Patreon Q&A - January 2025 - collecting your questions!
Added 2025-01-01 18:44:55 +0000 UTCFelt weird to write 2025. Use this thread below to drop your 1 (one) question for this month's Patreon exclusive video Q&A! Feel free to ask me about baseball, Youtube, life, etc. I will be back with my responses in approximately one week.
Comments
Good day Foolish! I recently went through my dad’s storage and found a bunch of old World Series VHS and DVDs (the mini documentaries they would do at the end of each season). I randomly picked the 2003 one and was surprised at how fun and nostalgic it was. Any thoughts/memories on these? I know they technically still make them but the vibes are completely different and kinda sterile
Gaermph
2025-01-06 20:55:34 +0000 UTCCurious about your thoughts here - how much of an effect do you think minor league park factors have on hitting development? Little thought experiment since the 2024 BA minor league park factors just released (and I need to find new ways to cope with the Mariners' inability to develop hitters): M's High A Everett: HR 146, wOBA 105 M's AA Arkansas: HR 54, wOBA 83 M's AAA Tacoma: HR 160, wOBA 104 Not sure what to make of the fact that the M's play in one of the most hitter-hostile AA ballparks, sandwiched in between two of the most HR-friendly High A/AAA parks. Does the variance help hitters develop a more park-agnostic profile? Or does it stifle developing more consistent hitting mechanics? Or does it not really matter?
Fred Rio
2025-01-06 17:30:23 +0000 UTCHow do you go about measuring the growth of foolish BB and how was the growth in 2024?
L3on L1ur
2025-01-06 05:47:20 +0000 UTCAs someone in the ATL metro, and someone who mentions hockey every now and then, do you think Atlanta deserves a third chance at having an NHL team, or do you think it's two strikes and your out with the city's failure to hold the Flames and Thrashers?
Ryan McGovern
2025-01-06 02:28:26 +0000 UTCDo you see any potential dark horse teams outside of the ones that everyone loves to talk about already?
Avery
2025-01-04 05:20:19 +0000 UTCThe Rōki Sasaki sweepstakes, along with the signings of Ohtani, Yamamoto, and other prominent Japanese and Korean free agents (now including Hyesong Kim), seem to heavily favor West Coast teams, particularly the Dodgers. With the geographic proximity and large market sizes of cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, this dynamic creates an uneven playing field. Do you believe this advantage will persist, and if so, is it beneficial for baseball to see so much top Asian talent concentrated within a small group of teams?
Josh Getto
2025-01-04 03:17:13 +0000 UTCHappy new year sir, what’s going on in the NL Central? It feels like no one is going for it, yet a couple key additions could make any of the 5 teams a favorite
Jason Coppe
2025-01-04 01:50:23 +0000 UTCCongratulations, you have been named the head of a committee tasked with putting together a proposal for a baseball-centric UNESCO World Heritage Site. What site or sites are you protecting? Are they all in the US? Do they share a theme beyond “baseball is cool”?
Paul
2025-01-03 23:46:29 +0000 UTCHey Bailey, happy new year. Thoughts on how the back half of the Juan Soto contract will play out? Too me it feels like there is a high probability Soto ends up providing very little value there and it could give the contract a negative perception no matter what he does in the first half. Would be interested to hear your thoughts, thanks.
Nolan McDermott
2025-01-03 21:02:48 +0000 UTCbreakout canidates you like on the giants?
doug dabadome
2025-01-03 18:50:15 +0000 UTCI saw a video of Lando Norris (F1 driver) taking batting practice last year and he looked surprisingly competent for someone with no baseball experience. I imagine his hand-eye coordination and the reaction times he’s used to helped a lot but it got me thinking, what’s the sport furthest away from baseball that requires skills that could translate at least reasonably well?
Chris Waind
2025-01-03 13:39:08 +0000 UTCOne year into the Bendix era for the Miami Marlins, how would you grade it and are there any bright spots in our black hole of an organization? How did we get the 7th pick 😞
Adrian Medina
2025-01-03 07:03:13 +0000 UTCKeibert Ruiz. What’s goin on there
Luke Nicholson
2025-01-03 06:50:58 +0000 UTCIf the Giants kept Barry Bonds in their lineup every day from 2007 until the end of time, at what age do you think his total career WAR would hit zero? Assuming he continues to age but never dies.
