You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 2/24/2021
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Meg Rowley
4:41
It is very strange that it is still ongoing, though I'd be very surprised if the team, which I believe is conducting the investigation in conjunction with MLB, were forced into keeping him if they want to get rid of him. But I agree that it is weird. Not sure what exculpatory evidence they could find here, and his reputation wasn't exactly a secret, as The Athletic piece noted.
matt
4:41
When do you predict you'll see a baseball game in person?
Meg Rowley
4:42
As media? Pretty soon. As a person in the stands? Not until I'm vaccinated.
Myfanwy N.
4:43
Hi Meg! Let's hop on the magic school bus back to an alternate reality where the designated hitter is designed to replace catchers, not pitchers in the batter's box. With no mandate to be two-way players, just how much better would catchers be league-wide? Would Jeff Mathis have a HOF career?
Meg Rowley
4:44
At catching, you mean? Some, but probably less that you think. The position already allows for some truly putrid bats to get good framers back there.
Lunar verLander
4:44
What's your most "Am I out of touch? No, it's the children that are wrong" opinion related to baseball?
Meg Rowley
4:44
Not keen on a robozone.
4:45
The good reason being that the tech isn't there just yet. The less good reason being that I think framing is really cool and enjoy watching it.
Guest
4:47
Am I the only one who thinks Lindor is overrated?  As a CLE fan, I wasn't upset when Lindor left.  His defense, while great, is declining and his offense has been empty stats for awhile now.
Meg Rowley
4:47
You are the only person who thinks this, but also, if thinking this eases his exit from Cleveland for you, I think it is fine to feel that way.
NF
4:48
How many years do you think it will take for a team that's not the Dodgers or Padres to win the NL West? I see no chance in sight for the next few years at a minimum, but I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Meg Rowley
4:51
I think that Arizona's farm system is very impressive, but their owner seems disinclined to spend. San Francisco might spend, but has further to go with their farm, though it isn't bad. The Rockies exist! The thing with the Dodgers and Padres (also the Padres! what a delight to say!) is that they're good at both. Hard to disrupt the perpetual motion machines. But also, five years is a long time in baseball! Let's say six. I am not confident!
Fanhandrew Zaidman
4:53
Andrew Friedman has said a few times this off season that the Dodgers don't analyze their yearly payroll in a vacuum, but rather in 2, 3, 4 year snapshots. Is that process industry standard, or is this the Dodgers zigging while the rest of the league zags?
Meg Rowley
4:56
Pretty standard. Because CBT penalties escalate based on how many years a team is over the various thresholds (and how much over they are), it's pretty common for teams to think about when they want or need to go over and then try to dip under in the years leading up to that to minimize the penalties.
Kite
4:57
From a financial perspective from MLB and the MLBPA, isn't league expansion the easiest way to increase revenue?  More fans, new cities, etc.  I assume both sides will agree like the DH and have trouble in the new CBA with this.  Why?
Meg Rowley
4:57
A not small part of it is that the existing owners aren't keen on making less: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/league-expansion-interest-rates-and-other-...
Wow Ben and I really gave that one an alluring name, didn't we?
Eric the Red
4:58
One of the toughest parts of the Mather debate is that there is absolutely nothing that Rodriguez or Kelenic can do. They're bound to the Mariners for at least 6 but most likely 7 years. What do you think is their best recourse to air their frustration?
Meg Rowley
4:59
Airing them, and then filing grievances where appropriate and hoping the terms of free agency change so as to alter this equation in the future.
5:00
In the case of Julio, where the issue is one of respect and dignity, he's a walking counterpoint to Mather's (excuse my swear) bullshit.
5:01
(Julio actually does need more time in the minors imo, so the grievance bit isn't relevant there yet, just to be clear)
5:02
I talked about this on Effectively Wild but jeez, imagine getting the absolutely middle-middle pitch that is "Tell us about Julio Rodríguez" and going where Mather did. And with such speed! What an absolute moron.
5:05
What a cruel direction, too. If Rodríguez wanted to speak through an interpreter his whole career, that would be totally fine, but his fluency (and he is fluent!) with English is clearly very important to him. It's a point of pride. It suggests that Mather doesn't know the dude at all, but thought this was how you denigrate someone like him. So gross! Glad he's gone. It doesn't solve the broader issue, but hey, one less dude like this.
Bill G
5:06
Hi Meg.  I think you mentioned that you play in a sim league.  What software package do you use?  I would like to see one of your authors do a comprehensive analysis of the various sim packages, like DMB and OOTP.  Thanks!
Meg Rowley
5:07
I play in Diamond Mind and thank you for reminding me that I need to ready my profile this week!
Pumpsie Green
5:07
Kelenic has zero chance in a grievance. Determining a player's readiness is a management right. Craig Edwards might have something to say about fixing a broken system, though!
Meg Rowley
5:09
I think this is an overly simplistic read - when Bryant lost his grievance, the arbitrator specifically said he wasn't ruling on the broader legality of service time manipulation. The fact that management generally searches for excuses suggests there is line. And this was literally management saying he was ready (with the talk of the extension and that he would be up in April this year). Not saying he'll win, but there's both smoke and fire here.
James
5:10
Could you rank your top 3 or 4 grievances with everything Mather said? I'm kinda surprised to hear people so up in arms about him bashing Everett's facilities and manipulating service time. These are things people already know, right?
Meg Rowley
5:15
Not sure how I would rank them but I will say on the service time point: In addition to all the ways it sucks for the players, the Mariners were what, two games out of a playoff spot last year? José Marmolejos played 35 games. Phillip Ervin started 20 something games? Jake Fraley started seven games I think?
Maybe you don't think Kelenic is ready for full-time duty, but don't you wanna see if he's better than those guys?
5:18
Ok, pals, I have to get rolling. I'm sorry for what I didn't get to this week. Thank you for the great questions. See you next week, and until then, be well!
Connecting…