JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 3/15/21

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Sam

3:04

What are your thoughts on Joey Gallo going forward? I was kind of all in following 2019, and I just think his profile is really fun and interesting

Ben Clemens

3:04

I think he's one of those players who will be more interesting than good

Not that he isn't good

3:05

But the sheer oddity of the profile is doing a lot of work in terms of making me think about him

Josiah

3:05

Do the giants have a chance to contend in next 2-3 years considering what dodgers and padres have built? Giants have tons of money coming off books but an entire infield and rotation needing replacement.

Ben Clemens

3:05

It's going to be tough, like you said largely because of the division

3:06

I like what they've done in the Zaidi era in terms of sorting through a pile of players to find and keep the interesting ones, but it's an uphill climb to fight those two powers

That said, contending is different than automatically winning, and if they reinvest the money coming off the books, that gets them to Wild Card contention at the very least

Alex A

3:06

Is there any market whatsoever for Inciarte that doesn't need sweetening?

Ben Clemens

3:07

If you want more than a PTBNL, I think no

Or 'cash considerations' that come out to 50 bucks and a firm handshake

5 Run Homer

3:08

Are we really going to let the Orioles enter 2021 with Felix Hernandez and Matt Harvey in their rotation? Is there nobody else they can plug in there?

Ben Clemens

3:08

I like the idea of seeing what Felix can do

Now, is the answer likely nothing? Yes it is

But if there's a place for him to try a comeback, it's a team like Baltimore

3:09

Chris Rodriguez - guy or GUY? Best guess at an ETA, knowing you're not the resident prospect dude?

Ben Clemens

3:09

Guy, as a general rule if you have a back injury I need to see a little more to be in

Back injuries terrify me

Marko from Tropoja

3:10

Picking nits, but the only arguments I see excluding Kershaw as an ace are he won’t throw 200+ innings and he doesn’t throw 95. Dude just put up 2.4 ERA/3.2 FIP/.87 WHIP/26% K-BB through 89 IP including playoffs. He seems to be compared to Peak Kershaw instead of the other MLB pitchers. I’d be more worried about Scherzer.

Ben Clemens

3:10

This is a fair counterargument, and I think I'm maybe a little too low on Kershaw b/c of his injury struggles, but those were at their worst like 4 years ago now

The more I think about my ace listing the more I want Kershaw to be on it

There's a swagger component, too, and he has that

5 Run Homer

3:11

where will be big 2021 free agent shortstops be in a year's time?

Ben Clemens

3:12

I think Lindor stays with the Mets, Correa ends up on the Yankees (I dunno, just guessing), and Seager stays on the Dodgers. That leaves Story (no clue) and Javy (also no clue)

This is absolutely not somehting I'm good at, though

Didace

3:12

"Ben Clemens - Indeed! That said, I think they'll be good this year!" All the experts say that every year, too.

Ben Clemens

3:13

Look the Mets have Lucy-with-the-football'ed me plenty in the past

And I don't have a strong reason why they won't again

But I am going to stick with my method, they look good, I should pick them to be good

Kiermaier's Piercing Green Eyes

3:13

Aglio e olio is a strong contender for best, simplest pasta dish. So good the Beastie Boys had an EP named after it.

Ben Clemens

3:13

Ooh, I missed this earlier

It is indeed delicious

Honestly pasta is just great

Kate

3:14

Are the Pirates going to give Anthony Alford a real shot at regular ABs?

Ben Clemens

3:14

They really should, and indications are that they will

I don't know if he's going to work out, but he's the kind of person you should be testing out if you're the Pirates

This is the exact upside of being terrible

Sammy the dog

3:15

Were you worried for Hicks' arm after/during that battle with Guillorme?

Ben Clemens

3:15

Not during, b/c I didn't see it live

After, a little bit, but I'm just always going to be worried about Hicks's arm

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