JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 8/22/22

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Ben Clemens

2:57

He doesn't look it to me

He looks very good, don't get me wrong

And maybe the crop is just weak enough this year at NL SS to steal one

2:58

But I have Lindor, Edman, Hoerner all comfortably ahead of him this year

He's a great defender. Just, for me not a GG shortstop

Benjamin

2:58

If the division series started tomorrow, how would you expect the Yankees to line up their starting rotation (assuming Severino is healthy and pitching like he did earlier this season)?

Ben Clemens

2:59

Cole, Nestor, Sevy, Montas/Taillon, I think

I'm pretty worried Montas is hurt

Guest

2:59

This may be an odd question to ask given the sabermetric nature of this website, but who do you see as having the most hits by the end of the regular season? Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner have been 1-2 in that aspect for a while now, but Goldschmidt is also getting up there. Who do you think finishes with the most hits? And will anyone top 200 hits?

Ben Clemens

2:59

I'll take Trea, and no one over 200

Ryan

2:59

A few months later, what are your thoughts of the playoffs being expanded? Would our playoff race be more interesting if the Rays and Phillies were on the outside looking in, or do you find it more fun as it is?

Ben Clemens

3:00

It's interesting. I think the race would be more exciting with one fewer spot. But I still like the new format quite a bit, because punishing the central division winners for their records seems like a good move to me

3:01

I wish there were a way to both have great races and a playoff structure that encourages regular season excellence, but I like this way more than the 10-team way. Also, I'm pretty excited about the ALC race still, and the NLC/Phillies race where three teams get two spots

It'd be better with a bit more chaos, but it's not like there's NO uncertainty

Dalton Wilcox

3:01

Is Dansby Swanson an underrated FA to be? I notice he is best at hitting flyballs and playing defense among the SS group

Ben Clemens

3:02

Yeah, I think so. I assume teams will regress his 2022 a bit in their evaluation of him, and he suffers a bit because the shortstop class this year is deep, but that just means there are more teams losing good shortstops

Farhandrew Zaidman

3:02

Joey Gallo - unironically comeback player of the (second half of the) year?

Ben Clemens

3:03

oh yeah let's go, all aboard the Joey Gallo bandwagon

I'm soooooo in on it

It was just so obvious that this would happen. Not to the extent that it has, he's not gonna keep babiping this much or even slugging this much, but it was just so predictable

Dodgers Fan

3:03

Same as Benjamin's NYY question, but for LAD?

Ben Clemens

3:04

I'd go Urias/Kershaw/Gonsolin/May, but not really care too much about the ordering. I thikn it's a BIT too soon to say May is unhittable now but his first start was certainly very encouraging

Guest

3:04

How far down the trade value list does the PED suspension knock Tatis for you?

Ben Clemens

3:05

The best thing about the trade value list is that I don't have to do it again until next year

Guest

3:05

3/90 for deGrom seems a little light, considering Scherzer got 3/130 and Bauer got 3/102. deGrom has obviously had more injury issues, but then, he's also considerably younger than Scherzer and considerably better than Bauer.

Ben Clemens

3:05

Yeah... the injuries are definitely worrisome, though. Like, he's been a LOT less healthy than Scherzer

3:05

Is Goldy the MVP? I think it's not a lock yet, but he's getting close unless someone goes '08 Manny Ramirez

Ben Clemens

3:05

I think his closest competition is Arenado

3:06

Arenado is just playing out of his MIND defensively at the moment, and it's so fun to watch. He's also produced a ton of signature moments offensively, not that Goldschmidt hasn't. There's still more than a month to play, so plenty can happen, but for me, oneo f those two is extremely likely to win

Ryan

3:07

I still can't get over Tatis actually using steroids in the year 2022 when the steroid era is over and a few players still get busted every year. I don't get how you take that risk. This isn't a question--really just an astonished statement

Ben Clemens

3:07

Yeah, truly shocking to me

I don't know what to believe about it, and I don't even know if it affected his talent level when he was in the majors. Heck, he may not have taken anything until he was rehabbing. But just, what the heck, man

Florida Doctor

3:08

What would a healthy Franco do for the Rays chances in the playoffs?

Ben Clemens

3:08

It would increase them

I'm sure you're looking for more than that, but I don't really know how likely he is to come back 100% healthy. It's like adding an All Star if he's a full go, which is obviously great.... but well, still fractional improvements. The plyaoffs are just inherently a crap shoot

jas

3:08

What do you see with Tyler O'Neill? It seems like his swing decisions and BB%/K% are similar if not better than last year, but his BABIP has cratered and his hard hit rate is down quite a bit. Is he just a victim of bad luck?

Ben Clemens

3:09

I'll have to dig in more to have a real opinion on this, because in my head he's just getting unlucky, but it's been a LONG time of being unlucky

James

3:09

There's a lot of talk about how the extra inning ghost runner favors the visiting team, but does it also favor a team that has a left handed hitter lead off? They are more likely to get the runner over with a grounder, and the defense can't fully shift with a man on 2nd. Perhaps not something that can be fully exploited, but something to think about?

Ben Clemens

3:09

Definitely worth thinking about!

Added to the articles to think about writing queue

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