You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 3/21/18
powered byJotCast
Meg Rowley
2:00
Hello! And welcome to a special Wednesday chat.
Nat
2:00
I've been greatly enjoying your contributions since you joined the site! Do you expect any big, Craig Kimbrel-esque trades to go down before opening day?
Meg Rowley
2:01
Thank you! And I'd be surprised (though I suppose we are often surprised by these). This isn't a trade but boy, Greg Holland still needs to sign somewhere, huh?
Davy
2:02
Have you read today's THT article? It was fantastic.
Meg Rowley
2:02
I, the managing editor of The Hardball Times, in fact edited today's piece! And I agree that it is fantastic.
2:03
You should all read Annie's piece on her journey through fandom: https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/a-rebuilding-year-my-way-back-to-basebal...
Joe
2:03
Does Alex Cobb make the Orioles a legit wild card contender?
Meg Rowley
2:03
So, the answer for me is yes, and no. That's annoying, so I'll say more.
2:04
The short answer is, I am very skeptical of the Orioles being able to beat out the rest of a crowded AL field.
2:05
Even with Cobb folded in, we have them projected for 78 wins, which puts them behind teams like the Angels.
2:06
But, but! The yes part is that having him makes them more likely to out hit their pitching, and that crowded AL field is full of teams with their own problems. So it makes them more likely to be able to take advantage of their own out performance, should it happen, or other teams' underperformance. But I still wouldn't pencil them in, personally.
MikeVail
2:07
Can you pair a red wine with seafood paella? Asking for a friend (Chet Lemon)
Meg Rowley
2:07
Lots of light bodied, effervescent reds out there, but also, drink what you like.
Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes
2:07
Do the Orioles think Cobb can get the thing back, or are they buying second-half Cobb? 56 million for an injury risk who stopped striking people out and is getting barreled more than ever shocks me.
Meg Rowley
2:08
If you'll forgive an obvious statement, this it the thing to watch, now isn't it? His strike out numbers make me nervous, but he's also about to be that much more removed from surgery.
2:09
So I assume they buy into the second half and think he's healthier now.
Al
2:09
Is Acuna really that great, ie, perennial all star?  Is a regular 30/30 season in the cards?
Meg Rowley
2:10
Obviously he has to do it, but I think he is going to be really, really special. HOT TAKE I KNOW.
rwatt@espn.com
2:10
If you were to choose a topic of focus for your chats, what would it be? (fantasy, prospects, roster-building/GM-ing, MLB and MiLB labor economics, league trends, etc)
Meg Rowley
2:11
I suppose I would say it is a mix of the GMing stuff, the labor stuff (not such different stuff), league trends, and baseball oddity. I will occasionally dip my toe in prospect land, but Eric and Kiley are obviously superior minds on that score. Fantasy baseball is not my forte but I will give you bad advice if you want it.
pods
2:11
when will you be a guest start on the rotographs podcast?
Meg Rowley
2:12
When they stop caring about how your team is doing.
ohioastrosfan
2:12
What's Kyle Tucker's ceiling? I could see him put up 4ish wins for quite a while. 30% he gets there?
Meg Rowley
2:14
To borrow liberally from Eric, there is doubt that he'll be able to stick in center, which puts a cap on it, but the bat is, and I quote, "likely to mature into a middle-of-the-order threat."
2:15
We should remember how many wins 4 wins is though. We currently have Judge projected for around there.
Murray Chats
2:15
Would you be in to a permanent move to wednesday? Having prospect-only chats on tuesday and wednesday will get to be a drag during the season. Stuff that happens in games on monday night won't be chatted about until Thursday!
Meg Rowley
2:15
I will ask. Mine isn't the only schedule to consider, but I'll check in with the team.
Everly
2:16
Do you think the concept of "starting pitchers" and "relief pitchers" will disappear completely over the next 20 years?
Meg Rowley
2:17
Not completely, no. Relief pitchers generally become relief pitchers for a reason, and not every reliever is a multi-inning guy. But I do think we'll continue to see starts get shorter.
I think the 200 inning guy will have basically disappeared in 20 years. He's almost disappeared now.
A'ron J'dge
2:17
Would you eat a poop if it meant your favorite team could get Mike Trout for nothing?
Meg Rowley
2:18
Why would that be the thing? Of all the things, why would it ever, ever be that?
Newts In My Salad, Oh my!
2:18
How good would a team have to be to be broken up by Major League Baseball? I'd wager that once you hit a certain threshold it's just no fun for everyone else.
Meg Rowley
2:19
Over one season? We love one season oddities! Over the long haul? Baseball lets the Yankees continue to exist despite them being very little fun for other fans, and they have down years, too.
Newts In My Salad, Oh my!
2:20
I allot you 160 points to split up between the five tools; your goal is to create the most valuable player.
Meg Rowley
2:20
This seems like a fun article idea.
Erich Kall
2:20
Other than Ichiro, is Beltre our best chance to see a guy play through his age 45 season?
Meg Rowley
2:21
Of the guys playing right now? You know, probably.
I'm sure I'm forgetting an obvious counter, but Beltre has the unique combo of skill and seeming to just really love doing this.
Newts In My Salad, Oh my!
2:21
Counterpoint: The Yankees have only won once this millenium. Baseball is still fun!
Load More Messages
Connecting…