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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 5/18/20

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Derek

2:53

So after finishing up the Goslin SABR bio, I don't know why this guy isn't more famous. For starters, he won the 1935 World Series with a walk-off hit which he apparently predicted. He was blindly signed by the Senators after their owner found out the Orioles were going to sign someone, and then somehow (I want to know more about this) tricked someone he was golfing with into giving him Goslin's name and info, and just offered him $1,000 more than the Orioles did without ever seeing him play. He spent a day during spring training throwing a shotput like a baseball which ruined his throwing arm. He dislocated a bystander's shoulder by hitting them with a home run ball. He tried to get himself ejected after getting two strikes on him in an at-bat that would decide whether he won or lost the batting title, but the umpire told him nothing he could do would get him ejected and that he wouldn't call a walk no matter what - he ended up getting a hit. He once tried to use a zebra-striped bat to distract the pitcher.

I think Goose Goslin is my new favorite player.

Ben Clemens

2:54

Opening a random early 20s SABR bio is likely to be great

Opening one of a good player is likely to be even better.

I recently opened a Bill Bevens card.

Bevens threw 8 2/3 no-hit innings in a world series game!

And blew out his arm *during* that game, and the first hit was a game-ending double (he'd walked 10 batters during the game whoooops)

2:55

But then the night before game 7 of that world series, his wife stayed up all night massaging his arm while he slept

And he pitched 2 2/3 innings in the deciding game and the Yankees won!

He never played in the majors again

Baseball was WILD

Joe

2:55

How much bullshit does MLB legitimately expect us to believe?

Ben Clemens

2:55

I don't know, their target audience probably isn't you if you're asking me this

2:56

My sense is that they're just choosing their audience wisely

They know that if they really hammer their big media contacts for good press

And get a few 'the owners are trying their hardest' stories

They can live with the fallout from skeptical media

The Bomb Yo

2:57

Ken Giles contract is up at the end of this year. What is your prediction for what happens for him next....

Ben Clemens

2:57

I think he'll sign something in the super-Pomeranz range

It doesn't look like a fluke at this point, you know?

He's had 5 good seasons out of 6

He'll be 30, which limits the upside.

2:58

But Will Smith got 3/40 at 30

Maybe like 4/40 for Giles? Maybe 3/40

Who knows

I'd want him on my team

Derek

2:58

How did I not know there was a minor league team named after a slur against space raccoons from a Marvel movie!??

Ben Clemens

2:59

And it's definitely not the only team with a raccoon mascot

I have a sweet Hudson Valley Renegades hat that makes it clear they are raccoons as well

(We're talking about the rocket city trash pandas in case it wasn't clear)

Guest

2:59

RE: OOTP. After getting the idea from an M's blog, I've started simulating my own version of the 2001 Mariners to see if I can improve on their 116 wins. The other day, I simulated a game vs the Rays and since Brett Boone needed a rest, I figured I'd rest several regulars at the same time and just risk punting that game. I took out Ichiro, Boone, Mike Cameron and Dan Wilson.

Naturally, the Mariners won 29-3.

Ben Clemens

2:59

Lol

Yeah

OOTP is great ufn

fun*

3:00

I am a big fan of the rest the whole squad at once thing

I don't know why more teams don't do it, I suppose I need to think about the math more

But I do it a lot in my sims

David

3:00

Ben, hope you are still following the KBO at least to what you can given the time difference. Any updated observations you've made about the play? Mine is the HR / power spike that has again occurred compared to last year. And man, some of these young kids (Lee Jung-Hoo of Kiwoom & Baek Kang-Ho of Kt wiz) have a real shot to becoming potential stars in MLB.

Ben Clemens

3:02

I have a few observations. One, I find it to be really incredible background viewing, but I've noticed I'm not doing as good of a job as I would hope payin attention to game-long narratives.

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