JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 4/5/21

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Ben Clemens

2:09

Yes

Or, well, no

Just depends on what you mean by real

2:10

He's really a better first base option than Pujols

He's really a competent major league hitter

I don't think he's going to post a 408 wRC+ the rest of the way

But I do think that he should get the vast majority of the PT

Pwn Shop

2:10

The Asterisks have dramatically increased their odds of a 162-win season from 1/6.6x10^57 to 1/1.61x10^55. Bang trash cans in celebration!

Ben Clemens

2:11

Another 25 in a row and those exponents will REALLY start to decline

Gil

2:11

How about that Shohei Ohtani guy? Pretty good.

GenericDodgerFan

2:11

Do you think the Angels should continue having Ohtani pitch and hit in the same games?

BringBackDeSpanielHair

2:11

Ohtani sure sounds fun to watch. Too bad the game wasn't on MLB.tv last night. I didn't get to see any of it

Ben Clemens

2:12

Every time I see Ohtani, his general bulk shocks me

He looks like a wide receiver or small forward playing baseball

And then he is just a complete freak athlete, which further confirms the way I feel upon first seeing him

What a joy to watch

BringBackDeSpanielHair

2:13

I basically ignored 2020 baseball. Now I keep seeing guys get like Santander, and Grisham, and I'm confused that those are now Good Players and to be watched.

Ben Clemens

2:13

I think that Grisham isn't THAT much of a surprise

2:14

He looked good before 2020, it's just that the gaffe against the Nationals was foremost in people's minds

He popped last year, but his minor league stats and new mechanics were already suggestive of a good player

2:15

Kind of same deal with Santander? He was an average hitter in 2019 without the benefit of BABIP, though he REALLY turned it on in a short 2020

I don't think he's a perennial star, but a guy who could play left field for a team that was previously playing literally Andrew Vaughn there? Sure

Despondent Cubs Fan

2:15

Brahms or Bach?

Ben Clemens

2:16

I like playing Ruby (my dog) Glenn Gould's performances of Bach when we leave her alone, so I'll say Bach

But I'm not a big classical music person so very uninformed take

Jacques Pederson

2:16

I used to be a person that only cared about velocity and movement for relievers. The Cardinals' bull pen is changing my mind.

Ben Clemens

2:16

Presented without further comment

Fenix

2:16

How good can Julian Merryweather be? Looked absolutely filthy is both appearances Vs NYY

Appa Yip Yip

2:16

Based on a ~2 inning sample~ what do you think the future holds of Julian Merryweather? I did several spit takes and from the looks of it so did Hicks and Stanton.

Ben Clemens

2:17

I don't know if he's going to hold his 56% (what the actual hell) chase rate all year

But wow he looks ludicrous

The extra velo really pops

2:18

I was already generally in -- I think ZiPS's projection is all goofed up b/c it thought he'd be a starter, and if you look at the split of projections, ZiPS had him with a 5 ERA and Steamer with a 3.84

But I didn't expect him to throw so dang hard

Keep an eye on his zone rate and walks, b/c sometimes people who find velo like that struggle to consistently command it, but wow!

Gil

2:19

Is there anything you take from a single series of data this early in the season other than enjoyment? Putting injuries to the side for a bit, it just seems like everything means nothing and nothing means everything.

Ben Clemens

2:19

I like seeing pitchers with new pitches, huge velocity bumps, and guys in new roles (Merryweather is a good example)

2:20

But mostly enjoyment

I'm just so happy to have real stakes MLB games back in my life

Cueto's Shimmy

2:20

I appreciate the announcer rankings since I jump around a lot. Have you done the TV ones yet and I missed it?

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