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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 3/1/18
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Mr. Freeze
3:04
Re: the 2015 baseball - did you see the 538 baseball xray  article? Thoughts? Think MLB might admit the ball was changed, intentionally or not?
Meg Rowley
3:08
I will admit that I have only read half of the piece, though it is sitting in a tab, waiting to be finished. If they haven't admitted that it has changed by now, it seems like they never will, barring someone finding emails from Manfred saying something like "Hey change the ball, we want HOME RUNS FOR EVERYONE."
Uncle Rico
3:08
The pace of this chat is grueling
Meg Rowley
3:09
Hey now, it is rude to ignore your mom.
Fidrych Scratched
3:10
Does elite bunting skill come back into the game as a way of screwing the shift giving speed-power hitters a way to build on-base skills without necessarily having a great batting eye?
Meg Rowley
3:12
There do seem to be more teams using the bunt as a way to beat the shift, but I can't see it being more than a tool to keep guys honest. You have to make teams shifting make sense before bunting against said shift is a viable countermove, after all.
DodgerBob
3:13
Depth charts had Houston at, I think, 90 wins last season and 101 wins this season.  Am I forgetting something or is Verlander the only significant difference (+ aging)?
Meg Rowley
3:15
Well don't forget, they traded for Gerrit Cole. Plus I imagine some of that is more optimistic projections for guys like Bregman and Morton.
CamdenWarehouse
3:16
You should definitely use your bocce balls.  Lawn bocce drinking games are great.
Meg Rowley
3:16
I am truly very excited.
Steve
3:17
Do you think it would wise for some rebuilding teams like the White Sox, Braves and Padres to sit out the 2018-2019 season and spend on the 2019-2020 free agent class? The idea would be that likely the Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies would spend their cash on the free agent class of 2018-2019.
Meg Rowley
3:19
This is going to feel like I am not answering your questions, but boy does it depend on who, for how much, and how young they are. The Padres are a ways out and you know, just put a bunch of money into Hosmer. I will say that I think there is some value in being willing to spend when you are close, but not quite there yet. Sometimes you're ready to win sooner than you thought and then you look around and realize "Hey it is so handy to have a [insert very good, difference making player] hanging around already."
JT
3:21
What is the most overrated team in baseball right now? Most underrated?
Meg Rowley
3:26
This is tricky because the good teams are really, really good. They're like, obviously good. And often, very complete. Maybe (MAYBE, do not yell ok?) the Yankees just a tinnnnny bit, but honestly, only a tiny, tiny bit because the starting pitching is only projected to be (looks at projections) *only* the 7th best staff in baseball. The good teams are so good! I like that Brewers team a lot but I think others do to.
Eldridge Cleaver
3:26
The Jon Lester signing by the Cubs is a good example of why you would sign a big free agent a year before your competitive window opens.  And it worked out well for the Cubs.
Meg Rowley
3:28
Now, it doesn't always work out quite that well. Sometimes you're the Mariners and getting Cano doesn't get you all the way there. But it gets you importantly closer, and entices other guys to sign, etc. Plus I'm a fan of giving your fans baseball that is more watchable, even in the lean times.
Slurve
3:30
Wouldn't an opt out after 2 year deal be exactly what the Mariners need from Arrieta? or would they be worried they'd be on the hook for the whole deal (What's the percentage of those with opt-outs not opting out?)
Meg Rowley
3:32
Well the M's don't seem to want to spend on a free agent at all, but that might be part of the concern. I like this question more generally though because I am very curious to see what happens with opt outs generally. There is definitely value there, but I wonder how or if this offseason changes how they are perceived. I wonder if guys are less likely to take advantage, thinking that the market might be less than favorable to free agents generally.
goms
3:33
Any unique proposals to limit tanking?
Meg Rowley
3:34
I don't know how unique this is, and I would need to learn a lot more about it before I could say how exactly it would work, AND it would be a very significant change, but I've been wondering about relegation a lot lately.
Kolby
3:35
If you had to, what other two teammates would you bet hits more HRs than Stanton/Judge?
Meg Rowley
3:38
Stanton and Gary Sanchez? Is that cheating? That's probably cheating. Non-Yankee division... Joey Gallo and some Ranger (maybe Odor)? Maybe George Springer and Altuve? That would be fun. We're all still super into that funny tall/short visual, yeah?
AdamZ
3:38
Wouldn't a salary floor, but less restrictions on signing amateur talent limit tanking?
Meg Rowley
3:39
I don't think a single thing does it, and I don't think anything reduces the incentives to zero. And I don't think baseball needs there to be zero tanking. I do think it would be better for baseball and the humans who play it if there were less not-winning happening, though not all of that not-winning is tanking.
Johnny
3:40
What makes baseball fun for you?
Meg Rowley
3:41
A lot of things, including the community of folks around it, but honestly, it is as simple as the batter/pitcher match up. It is so amazing that humans can pitch like they do. It is also so amazing that other humans ever get hits against them. So amazing!
3:42
Alright, I have to get going so I can do a bit of editing. Thanks for all the great questions. Apologies for what I didn't get to, and for taking a phone call. Be nice to your moms, but also to chatters. Until next week!
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