JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 7/1/24

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Ben Clemens

2:21

oh man, now THIS take I agree with wholeheartedly

2:22

Volpe will be at his best if his offense trends in a Bregman direction

that's not a leadoff hitter

ResumeMan

2:22

Been to any Ballers games? We've been to 2 and it was good fun (though would probably be even more fun if we could hit a game that wasn't a blowout loss...)

Ben Clemens

2:22

No, but I'm planning on it later this summer

2:23

Going to a Stompers game in July too

bosoxforlife

2:23

Has Jackson Merrill moved ahead in the NL ROY? I just watched him tear the Red Sox apart and was astonished by how good he is.

Ben Clemens

2:23

So, yes, but it's going to depend heavily on Skenes

and Yamamoto, obv, but I think especially Skenes

there's also that whole you're never as good as you look at your best thing

2:24

Merrill's power has been a surprise

I'm skeptical that he's gonna keep it up, but I've been very impressed by the bat to ball

which I was supposed to be impressed by, of course

Pirates

2:24

Why did the Pirates DFA a broken, but serviceable Roansy Contreras, then replace him on the team with the absolute worst from the waiver wire? GMBC says they're betting on pitch characteristics they like. Are the characteristics how the rainbow shot looks off the other teams bat? Marvel at this stat line, Ben Heller: 2 IP, 49.50 ERA (14.16 FIP), **20 TBF**

Ben Clemens

2:24

I really don't know

I was surprised they gave up on Contreras in the rotation, let alone overall

Derek

2:25

Not to be overly pedantic (actually, precisely to be overly pedantic), this is really Vladdy Nega-Samson - his hair was holding him back, not giving him power!

Ben Clemens

2:25

Oh wow yeah, excellent point

dunno why I thought that way

bdubs

2:26

Two players who came out of nowhere this year: India and Josh Smith. Which is more likely to keep it going ROS? The Fangraph projections tilt towards Smith but love India's home park. You?

Ben Clemens

2:27

if we're talking fantasy value, I'm on India, but honestly both face some playing time crunches and I'd probably be looking to deal either if someone was interested

Matt McLain obviously deserves a spot in Cincy, and he'll get one

2:28

it's gonna result in a jam, I'm not saying India will get pinched but if he struggles time will dry up

2:29

I think it's not quite as bad on teh Rangers but the problem with Smith is that realistically, you're counting on his defense to give you a floor on his value given his slap hitting tendencies

So when Josh Jung comes back....

like, are the Rangers really gonna run out Smith in an outfield corner?

2:30

that's basically where they have availability. I think they will. But I worry that if he gets cold, he'll turn into a platoon guy fast

Oaktown Blues

2:31

Jacob Wilson has a .411 cumulative minor league BA. He batted .455 in AA, got a promotion, and is batting .447 in AAA (ISO over .200 at both levels). Scouts think he'll stay at SS. Shouldn't this guy be getting more top prospect hype?

Ben Clemens

2:32

looking through his statcast stuff now

2:33

I mean, it's a matter of degree, it seems to me

we have him as a top 100 guy, second in the system behind Miller (so #1 now)

same with mlb.com

2:34

I think the reason he's not getting like absolutely shoved is that he has really low raw power

2:35

there's just not a lot there in terms of loud contact. but he's also only 51 PA into his triple-a career

2:36