Foolish Baseball patreon

February Q&A - Gathering your questions!

🕑 Added 2021-02-02 20:19:54 +0000 UTC

Comments

Foolish Baseball

This month's Q&A has come and gone, but you've given me some things to think about. It's definitely true that balls in play are a worse outcome for the batter against a good defense, rather than a bad one. It's worth pointing out that every member of the Cubs rotation besides Davies ran an above-average groundball rate last season, and Davies ran high (50+%) groundball rates in previous seasons.

Will Collins

Are there any numbers supporting that having low velocity starting pitchers like the Chicago Cubs have is actually an advantage when considering a plus defensive infield, a change of pace from the rest of the teams clubs are facing, and the drastic change from low velo starters to high velo relievers? Is there any data you can dive into to help support my theory that what the Cubs are trying to do by having control and low velocity guys might actually work? Would love to see a junk baller Baseball Bits!

Brian Hoang

The pirates mascot was a coke dealer in the 80s for the players. Which mascots would most likely have a secret life in crime and what crime would they be committing

Ben Wineke

I guess I'm asking of you as an Atlanta fan: when you're taking in Braves history or counting WS titles, do you count their time in Milwaukee as part of the Braves tenure, or do you regard that as a separate team? As a Brewers fan I certainly don't count the Braves, unless I'm talking about Milwaukee baseball as a whole. But I think that means my fandom is more geography based, as opposed to franchise based? I've just always been curious.

Cody Dutcher

Who are your favorite lesser-known baseball YouTubers?

Tom Landry Jackson

Always thought about buying Prospectus, had to this year since you covered my Rangers. No questions 🤷‍♂️ hope your people are all well

James Nagengast

Damn two of my favorite baseball content creators, life’s crazy lmao

Paul

Alternatively, which players do you expect to be most affected by the recently announced efforts to deaden the ball (more humidors, altered construction, etc)? Would any hitters benefit from this change?

Jackson Walker

Ever get recognized on the street?

Kenneth Casey

To young statheads with a passion for baseball and sabermetrics wishing to pursue a career related to as such, what advice would you give and would you recommend it?

Bob Majzler

On the topic of Bauer, Baseball Does Not Exist did a video showing that Bauer's way better 2020 than 2019 was at least partially due to dramatic spinrate increase, which many signs point to using a pine tar-like substance. What are your thoughts on how pervasive this is in baseball and whether MLB will do anything about it? Thanks!

Harry Lewis

Is Trevor Bauer actually good for the game of baseball?

Ethan

So uh I'm double dipping here. Don't know if this is legal. But do you think LA getting Bauer will make them favorites to win the division again?

Landon Q Gosselin

What do you think, will the Mets become the more dominant/ popular NY team in the coming years, or will the dormant Steinbrenner gene will awaken in Hal if/when the Mets start winning consistently?

PeachSalsa

How would you grade 2020 MLB off-season compared to 2019 offseaon

Donovan Schultz

One of my favorite things about MLB.tv is watching games on teams' local broadcasts. Who are your top three local broadcast teams? My top three would be Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser (LAD), Jason Benetti and Steve Stone (CWS), and Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez (NYM).

Bo Brown

Riley, Langeliers, De La Cruz, and Waters for Ramirez. Maybe try and throw Ender in to get him off the payroll. Would you do it? Also... Is Zaxby's the GOAT?

Mazzocchi (Taylor's Version)

Greetings agian, Foolish! How do you feel about MLB (and professional sports in general, I guess; but baseball specifically) ever growing relationship with gambling outlets/casinos? MLB held out for a long time developing any formal relationships with actual casino's, but as of a little over 2 years ago they finally joined the rest. As someone who has been effected by others struggles with addiction and gambling; I hate it, but I understand the money is probably too good for MLB to pass up.

Darren Maybee

Hello, hello, do you collect baseball cards? If so what do you think of the industry just for fun or as an investment? Also would you rather have a great defensive centerfielder with a poor bat or a great offensive centerfielder with a poor glove? And lastly Mays or Mantle for your all-time team?

Tanner Richard Craft

How much do you think the Cardinals getting Nolan Arenando is gonna affect the team as a whole? Obviously getting a big bat and great defensive player helps a lot. But I've seen a lot about how just having his presence takes a lot of pressure off the other guys. And in general, do you think you can speak more towards the unquantifiable ways the "star" players affect the rest of the team? Can we ever quantify this?

Delos Chen

Who is the most under appreciated player right now?

