JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 1/4/21

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Morbo

2:56

Mets are reportedly out on Sugano

Ben Clemens

2:56

Well, that's confusing to me

2:57

Okay, walk back my Mets rotation talk a bit, then, since they're obviously not 100% to get Bauer

Daisy

2:57

What do the Royals have in Brady Singer? Is it just me or is their rotation.....not too shabby?

Ben Clemens

2:57

Yeah I don't mind it. Bubic is fine too. If either of those guys makes a leap this year, it will be downright intriguing

Robert

2:58

Do you see Justus Sheffield sticking around as a mid-rotation starter in years to come? Evaluations on him have jumped all over the place

Ben Clemens

2:58

Pitchers evolve over time unpredictably, but my current take is that he's mostly likely to be a 4-5 type guy who you would be pleased to have at the back of your rotation but unhappy with in the top 3

3:00

That's a pretty milquetoast take, but I just think that this kind of profile

Nothing amazing, nothing backbreaking

3:01

Often pans out worse than you'd expect

v2micca

3:01

I'm not a pharmacist, so I don't even know if this is possible. But what would the MLB do if one of the COVID-19 vaccinations started triggering false positives on one of the banned substances?

Ben Clemens

3:01

My guess (also not a pharmacist, chemist, almost any -ist) is that it isn't possible

That said, they'd change the PED tests

3:02

there's more than one way to screen for a PED

Morbo

3:02

A diamond-encrusted modem would probably help prevent it from overheating. What with diamond being most efficient thermal conductor known.

Ben Clemens

3:02

The rich get richer

Or, well, not richer, since presumably diamond-encrusted modems aren't cheap

3:03

The rich get faster ping times

Jasonnorton_1@yahoo.com

3:03

With the CBA expiring and some ongoing financial issues from covid/limited fans in 2021, is it a possibility the owners could lockout the players to reduce the number of games this year and try to get some leverage for CBA negotiations?

Ben Clemens

3:03

I sure would have thought so

3:05

That said, it looks like Spring Training will be starting on time

Which is a good sign the other way

Cito

3:05

Why don't we see more teams load up on rangy outfielders in the corners to help FB-heavy pitching staffs, in the same way we see teams prioritize infield defense for GB-heavy staffs?

Ben Clemens

3:06

This is an interesting question. My gut feel is that the gains are smaller -- fewer fly balls are in the playable/unplayable border where your rangy outfielders help than grounders

Might be a fun one to look at, though

Totally worth considering, though

Moonlight Graham

3:07

Do you see Ha-Seong Kim earning the Padres starting 2B outright by midseason?

Ben Clemens

3:07

I believe so

It helps that Cronenworth is so versatile

Curtis

3:08

How many truly "elite" players are there currently in MLB? Whatever definition/criteria you want to employ...