JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 3/20/23

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 3/20/23

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Morbo

2:47

Brendan Donovan is the best argument for MLB expansion followed shortly by Willians Astudillo. Both are everyday players in a 36 team league and one is a borderline star

Ben Clemens

2:47

Oh 100%

2:48

Teams are just bursting at the seams with good players these days, particularly pitchers

The bullpen shuttle is full of guys who are probably too good to be on the bullpen shuttle, but hwat can you do

Mr. Burrito

2:48

Hey, am I crazy for liking the Dodgers strategy this year? All I seem to hear is they're taking too big a gamble by infusing the lineup with various doses of Outman and Vargas and probably Pepiot. But, at some point, don't you have to see what the farm really has?

Ben Clemens

2:49

I like it a little bit less since they didn't manage to reset cap penalties, but I think people are overrating how bad it is to just be excellent instead of unstoppable for a year

I like the idea of concentrating a lot of it at once, I think the Miguels are both underrated and that Rojas will be a perfectly acceptable shortstop stopgap, and I'm obviously Team Vargas

2:50

Change is scary, and this isn't quite the Dodgers of recent vintage, but I think it's a cleverly managed transition. The real question is whether they are willing to pivot depending on how the year starts

Wireless Joe Jackson

2:50

They'd be fools to trade Edman.

Ben Clemens

2:50

I agree

That's the wrong way to go about dealing with surplus

Morbo

2:50

Making children's toys that have non-captive screws for battery covers should be a crime punishable by death.

Ben Clemens

2:50

End (most) capital punishment

cool

1

Steve O

2:51

Have you watched Volpe this spring? Thoughts on if you think he has the arm to play 3B in case a certain Yankees 3B is cooked?

Ben Clemens

2:51

I haven't watched a lot of him, but I assume they'd prefer him at second just based on what I've read

Dan'l

2:51

PPI!! Do you think teams actually feel at all incentivized to aggressively promote a star prospect, with the prospect promotion incentive? i.e., are the Cards even 10% more likely to get Jordan Walker on the ML roster to start the season with the chance he gets in the top 2 for rookies, and they get a draft pick?

Ben Clemens

2:51

Yeah, I think it's a tiebreaker that actually matters

2:52

But for the most part, I think it matters more earlier in the offseason, in the planning how the team is going to look phase

2:53

Like, in previous years the O's might have built their team around having Henderson start in the minors, grab some additional veteran depth or something

Chip

2:53

Mark Appel was released. No question, but just pointing out that baseball is hard and there's no such thing as a 'can't miss prospect'.

Ben Clemens

2:53

He had a really wonderful Twitter thread basically about just this

I'm gonna dig it up really quickly

2:54

My Honest Reality
March 19, 2023

Welcome to the 2023 baseball season.

Opening Day is around the corner. Pitchers are almost ready. Position players are locked in. Fans share the optimism a new season brings.

But this isn't just another season.

This is likely my last.

crying

1

Matt Damon

2:54

MATT. DAMON.

Ben Clemens

2:54

Little late today. Out buying a zoo, perhaps?

Dylan Carlson

2:55

Do you think it’s too early to give up on him in the roto world? The Walker hype has somewhat coincided with his downfall on draft boards. He’s still young and could lead off against lefties in a stacked lineup.

Ben Clemens

2:55

I do

I don't pay a ton of attention to changing ADP's or anything like that, but I think that his eventual value is still up in the air

Jfast

2:55

Thoughts on David Hensley, assuming he gets the majority of reps at 2B while Altuve is out?

Ben Clemens

2:56

The odds are stacked against him, and I think our projections are probably reasonable there, league average ish hitter

He has a career 194 major league wRC+ right now, that's amazing

2:57

Nice guy to have around, don't think he will keep a starting job after Altuve gets back, he'll just be nice infield depth

Joe Don

2:57

Just for the record, some of us don’t think of Fistful Of

dollars as “old.”

Ben Clemens

2:58

Haha well I don't know any westerns older than that but I suppose it's all relative

Steve O

2:58

I'm sure Volpe is a better fit a 2B, but he's not better than Gleyber Torres I don't think.

Ben Clemens

2:58

Can Gleyber play third?

I guess he's also not a big arm strength guy

2:59

I dunno, some permutation of those three sounds good to me

Dennis

2:59

Esteury Ruiz stole 85 bases in the minors last year. How do you think that he will do in Oakland this year. All that speed would be fun to watch.

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