You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 3/26/2019
powered byJotCast
Meg Rowley
2:01
Hi everyone! We'll get started in a few minutes here. Just need to get a few editorial things sorted. You can blame all the of the baseball teams doing all of the baseball extensions.
2:10
A minute more. Apologies, apologies.
2:12
Ok, here I am.
Sorry folks, I had to confer with Tech Wizard Sean Dolinar on Matters of Great Import
Lilith
2:13
How cool is it that the Reds have a guy that can play both shortstop and catcher on their roster?
Meg Rowley
2:14
It is indeed very cool.
Dustin
2:14
Do you wear a fake mustache during podcast recordings to try and channel some of that elusive Cistulli mystique?
Meg Rowley
2:14
No, I come with a mystique all my own. Also, a catcher's mask.
Andy
2:15
So the Mariners. I think they have a chance to make the playoffs this year via the WC2 spot. What would have to go right for this insane scenario to come to life?
Meg Rowley
2:16
All of their pitchers save for Marco and Kikuchi experience a Freaky Friday with better pitchers, and they trick a team into sending them a good catcher, and maybe some other teams' ballparks catch on fire, or their players decide to become youth pastors?
The "Youths"
2:16
Explain to me why Tyler O'Neill shouldn't be given the lion's share of starts in right over Fowler. Their respective projections are similar and they seem to be on opposite trajectories.
Meg Rowley
2:17
He should, and I would imagine that any prolonged bit of underperformance on Fowler's part means he likely will.
Crab Army
2:17
Hi Meg. Strategically, I think MLBPA can’t be pleased with all these extensions because they are a by-product of weak FA market for guys coming off their service time clocks and they don’t help establish value on the open market. However, guys are still getting paid and I imagine these extensions make the overall compensation argument harder for the MLBPA to make. How do they address this moving forward, other than storming the Winter Palace?
Meg Rowley
2:19
The best player in baseball, and perhaps one of the best baseball players of all time, expressed concern over how he would do in the market. There is an argument to be made for most of these deals that they are under market value. Craig Kimbrel is unsigned. And despite what the Blue Jays did, minor leaguers don't make a living wage. The top of the market isn't a the only indicator of the market's overall health.
Zerg
2:19
Hi Meg!
Meg Rowley
2:19
Hi!
Ryan
2:19
Hey Meg, thanks for chatting. Weird quesstion, but do baseball writters that take jobs with teams still maintain their BBWAA membership? Do they still get to vote for awards, etc?
Meg Rowley
2:20
I don't know how it alters things like HOF timelines if you go to a team and then come back, but no, they don't get to vote for awards as far as I know. That would be a wild conflict of interest.
Hae-Lo Dee
2:22
How do you predict the Felix situation ends?
Meg Rowley
2:23
Pretty badly. It is clear that there is very little affection between him and the org, or at least parts of it, right now.
2:25
It bums me out in a pretty profound way. He was and is so important to Mariners fans and it really shouldn't have gone like this.
!!!
2:25
What's a good way to calm down when you're stressed at work?
Meg Rowley
2:25
I dunno, but when you figure it out, will you tell me?
2:27
I generally take a short walk to get things moving, or take a moment to text a friend about non-work stuff. Or at least, non-pressing work stuff. Many of my pals are baseball people and figuring out where the work/non-work line is something I think about a lot and that my mother worries about more than somewhat.
2:28
(sorry this chat is so choppy, we're having a tech issue)
Bork
2:30
Hello, friend!
Meg Rowley
2:30
Wow, truly honored, Bork.
Fred
2:31
So happy to have you on Effectively Wild.  Given the brain drain to MLB clubs, do you see the influx of talent to high-end baseball coverage (FG, BA, BP, etc.) keeping up with the outflow?
Meg Rowley
2:33
I have been thrilled with the work of our new contributors so far, but it is definitely a concern. I think this stuff goes in waves. We just had a big wave work its way out, but folks are emerging and there is a lot of good baseball writing still being done.
2:34
Folks still love baseball, still love talking about baseball and writing about it, and many who want to work for teams know that one of the best ways to get seen is to write at places like FanGraphs and BP.
YDG
2:34
Wake me up on Thursday
Meg Rowley
2:34
Don't add stuff from your to-do list to my to-do list, my to-do list is already too long.
Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes
2:34
Re: all these extensions, in a vacuum, players trading some expected earnings for guaranteed earnings is fine. Players, team, and fans all win. But the MLBPA has to be pretty upset that they've created this system preventing their members from getting "set for life" money for 5-7 years, right? Not to mention all these stars that aren't going to increase the arbitration standards.
Meg Rowley
2:35
the MLPBA didn't create this system by themselves
Taylor
2:35
Indians Dolan about Lindor’s future in Cleveland?

“Enjoy him,” Dolan said. “We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens.”
Meg Rowley
2:36
It continues to be irritation and quite illuminating that team execs and owners have taken to saying the quiet part out loud
Bob
2:36
Did you get a chance to see the Sea/SD game last night? Thoughts on Paddack?
Meg Rowley
2:38
I continue to love the way his fastball works. It doesn't seem like it should work as well as it does, but it does.
Dan
2:39
Some fangraph articles are like here is the conclusion of the 20 hours of research I did or here is what I found from my extensively cultivated contacts. Other are more like here are some thoughts I had over breakfast. What are the hidden things fan graph writers do or is this really a job that’s 100 hours some weeks and ten hours others?
Meg Rowley
2:40
Everyone's process is a little different, and the key is to balance out the stuff that takes forever with the things that can turn around in a day. It can be a tricky thing to gauge but that is what lends some stability to the how much we work question.
Load More Messages
Connecting…