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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 4/27/26

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bosoxforlife

2:39

Is it time to see if Andruw Monasterio can play on the left side of the Red Sox infield for an extended period of time? He has looked like he can hit the ball in the air with some power.

Ben Clemens

2:39

I mean, he beats the alternatives

i basically don't think it'll work. h e's below replacement level in 2026!

2:40

but Trevor Story has a 40 wRC+, Durbin has a 47 wRC+, heck Meyer is at 77

try SOMETHING else

Yangervis Solarte

2:40

Rays traded Buggsy Patagonia to the Padres for Hector Northface. So fleeced.

Big Buckston

2:40

Austin Martin quietly still has a 0.500 OBP in 76 PAs this season after a strong finish to last season, with improved defense. He's still mostly a short-side platoon guy but has hit RHP okay in his career. Do you buy the post-hype breakout, and that he could become an everyday player for the Twins?

Ben Clemens

2:40

I'm pretty into it!

2:41

he's another guy that my models love so I'm probably a little biased, but I think we talked about him earlier in the season already, and yeah, the OBP is a real skill

and I'm willing to believe that it does a good job of countering a platoon matchup somewhat, because walks are walks

J Hench

2:41

As long as we are talking about fleecings - Mike Burrows looked a lot better for the Pirates than he currently looks for the Astros. Is it just an early season slump? Did the Pirates limit his innings in such a way that made him look like a more legitimate mid-rotation arm than he actually is? What can Astros fans realistically expect at this point?

Ben Clemens

2:41

it's still April! player talent level changes

2:42

that said, I mean, I don't think Burrows is gonna keep being this bad but he looks abysmal so far

he'd love a reset on the year

i do not have a strong opinion of why. i do not think it has to do with innings limits, though, given that he's pitching at a similar IP/GS clip this year

Derek

2:42

Will Mason Miller finish the season with a negative FIP?

lol Miller also has a negative xFIP at the moment

Ben Clemens

2:43

that is really wild

ummmm.... I mean, he probably won't because he'll give up a home run

down to a mere 61% strikeout rate, what a chump

but I think that he has a more credible case than any pitcher has in quite a while

2:44

maybe peak Chapman; if not, maybe no one ever

bosoxforlife

2:44

Monasterio at least passes the eye test and while I am not ready to give up on 2026 yet, I am fully amped up for every time Early and Tolle are going to toe the slab. Should keep 2026 from being a disaster.

Ben Clemens

2:44

yeah, like I said, gotta try something

A weirdo

2:44

Am I weird that I read FG daily but only watch maybe 9 innings a year?

Ben Clemens

2:44

no; before I wrote here, I went through periods like that for sure

2:45

baseball is so fun and intellectually interesting, and I might be biased but I think that we're pretty good at highlighting those things here

watching a game is great too! I love watching games, I have a whole column series about noticing little things in games

but yeah, the math is just fun to consider. the peripheral interesting things in the game are fun to consider

even if you couldn't watch

Guest

2:45

I don't know, I'm personally pressing the panic button on Mason Miller because he hasn't struck anybody out for two innings. Your article from two weeks ago has aged pretty well, but you're going to feel awful silly when his .094 WOBA regresses to his.... uh... .101 XWOBA.

Ben Clemens

2:45

2:46

it's so fun

so my 'must-watch' list, which is more of a suggestion given how large it is, is currently Miller/Yamamoto/Schlittler/McLean. I index heavily to new is always better for pitchers, in case you can't tell

Oaktown Blues

2:46

My fatal flaw in baseball analysis: I buy in too hard to small sample performance if the performance is supported by the underlying metrics. When a guy has strong K/BB and contact quality numbers, I tend to think “this guy is doing everything right, this has gotta be real!”, which ignores that there can be plenty of variance even in those faster stabilizing, more predictive stats. (but enough about Carlos Cortes)

Ben Clemens

2:46

yeah, this is a really tough thing to wrap your head around, and I'm definitely guilty of it more than I'd like to admit

2:47

it's really hard to remember that players get hot and cold even in the 'stable' stuff

Mike Trout

2:47

Just want to show love to Trout. 22% walk rate to 20% K rate, his contact quality is as good as ever, his sprint speed has jumped back up, and is playing CF everyday.

Ben Clemens

2:48

yeah, what a bounceback season

I wrote about his walks earlier in the year, and honestly, I still think regression is coming there, but his ability to find new ways to succeed is admirable, and legendary

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