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Meg Rowley FanGraphs Chat - 7/23/19
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Meg Rowley
2:00
Hi all, and welcome to the chat. Allow me one more moment of marching orders relaying, and then we'll get started.
2:02
Ok, here we go.
Hello, baseball folks.
Jimmy
2:02
I'm not sure if you do fantasy questions, but would you trade a $2 Julio Rodriguez for a $27 Carlos Correa - currently in 1st, but hate trading away the next best thing!
Meg Rowley
2:03
I do not do fantasy questions, mostly because I don't know anything and would give bad advice.
Xolo
2:03
As a fan, how do you handle your team adding a player who you dislike for off the field reasons?
Meg Rowley
2:06
It's tricky. It's tricky to even talk about, because while it absolutely alters our experience as fans, we want to be careful to avoid centering ourselves when we should be centering victims. I think it is ok to take breaks from teams you like, or express to those teams your displeasure. It's also ok to remember that there isn't really any completely ethical consumption of pro baseball. Which isn't to excuse that stuff or say that you should throw your hands up. But no team is paying their minor leaguers a living wage. To be a fan is sadly to be compromised.
Wow, that's a bummer of an answer
2:07
True, but a bummer. But also, you can still like a thing you like very much without liking every part of it.
matt
2:07
Should the phillies really be selling like two of their top five prospects for Matt Boyd? Should anyone? Feels like there's a decent chance this is fluky, I say without any evidence.
Meg Rowley
2:09
It would not be my preference, though things have improved for Boyd in July, and the drop in home runs suggests maybe the pitch mix is different, though the rate is still not awesome. But they also need pitching help. The ideal solution would be to get a better pitcher but isn't that always the solution?
(not that) James
2:10
I want my team to trade for an impact starting pitcher.  I don't want my team to trade any of its best prospects.  I feel like this is a reasonable position to take.
Meg Rowley
2:10
It is a time that lends itself to irrationality but then, doesn't fandom usually do that?
Scott
2:10
As a Giants fan, their recent hot streak has been really fun! But as a realistic Giants fan, I know that their true talent is probably a .500 team or worse, and it'd be best for their future if they sell off Bumgarner, Smith, Dyson, etc. How do I reconcile these two sides of fandom?
Meg Rowley
2:10
Remember that you've gotten three World Series parades very recently, and coast on good-ass feeling from that?
Lunar verLander
2:11
If you had to pick one, would you say that this trade deadline is going to be more "crazy" or "lazy"?
Meg Rowley
2:12
Going to have a piece on this later in the week. In chatting with front office sorts, I think even teams are sort of waiting to see how this week plays out, because it likely impacts the decisions of teams like SF and Texas pretty dramatically.
Scott
2:12
What do the Rays do with their ridiculous surplus of middle infield prospects? Trade some for help at the deadline? Move them to corner IF/OF positions? Trust that attrition will simplify things?
Meg Rowley
2:13
Why not all three! But trades seem very, very likely. Heck, a trade has already happened. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-rays-and-rangers-swap-prospects/
Guest
2:13
Springer for Bauer, who hangs up?
Meg Rowley
2:13
Yes
FanFan
2:14
Is it possible the Padres are able to unload Myers by packaging him with Yates and money and still get an okay, lottery-type return?
Meg Rowley
2:14
Sure, but seems like a misuse of Yates.
Chuck
2:14
Is Keston Hiura going to come crashing down to earth with that 66% contact rate?
Meg Rowley
2:16
Imagine there will be some regression but I really like the bat, and so does Eric. Read his call-up piece on Hiura, both for the scouting stuff and the charming hot chocolate story. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/called-up-keston-hiura/
J
2:16
I'm not sure if you do fantasy questions, but is it normal that mine involves Fernando Tatis feeding me grapes?
Meg Rowley
2:16
Oh extremely
astigmatic
2:17
Will there be any coverage on what has happened with the Indians lately? A lot of FG writers pointed out how disappointing their off-season was. I don't disagree. But, I'm curious to know what's going on here. Did they actually manage to patch many/most holes?
Meg Rowley
2:17
Have commissioned just such a piece today.
Matt
2:17
Any concern Vlad Jr has the Eric Hosmer profile? He has a near 50% GB-rate that has some history in the minors. Of player with 150 batted balls, no player has a lower launch angle on fastballs inside the strike-zone. I KNOW he is 20, but batted ball stuff stabilizes quickly(Hosmer was a uber-prospect with 70's on his hit and raw power if I remember correctly)
Meg Rowley
2:17
Not really.
Aaron
2:18
Thoughts on Yordan Alvarez's start to his career? What is his upside potential?
Meg Rowley
2:20
The bat looks great, and he is hitting the ball extremely hard. The upside is limited by the whole he's almost certainly a DH thing, but like, really good DHs are useful. It's still only 30 games but there's enough in there to sit up straighter in your chair.
I expect, if this continues, he'll be one of the dudes who jumps up the trade value series ranking pretty quick and fairly high come next summer.
billie flyballish
2:21
do you think bellinger sustains this new version of himself? Comparing him and yelich - they have nearly identical stats though diff slugging %... yelich running a higher babip but has sustained? thoughts?
Meg Rowley
2:22
the differences in approach, the improvement in the body, being able to layoff those backfoot breaking balls.... will he be a perennial MVP candidate? probably not -- that's really hard! but he's very good in a way that appears to be real.
Ryan
2:22
What team are you most interested in as the trade deadline approaches? Giants seem like an obvious answer, but I'm also pretty interested to see what teams in the Centrals do.
Meg Rowley
2:22
also curious how/what Boston does, and what the Rays do
2:23
Would sleep better feeling like I understood the Reds better, so maybe they'll do some stuff to make that happen.
David
2:23
Is the NL playoff race about as competitive as it is in the AL now? The Phillies, Brewers, and Dbacks are the only teams that seem like they could steal a playoff spot.
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