JotCast | Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat

Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 8/3/18

Meg Rowley

12:00

Good afternoon from Boston, and welcome!

12:01

This should be the last week for a while where the schedule is wonky, so thanks everyone for being patient.

stever20

12:01

Is Bryce Harper officially back?

Meg Rowley

12:02

Was Bryce Harper ever really gone? I know this season has not gone the way that he or the Nationals wanted it to. I know that the increase in strike outs has worried some. I also don't want to chalk it all up to BABIP.

12:03

But barring some injury we don't really know about, I think this is a fluky, weird year, that we'll look back on and think, "Huh, that was strange."

Moelicious

12:03

Does Meg purchase overpriced stadium food or sneak in her own treats?

Meg Rowley

12:04

I can't speak to all ballparks but at Safeco you don't have to sneak in food. You can bring in snacks! I have done both. It is nice to not have to spend a zillion dollars if you don't want to, but also nice that there are tasty options if you want to splurge.

the Amazin's

12:04

I know this isn't about baseball, but what is your take on the Urban Meyer situation going on at OSU?

Meg Rowley

12:05

I think if the last two years have taught us anything, it is that predators thrive in environments where their abuse is ignored and thereby enabled. I think it is important that there are serious consequences for those who allow abuse to thrive. The consequences for victims are certainly severe.

Kino Interntionale

12:05

If for some reason you had been compelled yesterday afternoon to make a list of the least likely players to walk 5 times in a game, where would Roughned Odor have ranked?

Meg Rowley

12:05

That was crazy enough. That one of them was a bases loaded walk? That Dee Gordon also walked once on the same night? That's some dark magic.

Lucas Giolito

12:06

Are you worried about me?

Meg Rowley

12:06

Yes, yes I am. I think your margins for error weren't huge and you've been not good for a while now.

Stefan

12:06

If mike trout was in a wheel chair for life but was guaranteed still retained all over his batted ball skills (like no drop off). He could still hit home runs, hit for a high average and drive runners in no problem, but he would be slow on the base paths and also very bad in center field. Would teams still want him?

Meg Rowley

12:07

I think that being wheelchair-bound would mean that Mike Trout couldn't play professional baseball. That said, I think that Mike Trout would probably make a really terrific coach. So if some tragedy befell him, and he was still interested in being around the game, I think the game would have room for him.

Justin

12:07

Has Cleveland done enough to legitimately compete for the World Series or do they need to add more before the end of August? Tommy Pham would’ve been a great acquisition.

Meg Rowley

12:08

I think if the bullpen stabilizes with the trades and Andrew Miller, which I expect it will, they are in really good shape.

12:09

Pham would certainly have been nice as insurance given Brantley's health history, but Martin isn't a bad second option, and I feel a lot better about them than I did a month ago.

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe

12:09

Meg! It's been three weeks since you've given us a business word!

Meg Rowley

12:10

Been too busy with the business! There is not a business word on my forthcoming episode of FanGraphs audio, but I promise more soon.

Cool

12:10

If the Angels struggle into the beginning of next year and look out of it by the deadline what are the chances they trade Trout?

Meg Rowley

12:11

I go back and forth on this. On the one hand, like, which team could acquire him? Would you want to be the GM who traded the greatest player maybe ever? On the other hand, if you wait too long you're really not going to get a return that makes your fanbase feel good.

Belted

12:11

Hey Meg, I really enjoyed your article on 'the grumps'. It seems to me that it would be in MLB's best interest to make sure radio and TV broadcast crews were actually enthusiastic about the game *as it is today*. Do you see a change coming in that regard? Side note - how much of this is Joe Morgan's fault?

Meg Rowley

12:13

I think some of this will naturally take care of itself as a new generation of broadcasters come in. Teams could certainly prioritize it in their hiring. Another important way to combat this and appeal to fans is to diversify the broadcasting corps.

The thing about people really loving baseball is that it allows you to do so much. When things are good, your joy shines through. When events merit criticism, you're in a position to make suggestions and offer critiques and have people believe you're doing so for the game's betterment.

Greg

12:14

So do you have any thoughts on the Osuna fiasco in Houston? I feel like obviously, domestic abuse is a horrible thing...and if it turns out to be as bad as we think, then he and Luhnow deserve to get crucified for everything. But aren't we jumping the gun a little to make conclusions before we know the details of the case? Not that it's out of the realm of possibility, but I have a really hard time wrapping my head around why Luhnow would do this and put his job on the line/risk a clubhouse mutiny without having a decent understanding of what happened...could definitely be wrong though

Meg Rowley

12:14

I've seen a lot of this sentiment floating around in various forms and would like to note two things.

12:15

First, the evidence was compelling enough to MLB for them to issue what I believe is the third longest suspension since the policy was adopted in 2015. Whatever else you might think of the policy, I think most people would agree that they haven't been overly strident when they don't think there is evidence of wrong doing.

12:16

That the suspension was as long as it was after a thorough investigation is a pretty compelling reason to think there was a serious issue here.

12:17

And second, I don't think Luhnow is in danger of suffering much in the way of actual consequences here. Theo Epstein is doing just fine.

Outta my way, Gyorkass

12:18

Obviously, a more stringent punishment for DV offenses (say: a postseason ban similar to PED violators) is something many want to see. However, how does (or should) this sqaure with the players trying to improve their standings vis-a-vis the collective bargaining agreement? I would think that some concession (possibly even just a minor one) to the players should be given in exchange for agreeing to greater punishment scope for DV offenses, but if the union fights for this, can't gain any concessions from the owners, and the policy stays as it is, who (if anyone) is in the wrong?

Meg Rowley

12:19

Suspension policies are always tricky for unions because their basic role is to advocate for their members and keep them on the field as much as possible. I would also like to think that the union is (or will be) savvy enough to recognize that being overly strident here looks just terrible.

12:21

As for who is in the wrong? I hope they can come together on this issue. We should also remember that what the Astros did here was an active choice. When teams do this it is always an active choice. They could have made other choices, but they made this one. That the policy incentivizes that behavior does not absolve them from their active choice.

Vlad Jr's Grandma

12:21

How do you feel about the Jays annual sojourn to SafeCo? Lots of Mariners fans seem to get quite salty.

Meg Rowley

12:23

I will speak only for myself and say that I have had a few really unpleasant experiences with Jays fans during that series, especially in recent year, and I think the number of fans there emboldens some of them to behave badly.

12:24

I don't mind having a lot of opposing fans in the park and most of them are fine and I get the appeal given how far away Toronto is. But I don't love being heckled for cheering for my own team in my own ballpark.

tb.25

12:24

Mariners :(

Meg Rowley

12:25

More like :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

because you see, for how many years it has been

GERB

12:26

Jose stole 11 bases in July. I'm pretty sure he's decided he wants to go 40/40, think he gets there?

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