JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 4/8/25

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Ben Clemens

2:47

not even the funniest version of this -- that'd be marcell ozuna

2:48

he's swinging at pitches IN THE ZONE less frequently than his swing rate on all pitches in any previous season

but basically, yes. I think that a lot of powerful and swing-happy hitters could run a huge OBP for a few weeks just by not swinging

2:49

but it wouldn't be sustainable. Pitchers don't exist in a vacuum

How could they breathe?!?

millville meltdown

2:49

how noodly does a bat need to be to take a gold glove out of the lineup

(lookin at you, hedges, and bo naylor, soon to be hedges 2.0

Ben Clemens

2:49

Bo Naylor should be miffed by that comment, haha

although to be fair, Hedges did pinch hit for him in last year's playoffs

2:50

as for the asnwer to this question, I think it's clear. When Hedges was hitting for around a 70 wRC+ with elite defense, he was a full-time rotational catcher and a valuable, tradeable guy

then he started hitting for a 40 wRC+ and became a backup

2:51

then he started hitting for a 20 wRC+ and his playing time went down even more

Eff that

2:51

A pitcher could survive in a vacuum if they wore a pressurized suit. The more you know

Ben Clemens

2:51

that's true, but also if the pitcher were in a vacuum, their pitches would all fly straight because there'd be no air resistance

2:52

it would be a weird experiment. And I mean, if some team wants to try, I'm all ears, but I'm guessing their R&D priorities run in other directions

War2d2

2:52

I punted on 2b in my draft and wound up panic-drafting Luis Garcia jr. He’s rewarded me by hitting .206 and being benched against every lefty. Any suggestions for possible waiver guys or call-up candidates? Cronenworth, IKF, and Kyren Paris are all available and hitting more than Garcia (for now), but track-record-wise I’d expect a lot of regression.

Ben Clemens

2:53

I'm most into Paris out of that group. Not because he's the best projection (Croney), but b/c he's 23 and on an awful team, so if he hits, he'll play

Stephen

2:53

Given it's extremely early and team records don't mean much and lots of stats are too small sample to take away much, but are there any teams that are beating your expectations (positive or negative) that you think will keep it up based

Ben Clemens

2:53

hmmmmm

2:54

the Red Sox look good to me. i'm not sure I'd say beating expectations but I think they're WS contenders for sure and seeing htem early in the season has cemented my view. Also I think the Dodgers might be good

Guest

2:54

There's no real reason to feel sorry for ATL or their fans if the season continues to go badly, right? For one, they've had plenty of success. And, B, they totally cheaped out during the offseason. Plus, the Chop.

Ben Clemens

2:55

Speaking of! I'm a tiny bit worried about MHII, that chase rate, yikes. He looks completely lost

Yeah, no one feels sorry for Braves fans, it's been a very good century

Matt

2:55

Jays starting staff is comprised of veteran pitchers who aren't missing many bats, how much longer can they survive with this profile? Hoffman looks great in the pen, but any chance they try using him as a starter? I was a little surprised that wasn't their plan when signing him.

Ben Clemens

2:55

I think that Hoffman probably didn't want to start

if he did, he would have found a way to, given how hot relief conversions are right now

I think if he wants to, they should try it

Barves

2:56

Honestly, are the Braves really that good? I feel like a lot of people are going, “Well, it’s the Braves” and ignoring all their flaws. Like they’re batting Bryan De La Cruz 6th. That’s literally a Pirates move. I know they have a couple of key pieces coming back from injuries but I’m really not sure about this one

Ben Clemens

2:56

Well, I'm actually writing up the depth chart method we use to approximate team strength after injuries, should go up tomorrow

2:58

and, yeah, the Braves are good. They're batting Bryan De La Cruz 6th. The best offense in baseball last year played Kevin Newman at first base for a significant portion of the year and gave Geraldo Perdomo about 100 PA in the first or second spot in the lineup

Part of the reason the Braves are good is because they have a bunch of good hitters. But another reason is that they have a bunch of good pitchers, and a good defense

Bob

2:58

Brett Baty seems like a AAAA player. How many more ABs does he get with the Mets and is he a guy who needs a change of scenery?

Ben Clemens

2:58

Yeah that's my read at this point too

2:59

I think they should give him a change of scenery trade, honestly. He does not have a spot on the team with Alonso back and Vientos capable of handling third

George

2:59

Am I wrong to be worried about Crews? He hasn't been as electric, even in the minors, as he was at LSU.

Ben Clemens

2:59

I'm not worried about the tools yet but like I said, I want him to change the approach

I don't care that he's striking out a lot, he was in college not long ago

but I do care that he's not trying to maximize his tools by swinging at strikes

dads

2:59

Seems like Canha with his strong performance is fighting his way into regular at-bats at the expense of Melendez & Renfroe, ya?

Ben Clemens