JotCast | Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat

Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 4/14/2021

Meg Rowley

4:01

Hi everyone! Allow me to fetch a seltzer and then we'll get underway.

Sad, Confused Marlins Fan

4:02

Huge baseball fan and I just heard about this Atlantic League. Can you give me a atlantic league for dummies ? :)

Meg Rowley

4:04

Not a dummy - there's a lot to know, but for your purposes, it is probably good to start with this piece on the most recent round of experimentation MLB is going to do there (they're an MLB partner league): https://theathletic.com/2518208/2021/04/14/moving-the-mound-the-double... and how past players there have felt about testing other rule changes there: https://www.si.com/mlb/2019/07/25/baseball-rule-changes-atlantic-leagu...

Jay Jaffe will have more for you tomorrow!

Sammy So-so

4:05

Corey Kluber looks to my admittedly non-scout eyes like he might be cooked, but Jameson Taillon seems to still have something left in the tank even if the results aren't there yet. But what does science say, Meg? Thanks!

Meg Rowley

4:10

There was always risk with Kluber given the injuries and the dipping velo (which he should be able to survive without given the strength of the cutter and curve but there is a limit to these things), and the early going here hasn't been particularly encouraging but of course it is three starts (though, three brief starts!). Taillon I think you should be mostly encouraged by. Tony wrote a nice thing about him and Brent Honeywell Jr. that's worth checking out: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/for-two-al-east-pitchers-results-arent-imp...

Sodo Mojo

4:10

Do you think that Paxton's injury and the general lack of starting pitching performance for the Mariners accelerates Gilbert's arrival in Seattle or is there too much to be gained by gaming his service time?

Meg Rowley

4:10

I don't think it'll do much to change when he comes up

4:11

You don't have the offseason Seattle had if competing in 2021 is that important to you.

But also, man, poor Paxton. What a bummer.

Myfanwy N.

4:12

Hi Meg! Germane to the "runner framing" discussion on the last EW, I submit that players be given style points for creative slides and unique defensive plays. Who's on your leaderboard for xwSTYLE this season?

i mean other than willians astudillo we all know he's the GOAT

Meg Rowley

4:13

Heh that was incredible. Can Acuña's sprint to first base count?

Farhandrew Zaidman

4:14

Do you think Corey Seager will ultimately match Lindor's contract in either AAV or years? He's been ON FIRE since Spring 2020.

Meg Rowley

4:15

I think the injuries concerns will lessen it pretty significantly from an AAV and years, as will his seemingly inevitable shift to third, but yeah, of the remaining shortstops he's the best pure bat of the bunch.

Ryan

4:16

Hi Meg, big fan of the podcast - I was curious, are you buying or selling the Red Sox being a playoff team after these first 10 games?

Meg Rowley

4:17

Selling - I think New York or Toronto takes the division and there are too many other AL teams that are better than them for them to claim a Wild Card but they sure won't be unwatchable, which is very nice to be able to say.

Just sayin'

4:17

If someone's not gonna chat at their scheduled time, can't you figure some way of announcing that s/he's not gonna chat at their scheduled time? I'm fine with not getting a free chat. Just think when the schedule shows such, you ought to figure out some way of saying 'no, not this week'.

Meg Rowley

4:18

Unfortunately we don't have a mechanism for that on the site - folks are pretty good about tweeting when they won't chat, but I'll give 'em a reminder.

If you don't see the chat banner within an hour of their scheduled start, it's a pretty reliable indicator of no-chat.

Farhandrew Zaidman

4:19

Mariners call up Kelenic at 12:01 AM on Thursday?

Meg Rowley

4:21

I highly doubt it - think they'll give him some run at Double- and Triple-A.

4:22

Imagine the idea here is that when he comes up, he's up for good.

4:24

The outfield IL stints just really aren't likely to move the needle here. And I wonder if the potential for a grievance doesn't offer a weird incentive to keep him down longer. "Look, we wanted more time at Double- and Triple-A, see all this run we gave him!" might play better than a very specifically and obviously timed call-up to save a year.

(not a fan of this tbc, but)

Joe Ross

4:25

Any thoughts on Joe Ross? Opt out in 2020 and looks much better so far this season. 11 scoreless to start the season and would go a long way to fill in some depth behind the 3 Big guys for the Nats.

Meg Rowley

4:26

That it sure would be helpful to them if those 11 innings actually mean something (which, 11 innings! April! Shrug emoji!) because they are perilously thing behind Scherzer/Stras/Corbin and the most recent Stras start scared the crap out of me.

Tel

4:26

Hi Meg, is there a way to have the subheadline (e.g. your remark about testing the chat in the Atlantic League) appear in the full article? I'm sure your writers agonize for hours to come up with clever little teasers for their articles, but in an hour or two when the articles are no longer at the top of the page, it goes away.

Meg Rowley

4:27

We really don't spend hours on it, though I am glad they delight. Once you're in the article you can just jump right in, and it's a space constraint thing on the homepage.

guest

4:27

will the dodgers ever lose a series again?

Meg Rowley

4:28

Of course they will, they only get to play Colorado so many times.

(They are wildly good though) (Sorry Oakland) (Also Washington)

Bartleby

4:29

Tatis? Am I tilting at windmills thinking he'll be any good this year?

Meg Rowley

4:29

If he's healthy I think your bold prediction may prove prescient. Guess we'll see soon enough.

Guest

4:29

What do you think of Vlad's defense at 1b? He's done the splits like eight times but I'm a big dumdum and am easily distracted by flashy plays that aren't necessarily good defense.

Meg Rowley

4:31

I think your instinct to both beware flash and be mindful of small samples is a good one, but I think it is perfectly acceptable to be encouraged by how fit and lithe he's looked out there so far. When the body is a source of concern, improvements in conditioning that seem both sustainable and to be having an effect on mobility and flexibility are noteworthy!

The Chicken Runs at Midnight

4:32

Corbin Burnes?

Corbin Burnes

4:32

Is Corbin Burnes a legit Cy Young candidate? Would you rather have Burnes or Musgrove?

Zach

4:32

Way too early but Corbin Burnes, 2021 NL Cy Young winner

Meg Rowley

4:33

I sense that it is probably time to have someone write about Corbin Burnes.