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Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 8/26/24

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bringbackpologrounds

1:59

The Lindor/Gimenez trade: Is it looking like a win-win trade now? I miss the JRam and Lindor duo.

Ben Clemens

1:59

yup! Both sides would make that trade again

2:00

it got the right players to the right places

Eamus Catuli

2:00

Are you buying any of the adjustments PCA / Amaya have made that's seemingly lead to better offensive performance over the last month or so? Even if this isn't their true talent level, if PCA is an average or plus bat going forward, how much does that change his / the Cubs outlook?

Ben Clemens

2:01

I mean.... PA as a plus bat is Kevin Kiermaier, great player. I don't think that's particularly likely -- like, his hot streak has him all the way up to a 78 wRC+, oof -- but I think that his bad outcomes (can't hit at all) look a lot less likely now

that's big news

Nico Nicoson

2:02

Smart Fielding: Optimizing Player Positioning -

put mookie betts anywhere

Ben Clemens

2:03

I think that one could have used a little more cooking, there were a lot of 'ways to take this in the future', but it was pretty cool - basically looking at directional differences in players, they used Castellanos as an example of someone who is at his best going in and left, and talked about how you can move him around to account for that

I thought that concept was cool

bringbackpologrounds

2:03

Chapman vs Bregman: Which one will have the better career going forward, and who will get the most cash?

Ben Clemens

2:03

I think I like Bregman by a bit, I have more confidence that his offense will continue

2:04

that said, I think Chapman is great, and the Giants should extend him 100%

like why would they not

Neward Orton, Jr.

2:04

The Effect of Lineup Protection on Pitch Location in Major League Baseball

did this analyze the hitter behind the batter as the "protection," and was there any discussion of how the hitter being on base ahead of him more often had an impact?

Ben Clemens

2:05

it looked specifically at the batter afterwards. Found a meaningful effect in terms of average pitch distance from plate center for situations where a great hitter was followed by one significantly worse

I think you could use a similar methodology, probably one that didn't even need to be so fancy, to measure the effect you're talking about, but it wasn't considered in the stuy

study*

Pokey Reese

2:05

How many of the Red Sox "Big 4, Anthony/Mayer/Teel/Campbell" in AAA right now are starting opening day 2025?

Ben Clemens

2:06

I'm gonna say two

Terry Cruz Crew

2:06

Most likely to NOT win division even though in first today: Yankees, Guardians, Astros, or none?

Ben Clemens

2:06

Guardians just b/c more teams are close

Holding off two teams is just harder than holding off one, mathematically

Thomas

2:07

It's happened. Danny Jansen is now catching during a plate appearance that began with him at bat

Ben Clemens

2:07

For the first time in history, amazing

Archer

2:07

what did the Tigers feed Parker Meadows while he was in AAA? everything has seemed to click since he got back

Ben Clemens

2:07

Yeah, he's looking like a completely real major league hitter

2:08

i'd be happy to have him on my team, etc.

which is not what I expected

Oliver North

2:08

Consistency is Key?: Examining Pitcher Arsenals Across Organizations

Is this like when the Orioles said they did not allow pitchers in their organization to throw cutters, and guys like Arrietta and Gausman and Bundy went elsewhere and had more success?

Ben Clemens

2:08

they specifically mentioned that O's regime, yes

They didn't find a ton of effect in the systematic look, but there were some interesting sections on teams who acquire pitchers and systematically change their arsenals, promising area of research

Nic

2:09

Thoughts on Aaron Judge? Like obviously this is incredible. But like, it feels like this so beyond the norm I, and everyone else, don't even have the proper words to describe it

Ben Clemens

2:09

People are just not amazed enough

He's normalized it too much, maybe

This is Barry Bonds. Maybe not for as long, but wow!

Carl

2:09

Follow up on Pokey Reese's question - generally is it foolish for the Red Sox to call one of the big 4 up knowing they only a 25% chance of making the playoffs, given how nuclear hot guys like Anthony and Campbell are?

Ben Clemens

2:09

I think I'd honestly give it a shot

even with a low likelihood of working out

what's the downside here?

Brian

2:10

Everyone agrees that it is really difficult (close to impossible) to build a winning team in Colorado because it is such an extreme hitting environment. At what point do we come to the same conclusion (in the opposite direction) for Seattle?

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