Angel Marquez

How do you feel about Milb overall and would you change the system ? ( Angel or ahell is correct )

Ben Wiita

I feel like this may be a fun thought exercise so can you try to lay out what Rafael Devers has to do to win the MVP in 2021? (Last name is pronounced like the Nintendo console with a ta at the end)

Josh Getto

What do you think will be some of the next major advanced stats tracked in the Statcast era?

navman32

Loved your Glasnow vid, so was wondering if you could create a Frankstein starting pitcher using the best fastball/curve/slider/etc from around the league what 4-5 pitches would you choose and why (bonus points if you do one for relievers too!)

Steve

Hey Bailey, with the possible return of the Cleveland Spiders, which other former pro team would you like to see return? Whether they are a defunct team like the Buffalo Bisons and Indianapolis Hoosiers, or simply a team that relocated to become a current team like the Montreal Expos or the St. Louis Browns, or just a name change like the Houston Colt 45s or the Chicago Orphans.

Andy Johnston

When do you think that the first female baseball player will make it to the show? Also, what position will they play? #BringBackPitch

Paul

How many more significantly injury-shortened seasons would it take for the Stanton trade to be viewed as a bad move? His small-sample performance in 2019 and 2020 suggest the skill is still there, but you can’t really provide value from the IL

Jake R

Now that Chris Archer has returned to Tampa, what are the most lopsided or worst trades in baseball in this century? I’m a Mets fan so I hope that you do not specifically mention Scott Kazmir.

Jake R

Not Bailey, but a lot of teams already treat the CBT threshold as a salary cap

NowIOnlyWantATriumph

Who would you rather fight: 5 Mike-Trout-sized trout or 2 trout-sized Mikes Trout?

Ryan Gillis

Hey there, new patron / Tigers fan here. Simple question to start, but when do envision Detroit being able to once again compete for a playoff spot? And who on the current roster has the potential to be an every day starter for such a team? Thanks a lot.

Matthew Hearring

Assuming Oakland and Tampa Bay don't stay put AND given that MLB probably wants to expand. What cities do you think get the 4 teams? I would love Portland to get one and act as a natural rivalry to Seattle!

Jared Natsis

What are your favorite fake American-ish player names from that Super Famicom baseball game? For reference: https://www.avclub.com/check-out-these-wonderful-american-names-from-a-90s-j-1819219155/amp

Nolan McDermott

Thoughts on Theo Epstein joining the MLB commish office? Personally I'm worried he wants to ban the shift/limit analytics based on what he said when he took the job.

Jacob Vernick

Each game the home team is allowed to choose one base to move farther back by 10 feet. All the other bases keep their location. Would it always be first base to make difficult plays easier? What ways would this break baseball that I might not think of initially?

Zachary Kalker

1. Do you think baseball needs a salary cap, why yes or why not? 2. Would you change the way that the hof voting is done?

Jack Oliver

Hey Foolish, Jolly Olive on YT here, first-time question-asker What do you think is the best single-season team of the 2010s that didn't win a ring, and why?

ajnrules

So I was surprised to hear in the last Q&A that you were writing the team essay in the Baseball Prospectus Annual about my favorite team, the Texas Rangers. I'm still waiting for my copy to come, but I just wanted to ask how did a Braves fan like you get into a team like the Rangers? Who do you rely on to get your Rangers news and info? (I for one am a big fan of Levi Weaver and Jamey Newberg on The Athletic.) Would you consider going to a Rangers game together once things improve with the pandemic?

Will

Hey Foolish, long time viewer/fan, first time commenter! Is there one advanced metric/modern concept that you wish baseball broadcasts did either a more consistent job mentioning, or if they do mention it a lot, did a better job truly explaining its significance? One I've noticed in recent years get a lot of mention is BABIP, but I often feel like broadcasters place the wrong value in a high or low BABIP. What say you?

Sean

What's your pick for the greatest one off season in mlb history? Either an outlier good or bad season in an otherwise unremarkable career

Evan Lewis

Assuming the playoff format returns to what it used to be, what is the logic of having the Divison Series being 5 game series and the LCS and World Series being 7 game series? Do those few days saved with the DS being a 5 game series really make a big difference? On that note, there are some potential awesome NLDS possibilities. Like Padres/Braves, Dodger/Cardinals, Nationals/Padres, etc. What NLDS series most excite you?

Matt Swanson

Can San Diego overtake LA in the NL West this season? I personally think so considering the Dodgers pitching staff isn't getting any younger.

Ethan

Do you think you could make the argument for the 2020 Dodgers to be one of the best teams of all time? There hasn't been a team in the Live-Ball era that had a winning percentage above .715 and won the World Series. But on the other hand, they did it in a shortened season. So do you think these factors contribute into the argument?