Leo Thomas
2025-01-02 23:53:19 +0000 UTCHey Bailey! Couldn’t think of a baseball question, so what was the most fun thing you did (or gift you received) this holiday season? Hope you enjoyed the holidays and have a great 2025!
Francis Alipranti
2025-01-02 20:39:54 +0000 UTCAny way to early worries/predictions/hot takes for the next CBA?
Bo Brown
2025-01-02 20:00:30 +0000 UTCHi Bailey, Do you see the Braves trying to get off the Matt Olsen contract anytime soon? Or do you think they view last year as a fluke and ride it out?
Brandon Perez
2025-01-02 17:13:44 +0000 UTCDo you think the Trop will ever host another major league game? It doesn’t seem sustainable for the Rays to play at a minor league park for years but I can’t see St. Pete spending massive amounts of public money to repair the Trop when they’re just planning to tear it down soon anyway
Owain Rose
2025-01-02 12:07:34 +0000 UTCHi Bailey what are your thoughts on deferring money? I personally think it’s ok as the teams are taking a long term risk with the future money. Overall if it’s that overpowered than other large market teams should be doing it yet that risk is the reason why.
Colby2148
2025-01-02 11:49:35 +0000 UTCHi Bailey. I was curious to know if you had any updates to your Not-In-HOF team now that Allen and Minoso have been inducted since the original video? Are there any players whose cases have grown on you or vice-versa?
Sean Forrest
2025-01-02 10:58:41 +0000 UTCWould you rather watch a team that you know will win a lot of games playing "boring" baseball (whatever the baseball equivalent of "parking the bus" in soccer might be called), or a team that might not win a lot of games, but plays in a more exciting manner?
Dan Russell
2025-01-02 09:27:54 +0000 UTCWhat kind of hitter would you say profiles as a low BABIP guy? And somewhat related, this year I noticed lots of hitters in a down year (Carroll, Morel, Arcia, and Semien, for example) had uncharacteristically low BABIP numbers. Do you think this season to season variance for good-great hitters is indicative of a change in approach, or just plain unluckiness?
Wolf Haley
2025-01-02 07:02:57 +0000 UTCI've found myself increasingly dissatisfied with Pitching WAR of any kind. If a pitcher throws 200 innings of 2.20 ERA, 2.20 FIP ball they're likely to end up with a similar WAR to a below average defensive shortstop who OPS+'d in the 140s. I don't know about you but that just doesn't seem like a fair comparison of how important great starting pitching, especially with volume, is in 2020s baseball. Is WAR, especially for pitchers, actually becoming an outdated stat as baseball evolves? Can it be tweaked to show the true value of an Ace starter? Happy new year! Looking forward to another foolish year.
Robert Matheson
2025-01-02 04:48:57 +0000 UTCWhat is your favorite type of owl?
Hank Will
2025-01-02 01:58:04 +0000 UTCDo you have a favorite baseball game you’ve watched (either in person or on TV)? My favorite was giants clinch the division in 2010 in Game 162, which I saw in person, which was surprisingly more exciting than seeing Lincecum’s second no-hitter in person!
Slubkid
2025-01-02 00:57:20 +0000 UTCWhat's a common baseball narrative that you think needs to be scrutinized more or just viewed differently?
G
2025-01-01 23:37:45 +0000 UTCI do not know the man personally, but I have to think Kent Mercker the Braves' last no-hitter pitcher over 30 years ago has to be popping champagne ('72 Miami Dolphins style) every time we get a Sean Newcomb, Shelby Miller or any of Fried's outings last year that ended in an unsuccessful no-no. They mention him as the last pitcher every time. Who are your most likely candidates that could be the one to do it, if we see one in the next 30 years?
Burt Oldirty
2025-01-01 23:18:26 +0000 UTCThoughts on Alex Bregman’s contract situation? Seems like Boras is asking for $200 million and no team wants to give him that.
Michael Luker
2025-01-01 22:00:48 +0000 UTCBailey, how would you rate your 2024 in YEAR+ (with 100 representing an average year)?
