JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 5/5/25

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

PokeyReese

2:24

2025 Season Only: Jacob Wilson or Arraez?

Ben Clemens

2:24

Jacob Wilson

assuming I have a gap in the middle infield

2:25

I don't think that he's going to out-hit Arraez, but I think he's going to have similarly shaped production and be more valuable on defense

George

2:25

Where would you rank Mark Lerner in owners you'd want your favorite team to have? His father spent a bunch but he/the family certainly hasn't

Ben Clemens

2:25

Yeah, low but I'm willing to be convinced that he could move up

Matt

2:27

Bryce Eldridge wants a word

Ben Clemens

2:27

fine, let me rephrase.... I don't think the 2025 replacement is in the franchise

which is fine, b/c there are plenty of short-term bats

Jed Hoyer

2:27

Can you give me a Kyle Tucker market value for an extension?

Ben Clemens

2:28

I dunno, 12/550? definitely climbing as he continues to rake

Bill James Handbook

2:29

Hey Ben I saw Aaron Judge’s prospect report predicted a grade 70 for both game and raw power. Would you go out on a limb and grade his power as an 80 now?

Ben Clemens

2:29

haha yes

looking back, we're going to say that Judge changed the way we evaluate big hitters

2:31

Are you more (a) concerned about Elly's decline in power thus far or (b) encouraged by his incremental plate discipline gains?

Ben Clemens

2:31

b) because I don't really by a decrease in power

buy*

2:32

it's more that he's hitting too much on the ground than that he doesn't still have the power

his barrel rate and HR/FB aren't moving

he's still swinging hard

I feel like the stable stuff he improved is so important that it overwhelms what to me looks like mostly bad luck

Matt

2:32

Athletics are in a great spot, what do you think is the next defining move of this group? Backend of the bullpen is nasty, middle of the pen concerns me; Bleday seems to be the odd man out, and personally, I think this team is too good to have a low-tier defensive CF

Ben Clemens

2:33

we've talked at various poitns in this chat about a Jacob Young/JJ Bleday swap

I honestly think it'd make sense, with whatever value tacked on to make it line up

2:34

they specifically need a glove first CF imo

George

2:34

Given the risk of young pitching, would you give James Wood or Paul Skenes a larger extension? As a follow on to that, who's the worst (relatively speaking) position player you'd extend for more than Skenes?

Ben Clemens

2:34

Skenes, because he's better

if you could find two equivalent players I'd probably give the hitter more? but like, Skenes is so good

Max

2:34

Bregman is on pace for 7+ fWAR, almost certainly levels off at some point, but if he ends up north of 5.5, do you think he opts out?

Ben Clemens

2:34

man, probably

2:36

I think that the most likely outcome here would be that he re-ups for more with Boston

feels like a really good fit in a lot of ways

Steve O

2:36

Do you think the Yankees would let a Cody Bellinger opt in preclude them from pursuing Kyle Tucker?

Ben Clemens

2:36

2:37

$20 million extra is not going to be the difference in whether or not they offer someone half a billion dollars

2:37

How good do we expect Carson Kelly to be at the plate going forward? Obviously he won't continue to be Barry Bonds, but the improvements in swings decisions and contact are so staggering that this clearly isn't just a random hot streak.

Ben Clemens

2:38

I kinda like what ZiPS and Steamer have done with him

which is basically shade his career plate discipline up a little (makes sense to me)

2:39

and power (ditto)

without going completely crazy

Connecting…