JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 4/17/23

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Ben Clemens

2:27

major league minimum, sorry

2:28

The reason I don't like the Hosmer signing is because he's blocking a really good palyer from playing and we have a lot of data on what Hosmer is, not b/c he's batting .250/.318/.300 to start the year

he was what we thought he was, is my best guess

Jax

2:28

White Sox bullpen worst in the league by a wide margin, reason to panic or SSS?

Ben Clemens

2:28

SSS I think

lot of good arms in there still

Finnegan's SSW

2:28

Justin Steele: Good!

Ben Clemens

2:29

Seems that way

Juan Soto

2:29

Please try and explain the struggles that go back to last year with the Padres.

Doug

2:29

Why am I perpetually waiting for Tatis to come back and save the Padres offense? How is adding Bogaerts and Soto still not enough?

Ben Clemens

2:29

Soto has been maddening in San Diego. This year he's hitting the snot out of the ball there and getting nothing for it

last year he seemed like he was in a funk

2:30

I'm still bought in but man how can you have a 17% barrel rate and also a .179 babip? it's mind-boggling

he's walking 22% of the time! He's hitting the crap out of the ball and not even at a bad launch angle

2:31

and yeah, it's just not working

Warren

2:31

How much should we buy Bryce Elder's early emergence?

Ben Clemens

2:31

I've been looking into him for a prospective article

I'm kinda in

but I want to do more research

Guest

2:31

Let's say there's a player who is a perfectly average corner outfielder (50's across the board), but whose skills are guaranteed to never decline — he's stuck as a 27-year-old forever, with perfect health. He's also signed to a lifetime (ie, forever) contract at the league minimum salary. How would teams value such a player? Do you think he'd make the top 50 trade value piece?

(he also won't get any better, he'll always be average)

Ben Clemens

2:32

I don't think he would make the list. If he was 10% above average across the board I think he would, but dead average is just not doing it

that player isn't so dissimilar from Randy Arozarena, but clearly worse, and to me he's a mainstay in the back half of the top 50

Guest

2:33

What happens to Jordan Hicks? I know he throws ball very hard but it seems like his best case scenario (on the Cardinals, at least) is like a 4 FIP reliever, but at worst he throws a lot more balls than strikes

Ben Clemens

2:33

He needs a change of scenery I think

not that it'll definitely work out, but it just seems like it's not gonna work in St. Louis

Chip

2:34

Speaking of Nasty Nestor, he's a top ___ SP? I'm struggling to think of more than 10: Ohtani, DeGrom, Cole, Burnes, Max, Sandy, Castillo, McClanahan, Bieber?

Ben Clemens

2:34

I'd take Nola and Wheeler over him, Gausman and Strider too

Framber, Logan Webb

top 30? top 20?

I dunno, there are a lot of good pitchers!

Jacks

2:34

Luis Garcia has been rotten, it’s as simple as the new windup - right? Anything else under the hood here? Are we panicking at this point?

Ben Clemens

2:35

I'm with you!

let's not overthink it, he used to have a unique windup that helped him out, now he's not using it and he looks off

bosoxforlife

2:35

I think you are grossly underrating Randy Arozarena . He is just the type of winning player who is far more valuable than mere numbers.

Ben Clemens

2:36

That may be the case. I will tell you this.... everyone else is underrating him more, then. I have consistently been the highest on him of any talent evaluators I've talked to

Both of the past two years, he's been in the top 50 trade value list and everyone I show it to is like 'wait arozarena doesn't belong'

and I just leave him there because I think they're wrong

trent grisham believer

2:37

How much noise is there early in the "Spd" stat? Grisham is down quite a bit this season and hasn't stolen a base yet, but the bat looks like a breakout season

Ben Clemens

2:37

I don't really know how Spd works, but his top end sprint speed is down 1.5 ft/sec from last year

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