Evan A
2025-01-01 21:32:35 +0000 UTCHey Bailey, happy holidays. I wanted to get your thoughts on a scenario I heard on Effectively Wild a few months back and why it isn’t used more in the MLB, because it seems like it give an advantage almost every time. Scenario: Runners on first and third, less than 2 outs. The runner on first takes off and tries to steal 2nd base, leading the catcher to throw to second. As soon as the catcher throws the ball, the runner on 3rd takes off and tries to steal home. Best case: Run in, man on second. No one out. Probable case: Run in, man thrown out at second, no one on base Worst case: Runner out at second, SS/2B throws back home and guns out man at home, inning over. Other case: No throw by the catcher, first and third becomes first and second. It seems to me that every team should use this if put in this situation. I know conventional baseball wisdom is probably against this, but I think that the “Unlikely case” would happen so sparingly that it would be worth it.
Tristan Morgan
2025-01-01 21:11:08 +0000 UTCIf you had to induct one player into the hall of fame who retired in the 21st century who was eligible to appear but never appeared on a BBWA ballot, who would your pick be?
genderdruid
2025-01-01 21:08:22 +0000 UTCDo you think MLB will consider an expansion franchise (or two) anytime in the next 10 years? If so, what cities would be first in line?
Anthony
2025-01-01 20:22:16 +0000 UTCThey used to announce the BBWAA Hall of Fame voting results about a week after the New Years but now they wait to do it until the end of the month. Do you like the additional two weeks of Hall of Fame debates and ballot reveals?
ajnrules
2025-01-01 20:00:01 +0000 UTCWhat are some things MLB could/should learn from other leagues (e.g. the NBA & NFL) when it comes to salary floors & caps, revenue sharing, contract structures, etc. to make the playing field more level that both the players and owners might actually agree to?
Paul Bauer
2025-01-01 19:56:30 +0000 UTCwhat is one thing you hope to accomplish in 2025?
Ethan Guinness
2025-01-01 19:30:02 +0000 UTCDo you believe balance has any value in roster construction? For instance, if you were the Mariners, would you trade a 4 WAR Luis Castillo season for a 3 WAR position player season for the sake of balancing run production and run prevention?
Theo
2025-01-01 19:15:37 +0000 UTCWho do you see as the most likely guy to sign the next $700+ million contract?
Max T
2025-01-01 19:05:28 +0000 UTCIf you were a HOF voter, how would you weigh a player's cultural contributions in your voting decision? People often complain about players who are inducted seemingly due to cultural considerations, but for every one of those, there's someone like Fernando Valenzuela whose contributions to the culture seem to be dismissed just as easily as their stats.
Sam Aronow
2025-01-01 19:04:08 +0000 UTCI don't know if you saw the recent episode of Pretty Good where Jon gives ideas for different potential season formats for MLB. He discusses one with a 140 game regular season then a 30 game round robin postseason for the top 12 teams with the top 2 remaining teams playing each other in a best of 7 world series. His other suggestion is to break up the season into 4-5 mini seasons with multiple championship series throughout the season. My question is just what do you think of ways to adjust the current format which has a crapshoot tournament at the end?
ice_denier
2025-01-01 18:57:10 +0000 UTCThoughts on the pitching prospects in the Mets upper minors? Sproat is already on Top 100 lists but do you think that have anything in the group of Tidwell/Hamel/McLean/etc?
Dawid Zieba
2025-01-01 18:50:47 +0000 UTCCan a team make a deep playoff run without a true power hitter? The Reds have put together a respectable rotation and have a lot of young talent, but without bringing in a big bat in the outfield, I don’t see them having a lot of postseason success.
Zac Conn
2025-01-01 18:50:14 +0000 UTCHappy New Year! Thoughts on the Kyle Tucker deal? I understand we can’t sign EVERYONE long term but as an Astros fan, I really hoped to keep Tucker, Alvarez and Altuve together. It feels like Crane has commitment issues!
Noah Dorroh
2025-01-01 18:46:54 +0000 UTCJon Bois or Jomboy?
RainmanMP
2025-01-01 18:46:24 +0000 UTC
