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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 4/28/2020
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Meg Rowley
2:01
Hi everyone - we'll get started shortly.
A couple of things to highlight from today.
2:02
Since our initial update on the state of the site in the wake of baseball's delay, many of our readers have asked for an update on how FanGraphs is doing. Here's the latest from David Appelman: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/a-fangraphs-business-update/
Thank you so much to everyone who has become a member, gifted a membership to another reader, bought a t-shirt, or read the site!
2:03
We remain very grateful for this community.
Ben continued his look at past World Series tactics: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/wild-world-series-tactics-2001-2003/
the 2001 Series is what inspired him to write these, so definitely give it a read.
2:04
Dan put KBO player stats in the context of their 2019 MLB equivalents: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/putting-kbo-players-in-an-mlb-context/
Next week, we'll have projections for the 2020 season.
2:06
The KBO is really wonderful, and something to enjoy on its own terms. We hope this piece helps give readers a sense of the run-scoring and stat environment.
2:07
Craig contemplated Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs as modern hitters: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/would-tony-gwynn-and-wade-boggs-have-been-...
And David Laurila shared an interview he did earlier this spring with Brandon Woodruff: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/brandon-woodruff-is-all-about-twos-and-fou...
Nick
2:07
What’s your take on sbnation’s history of the Mariner’s? Is there anything you wish they would’ve added to the narrative they’ve presented so far?
Meg Rowley
2:08
I'll admit I haven't had time to sit down and watch more than the first episode, but that was very, very well done.
Look forward to catching up on the rest for sure
Jeff
2:09
What does it say that we demand blood for dumb stuff like stealing signs in baseball or a comedian telling off color jokes, but could not possibly care less that just between the NFL and MLB alone tens of billions of taxdollars have gone into building private stadiums?
Meg Rowley
2:10
I think you're underestimating the degree to which people are often publicly critical of private funding of stadiums? There's significant academic and journalistic discourse to that end.
Plus we're very capable of being critical of multiple things at once.
Oh boy aren't we.
Leone for Third
2:10
How do you think a truncated season will effect a team like the Mariners?  Does it push their window back a year as key prospects aren't getting the reps they normally would?
Meg Rowley
2:12
Not having a minor league season (which seems likely at this point) isn't great for teams depending on deep farm systems to contend, though I imagine that expanded rosters (which also seem a given at this point) will mean that prospects in the high minors might see time this year against big leaguers.
2:13
Teams will likely have some of their dudes play at the complex level to try to mitigate the time off, but deeper systems could still struggle to get guys enough reps.
2:14
So I guess, TBD. It's not good, but how not good is going to depend on how much complex level play they can get it and how many dudes can be on the big league roster.
Chuck
2:14
Maybe, I don't really want to know how your garden grows, cuz I just want to fly.
Meg Rowley
2:14
Now I want to try to answer every chat question using Oasis lyrics, though I worry readers might look back in anger on the transcript.
TarzanStretch
2:15
Too much time on my hands question: It's taken as a given that modern training makes today's athletes superior to those in the past. But doesn't that same training potentially increase injury risk or possibly cause injuries directly? At the very least you're adding risk factors to an already complex dynamic system. Is there any evidence that the increased risk is worth it over the course of a player's career? For football it seems like no. Maybe the jury is still out on baseball
Meg Rowley
2:16
There is certainly increased risk of injury with more training, but I think it is largely offset by being both more intelligently directed and decreasing the risk of injury over the course of a long season because more athletic bodies are theoretically better positioned to deal with the wear and tear of 162 games.
2:18
I think with football, the calculus is more complex than you're accounting for. Bigger, stronger bodies can do more damage certainly, but that's also interacting with football being an impact sport, what the presence of helmets might mean for players perception of risk, etc.
Yoervis
2:18
What would be the most on-brand Mariners moment of a shortened season?
Meg Rowley
2:18
Being close to a playoff spot, trading an important prospect, missing by one game.
2:19
I should say, I think Seattle is very clear about where they are in their window, and have ownership buy-in on that plan. I don't think they'll actually do what I just said. But that would be the most on-brand.
BK
2:19
Have you been watching any Taiwan baseball lately? It's actually been pretty great to watch. Early start times, but it's been refreshing to watch some baseball
Meg Rowley
2:20
I've been catching up on highlights, but the start time is pretty rough for someone in the pacific time zone, and while I watched the entire Mariners/A's Japan series, given all the other stuff going on right now, I've been reluctant to steer my sleep schedule into that particular skid.
Tom
2:20
What's on the UFO video?
Meg Rowley
2:21
a UFO
Joe from Chicago and also Seattl
2:21
Meg! Hope y'all are doing ok in FG world. We've also had layoffs and across the board pay cuts and it's just hard and I'm worried they're gonna make me lay off the people I'm managing who I care about as human beings :(
Meg Rowley
2:22
Joe, I'm so sorry. It's just a really bad, hard time, made worse by the knowledge that some of what you're describing could be mitigated by more decisive federal action. I hope you're able to avoid further layoffs.
Lunar verLander
2:23
Is there anything fundamentally different about the game of baseball (compared to other sports) that makes it such that several minor league teams / major league team is a necessity? Don't get me wrong, more baseball is better, but if MLB is looking to ax MiLB teams, I would like to think that they have SOME sort of semi-logical thinking that isn't financially motivated.
Meg Rowley
2:25
I don't think that the distribution of teams is necessarily perfectly optimized, and I think we can say that without conceding such a drastic plan of contraction. But I also think that when very smart player dev organizations want to add affiliates, it's pretty telling. Player dev is better than it has ever been. We know more and are able to measure more than ever before. We shouldn't overstate how many marginal prospects can develop into big leagers, but we should probably be careful to be overly confident when we say none of them can.
2:26
There are a lot of things the minors should do: developing ball players is the first goal, the primary motivation, but giving communities access to affordable, in-person baseball can be a goal too. The current proposal doesn't strike me as being primarily in service of either of those.
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