JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 6/9/25

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 6/9/25

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Ben Clemens

3:00

Yeah, I tend to agree with both of these, which can seem paradoxical. I think that umpiring is unquestionably better than it was 20 years ago, and actually, you can measure it

but also, yes, because it's so much easier to do this now, it shoudl be a lot better. there were two bad line calls in the french open finals yesterday and I lost my mind

'we have the computers, why are we letting this happen?'

and that was two calls in a 5.5 hour match. What the hell is baseball doing?

A Boy Named Yu

3:01

In response to Wrigley, same. Even as a diehard Cubs fan, same.

Boston Beans

3:01

Have you been to Fenway? Whew, I know it's historic and all, but modern day humans barely fit in those tiny seats. My first game there, I felt like I had arms on both of my arms, knees in the back of my shoulders, and my knees in the shoulders of the person in front of me. Next time I spring for the Monster seats.

Ben Clemens

3:02

Yeah very similar feeling there. I went the first time the Cards played there in interleague, I was in high school and in town looking at colleges anyway so I wrapped it all up into one trip

3:03

I had so much fun and loved the good-natured ribbing I got from the fans

and yeah, look, it's just not as luxurious as modern stadiums, it can't be

Skenes

3:03

It's so sad watching this unfold. Every Skenes start looks like 7.1 2hits 1bb 9ks, L

Ben Clemens

3:03

it's so sad

so so sad

3:04

I don't know

I find all these 'trade Skenes' articles to be ghoulish, like come on, no, the Mets aren't getting Paul Skenes for three bags of used baseballs and Ronny Mauricio

3:05

but at the same time, I find the ownership situation in Pittsburgh objecitonable. Maybe if Nutting forced his front office to trade Skenes, there would be enough popular outcry to force him to sell?

Eternally Hopeful

3:05

How long before Dom Smith slumps his way out of a job? Clearly the clock is ticking with Bryce in the wings. Do you think Dom can contribute for a while?

Ben Clemens

3:05

Did you know that Dom Smith is 29?

3:06

I'm 39, and my wife and I used to go to a ton of Mets games when we lived in New York (mid-to-late-2010s). When she saw Dom in the lineup (we went to his debut game, it was $5.01 ticket day at Oracle and I'm not about to turn that deal down) she was like "oh look, a baseball player your age'

nope, decade younger! just has that always-been-in-baseball vibe

3:07

as to your actual question instead of my stories about myself, yeah, the clock is ticking

the way I see it, LaMonte was just so bad that they couldn't ride it out any longer. But their willingness to do so for as long as they did feels like they're trying to find a way to tread water until Eldridge is ready

if Dom doesn't just consistently mash, he's eventually going to find himself out of a job

3:08

but hey, he's in the bigs, getting AB's, that's about as good as you can ask for as a first baseman who hasn't been league average with teh bat since 2020

Guest

3:08

As a Yankee fan transplant in Boston I can confirm both the good-natured reception by the fans as well as the war crimes that the seating commits on my posture

Ben Clemens

3:09

I guess it's self-indulgent story day. I went to the 2018 Red Sox Yankees ALDS in the Bronx, fun game, I'm sure I've told the stories of the creative Benintendi heckler before

we're leaving, the Red Sox have won, and on our way to the subway there are a Yankees fan and Red Sox fan in a straight up shoving match, screaming, we're like oh crap, is a fight gonna break out?

My wife crossed their path, and oh my god, they BOTH calmed down so quickly. "Oh excuse me, sorry about that, didn't mean to get in your way."

3:10

so we get five feet away, and bam, right back to yelling and shoving

delightful!

Dos Muncys

3:10

What do you think the Mariners will do with Ford, since he is being blocked by Hank Aaron 28 yr old Raleigh?

trophy

1

Ben Clemens

3:11

tough one for me! I like Ford a lot and think he could be legit behind the plate. I like what they tested out last year, giving him just a few reps in left, I could see a situation where Raleigh is more like a C/DH even split, Ford is the catcher half the time and gets some reps in elsewhere as well

James wood lover

3:12

Also are there any things that the consensus really values when analyzing players that you dont. for me that would be average, OBP is just superior

Ben Clemens

3:12

well yeah but that one's kinda cheating

3:13

I think that I'm a little down on fastballs, just overall, relative to consensus

like for me, 95% of pitchers, I'm nearly ignoring the fastball when I evaluate them unless it's 'throw this less'

because I just don't think the difference between a 60th percentile fastball and a 40th percentile fastball is that important. They both suck. Don't throw that pitch so much

James wood lover

3:13

who are your top 5 favorite players personality wise in baseball and why?

Ben Clemens

3:13

oh, fun one

3:14

Mookie is up there for me, I love how he manages to clearly love baseball and yet be very cool and collected even in big moments

3:15

Masyn Winn, potentially a residual from this tweet:

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