JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 5/4/26

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 5/4/26

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Ben Clemens

3:09

but the O's sale, yeah. I mean, the O's are a tougher market, I guess. BUt not THIS much tougher. I think what this means is that the price of sports teams is going up. and it's going up across sports, and baseball is just getting borne along

also the Padres are good? and spend? and people think they're good?

I do think that helps

Nick Madrigal

3:09

When Adley Rutschman and Stephen Kwan left Oregon State for pro ball, did even their coach think Kwan had a shot of generating more WAR by early 2026 than Rutschman? Finally how the baseball bounces.

Ben Clemens

3:09

great username/question combo

3:10

Madrigal is one of my biggest evaluation misses... and probably explains why people were too low on Kwan, as a bonus

bosoxforlife

3:10

Can Aroldis Chapman bring back a useful piece? He is better than ever and a closer is useless to the Red Sox.

Ben Clemens

3:10

definitely. WHat's a more time-honored tradition than getting an excellent player back for trading Aroldis Chapman at the deadline

Mateo

3:10

Thanks for chatting Ben! What's the best U.S. time zone to watch baseball in?

Ben Clemens

3:10

I think it's probably Mountain. I think Mountain is the best time zone for all sports

but my order is probably Mountain/West/Central/east?

cool

1

3:11

I just hate staying up late to watch sports, moving from NYC to SF was a boon to my sleep

and my schedule, I'm a shift-stuff-earlier guy and so is the west coast

Insert Witty Name Here

3:11

Been a while since I popped a tennis question since I haven't had time to watch. But with Alcaraz out, Sinner is just clearly the best. What is it where in a sport that quite a few people play, there's only one who can be at Sinners level? Am I jaded to much to think that something extracurricular is going on?

Ben Clemens

3:12

I think you're too jaded. We've seen players do this a lot in recent years, really. Federer for a long time. Djokovic after his rivals declined. Alcaraz when Sinner was suspended

Also I think one thing about Sinner is that he's a high floor kinda guy

low-risk, hit from the middle

so his particular style, much like Djokovic's, is VERY good against inferior opposition

3:13

I do hope that some of the other players of this generation pick it up. BUt like.... I can see why it's happening

his style is just so safe. and he's so powerful

Surprised Pale Hose fan

3:13

to your earlier AL ROY talk, does Mune playing in Japan hurt his chances? At this point i think its and AL Central race between delauter, mune and mcgonigle. overall war will probably end up with mcgonigle, but if mune hits 40-50 hr it would be tough to overlook him

Ben Clemens

3:14

I do think that NPB imports are getting slightly docked for hte fact that they aren't 'true rookies', for lack fo a btter way to say it

but for full disclosure, I checked some gambling markets and Mune is second in odds behind McG

basically I think 'but he was already a high-level pro' is a tiebreaker

3:15

and to be clear I'm VERY pro Mune, I think that has probably come across in my various discussions of him this year

My name!

3:15

Any reason to worry about Colt Emerson or Ryan Sloan? I know they're young for level, but they aren't doing great. Is Kade a better prospect than them at this point?

Ben Clemens

3:15

nah. it's earyl, they're young for their level, all these dudes seem good

Sal's Mom

3:15

Do you think the White Sox flip Mune at the deadline? Would the bad press be worth the prospects? They could always try and resign him in the offseason

Ben Clemens

3:15

well he's around through next season. but I definitely do not think they will do this, and I do not think they should

I think they're getting 34 million dollars of PR value alone on this deal!

3:16

like, maybe if someone backs up the truck. but let's be real, no one's backing up the truck

My name!

3:16

Are the Mariners going to get it together? Cal's EV is way down, Luis Castillo looks about done, and the bullpen is struggling far more than anticipated. I'm worried.

Ben Clemens

3:17

I think they'll be alright. I didn't think Cal was very likely to have a 160 wRC+ again, I think he's gonna settle into being a plus hitter who plays good defense, but I think it was always a smart wager to say that 2025 would be his career year

and yeah, I mean, Castillo might be cooked. But he's been trending that way for a while, and Hancock is looking good. I think the M's are just fine, and that this is just normal contributor turnover

Appa Yip Yip

3:17

Maybe I'm weird but it feels a little insulting to the NPB to call these guys rookies. Like Mune and Okamoto are already superstars. They have billboards and endorsements and Japanese kids have been emulating their batting stances for years now

Ben Clemens

3:17

yeah

it's just the rules, you know?

3:18

and that's why I think that people implicitly lower them a bit in ROY voting

because they're not REALLY rookies

even if they fit the technical definition

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