts much higher up than whoever is drafting their public statements.
Marina
2:39
This whole Houston fiasco has once again helped me appreciate the excellent work of all the women covering baseball, yourself included, in an incredibly tough field. Thank you for your great analysis and the perspective you bring to the sport.
Meg Rowley
2:40
Appreciate that. All the women I know who work in baseball media (and in front offices) just want to do good work with people who respect them.
2:42
I am fortunate to work at a place where all of my coworkers are equal to that. I know a lot of other women who are similarly fortunate, and there are many orgs where this wouldn't fly. But we still have work to do, and it's really, really important that women aren't the only ones responsible for advancing that convo, and that we acknowledge the places where various identities crosscut to make things relatively easier or harder.
Matt W
2:42
Will there be daily chats throughout the offseason?
Meg Rowley
2:42
We'll maintain our chat schedule, with the usual possible deviations for vacations, holidays, book projects, etc.
stever20
2:42
Do you think the pendulum has swung back to starters this fall- and going forward- or is it just a blip and bullpenning will continue to be the norm?  How would the new rules if at all impact that?
Meg Rowley
2:44
I would imagine the new rules drive any course correction the most. Clearly uhhh having really good starters is good! There being rules that necessitate longer outings will help, but I think we're more likely to see more relievers who go a little longer as we are starters going back to seven innings per.
Bring Back Jeff
2:45
Is it ever kind of exhausting to be the one that everyone seems to come to with their questions and takes on this kind of crap?
To be clear, it's "Crap" in that the continued behavior is deplorable nonsense, not in that the discussion is overblown in any way.
Meg Rowley
2:49
Yes, it can be. I will admit that I often struggle to know when it is ok for me to take a play or two off and cede the floor to other voices, and when it is important for me, both as the managing editor of an important publication and as a woman in a senior position in baseball media, to speak up even when I feel like a thing is obviously bad, indeed so obviously bad that I shouldn't *need* to say something because can't we all agree this is obviously bad? A lot of the time, I feel compelled to. Sometimes, I am too tired or bummed to do it. I'm still figuring that balance out.
2:51
And obviously a lot of other women, and people generally, chime in on this stuff. Sometimes the story has a wrinkle that means I'm not the right vessel. I try really hard to listen to those who have lived experience that makes their stories, perspectives, and voices more relevant and more central when those moments arrive. I don't do it perfectly by any means, but I try to think about that before I tweet or say something.
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe
2:51
Which 2.0 fWAR player of either team would swing the series most by being swapped to the other? Ryan Pressly or Will Harris would be a boon for the Nationals; Sean Doolittle would be a lefty for the all-RHP Astros.
Meg Rowley
2:52
I think if the Nationals suddenly found themselves possessed of a Will Harris or Ryan Pressly, a lot changes.
Will Harris has been overlooked but also very good for a long time.
Washington would loveeee to have a Will Harris. Or a Pressly. Man, they'd love that.
Connecting…