JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 11/30/20

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 11/30/20

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Ben Clemens

2:35

Seems reasonable, they will need to add average-or-better pitching depth and he fits the bill

I wouldn't count on a full season out of him, which complicates things, but look, I love Rich Hill, I'm super into it

Norm

2:35

Thoughts on the MLB draft league that MLB just announced?

Ben Clemens

2:35

Haven't read enough about it yet to have a good informed take

2:36

I'll tell you that I'm going to be going in skeptical, because minor league baseball was a formative part of my youth, but I hope that this can somewhat replace that in communities losing minor league affiliates

Mitch

2:36

Could you see the A's dangling Bassit or Montas in a trade to try to acquire a 2B/SS? Both are getting more expensive for OAK and market demand for SP seems to be high. OAK MIF depth is very thin at the moment and Lemahieu, Semien, Simmons, etc. figure to be out of their spending range

Ben Clemens

2:37

For sure! If I were them I'd try to trade Montas, because (perhaps foolishly) I think he's better-regarded but also worse

2:39

But those are valuable pieces, and I think they could withstand the loss of one or the other if it made them a lot better on offense/defense

Norm

2:39

Starting pitching is Oakland's biggest weakness. I don't see them trading Montas

Ben Clemens

2:39

I don't agree that it's their biggest weakness

I think they have essentially a number 2 and four number 3's

2:40

They need more than that, but I think the middle infield is now their biggest weakness

Cashmoney

2:40

Whats the biggest surprise non tender on Wednesday?

Ben Clemens

2:41

I'll stick to my Bryant guns, but I don't really believe they'll do it anymore. I thought Theo going out on that note would have made more sense. I give it a 15% chance

Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes

2:41

The Piercing Green Eyes household has been on a fall and comfort food kick lately.
Our breakfasts of choice:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018354-pumpkin-maple-muffins
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2019/03/thick-and-fluffy-pancakes....
Stovetop mac and cheese (definitely add some acid, whether that's jalapenos or hot sauce, to cut through the cheese)
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/10/the-food-labs-ultra-gooey-...
The most amazing soft, buttery Parker house rolls:
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/parker-house-rolls-recipe
We've tried a bunch of chili recipes, this is our go to. No issues with burn warnings.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019159-pressure-cooker-classic-be...
Great pantry meal pasta option. Use good ingredients, especially olive oil, on simple recipes.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1778-penne-with-roasted-cherry-tom...

Ben Clemens

2:41

Excellent!

2:42

We've made those pumpkin maple muffins, or something very similar, and they were excellent

Guest

2:42

Javier Baez and JD Martinez had terrible years, which they attributed at least in part to their difficulty adjusting to not being able to make as extensive a use of video replay as in the past. How do you see 2021 playing out for them?

Ben Clemens

2:43

I think they'll both be able to adjust to it, but I can totally buy that the switch from one method to another can be jarring

Though I do think a good deal of that is just mindset and comfort

2:44

So playin a season without it probably involved growing pains

Cashmoney

2:44

How do the Yanks fill out the rotoation?

Ben Clemens

2:45

I kind of think they'll resign Tanaka?

Lot of organizational comfort there

2:46

And then maybe do some poking around at reclamation projects

DRB

2:46

Minimalist recipe: bake a sweet potato, broccoli, red pepper in the oven until potato is to your liking. Marinade pressed tofu in teriyaki sauce, fry over medium heat until all sides are cooked. Serve over rice. The point isn’t to have exotic flavors, but a cheap, simple, healthy meal in a flash.

Ben Clemens

2:47

I'm eating some tofu for lunch as we speak!

This is the kind of recipe my wife and I make most frequently: cook some veggies and some protein, either as a one-sheet-pan meal or one in the oven one on the stove

Morris

2:47

I doubt he'd be traded and don't want him to be traded, but for how many teams would Dom Smith likely be an upgrade at 1B?

Ben Clemens

2:47

A lot!

Hm, let's be more specific

2:49

Roughly half

Cambodian Creamsicle

2:49

I told a buddy a few days back that GMDM saying he wanted a SP and a middle of the order bat meant going down the free agent lists until he reached guys that no other teams would compete for. They then signed Minor and Taylor. Same old Royals, or sneaky good signs?

Ben Clemens

2:50

I like the Minor signing, because the starting pitching market sets up such that unless you're getting Bauer, Minor provides a roughly equivalent level of production to the next tier

Now, if Taylor is their middle of the order bat, that's a problem

But given that he signed for $1.75 million with $1 million in incentives, I don't think that's the case

DRB

2:51

Speaking of tofu: who is the player comparison? An under appreciated and multi versatile staple that the casual fan stubbornly says sucks?

Ben Clemens

2:51

I think it's Kolten Wong, as seen by Cardinals fans

does a lot of things,strangely disliked

Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes

2:51

I'd love get into the tofu game because I can't make my favorite vegetarian Indian dishes since the pandemic because I can't source some of the ingredients and spices. Favorite recipes?

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