JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 8/10/26

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 8/10/26

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Ben Clemens

2:49

maybe like, left field?

2:50

where ther's a group of players who are out there because they are specifcially put ther,e and hten a group who are out there because hey, they have to stand somewhere

but catcher seems like the most likely big-gap spot

and really, the reason I like that trade so much for the Sox isn't JUST the fact that catcher has big variance - it's the fact that they were getting nothing out of catcher, and it didn't feel like they were likely to improve their lineup in a different way this deadline

so it's kind of like a combination of things

oaktownblues

2:51

How did the A's end up this bad? The pitching has been predictably awful, but this was supposed to be a good offense

What a demoralizing trade deadline for the A's. A couple months ago they were hoping to be buyers. By the time the deadline rolled around, they couldn't even sell, because Langeliers and Leiter Jr both got hurt

Ben Clemens

2:51

yeah, it's been a rough two months for the A's

2:52

Butler turning back into a pumpkin is just a big problem

and having so little depth that Jeff McNeil is now playing first a lot of the time.... I mean, I love Jeff McNeil

2:53

one of my favorite players to root for, I loved that he put tons of cardboard cutouts of his dog up during COVID so he could always see her

but that's not a serious first baseman

cosmichero

2:53

After trading Garcia and Mead, it seems like the Nats will be leaning even harder in platoons with how they use Ortiz and House. Platooning this hard is certainly the best way to score runs right now, but is it worse for developing those young guys? Does it matter?

Ben Clemens

2:53

'teams platoon too much' is one of the themes of this chat most weeks

I completely agree with you

I think they're being too cute by half

Tigers disease, if you will. although with the Tigers maybe it's more pinch hitting too much to get platoon matchups?

2:54

but either way, I think it is worse for developing the young guys, and very out of sync with the trades they made

if you're punting on 2026, or at least not prioritizing winning that highly, prioritize development

K’d Cavalli

2:54

I was (pleasantly) surprised to see my ERA is around a 3.5. I thought your article on me was quite intriguing. Has your analysis or projections on me changed at all since then? Any new thoughts?

Ben Clemens

2:56

truthfully, no new thoughts b/c I wrote that article, then wrote like 7 trade analyses, then winners/losers, then went on vacation

I'm excited to see what he becomes. I don't have a ton of insight into whether he can keep doing it

Swings Low

2:56

Should we be worried about PCA considering cubs have put him at DH 3 times

Ben Clemens

2:57

I don't think so. My view is that it's resting him, but that he's such a good hitter (and their other DH options are not amazing) that they just want to get his bat in there

like, the Cubs are almost certainly not catching the Brewers. And they're almost certainly makign the playoffs

and PCA plays like his hair is on fire

so I like getting him off his feet slightly more

2:58

(if he's actually hurt, they're doing a good job of hiding it, at least)

sprechs

2:58

Do you have a heuristic as to what effect coaches (as opposed to managers) have on team play? The Yankees offense is atrocious and their hitters seem to always take a terrible approach at the plate. Can any outside fan assess the effect of hitting coach(es) or is it all dwarfed by other factors?

Ben Clemens

2:58

no heuristic. I've never been able to figure anything out that could even be falsified

and if something isnt' falsifiable, then as far as I'm concerned, you can't really 'measure' it

JasonT

2:59

Diamondbacks just went 4-3 against the Padres and Dodgers in a pretty important week for staying in the race. Soroka is back tonight. What do you make of their odds of making it to the postseason?

Ben Clemens

3:00

I think our odds (50%) do a pretty good job

3:01

which is to say, they're kind of poised on the knife's edge here

Pfaadt has been incredible of late, but they didn't add enough at the deadline to be able to get by without some of the guys who were performing on the mound early in the season getting back and doing well

war2d2

3:02

PCA scored from second on a short single to LF yesterday that 09% of players would

Ben Clemens

3:02

good confirmation

yeah, I mean, if he starts playing WAY less center, that's maybe worrisome

but I do not feel even close to that yet

Okra

3:03

Something tells me people aren't prepared for how much money Jake Bauers gets this off-season. Walks and barrels for days. Elite bat speed.

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