Infinite Inning 166: Who Comped Ted Williams?

Dan Szymborski (FanGraphs, ZiPs) returns to talk 2021 projections, mock the Rockies, and speculate about Norwegian cheeses. Plus tales: Lefty Gove has some earned sarcasm and a second baseman named Pep strikes out (a lot). TABLE OF CONTENTS Lefty Grove’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Comments*A Note on the Passing Dick Allen*Personal Note: A Death in the Family/Your Rights vs. Mine*Lem-Pep and the Five Ks*Dan Szymborski: ZiPS, the Actuarial Tables, and the Old Ty Cobb Joke*The Question No One Asked Wade Boggs*Those Vexing Rockies*The Inevitable Ian Desmond First Guess (Luke Voit, Thick First Baseman)*OBP in a Hitter’s Park*The Dahl Non-Tender/If the Rockies Had Randy Arozarena*Maikel Franco’s ZiPs Comps and Other Non-Indicators of Destiny*The Archetype of the Quad-A Catcher*The Ted Williams Comp*All Great Players Are Different*Doug Newstrom? Ron Coomer?*Ronald Acuna and Jose Canseco*Editors/“Braveheart” and Unforced Errors in Historical Fiction*Too-Granular Questions About Projections*Will Smith (The Catcher) Projections and Willful Changes to Playing Style*2021 Error Bars*FanGraphs Health Check*Against Cincinnati Chili*Cheeses*Goodbyes. The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?