JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 9/8/25

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The M’s only win when I’m abroad

2:55

Who do you take in a Mariners/Astros wild card series (assuming we don’t blow it before then)?

Ben Clemens

2:56

I think I'll take the Mariners b/c I took them to win the division before the year, so might as well be consistent

Dirt

2:56

Do the Giants run out a Gilbert/Matos platoon in RF next year? Matos can't actually hit lefties

Ben Clemens

2:56

I think it'll be a soft platoon, with risk of Ramos getting rolled up in it too

like Matos can't hit lefties, it's true, and Ramos is so bad defensively that I'd love to get him out of the field whenever possible

Jeff Cirillo

2:56

The Brewers are about to pass the Angels for 12th in the league in attendance this year, so the strategy hasn't cost them fans. One thing Milwaukee typically finds a way to do, though, is keep one Face of the Franchise around. Braun for a while, now Yelich, Chourio will be there for 8 years, etc.

Ben Clemens

2:56

yeah, well said

2:57

not that it helped the Rays with Longoria

but really, the extremely long legacy of sports in the Wisconsin area, and the Wisconsin vs. the world mentality that I think the Packers have helped cultivate, just means the initial conditions are so different from a city of transplants in Florida that you shouldn't expect the same outcomes

Tampa has more Yankees fans than Rays fans, I'd bet

2:58

or well.... it's certainly a lot closer than you'd like

War2D2

2:58

Speaking of the Cubs and, separately, contracts, do you think Tucker gets a big deal somewhere or do you think he has to settle for a Bregman-esque short term thing? I feel like that’s the only way the Cubs resign him, but also this point…I mean, would you? He’s looked terrible and is starting to get a whiff of Kris Bryant about him.

Ben Clemens

2:58

oh no, he's gonna get a bag

like yes, he's slumping hard

slash is maybe injured, etc.

2:59

Kris Bryant had a 77 wRC+ and missed half the season in 2020, and his best year after 2017 was 4.4 WAR

(he signed his deal after the 2021 season)

Tucker's 'whiff of Bryant' downturn comes with a season that would have been one of the best of Bryant's career

Dan

2:59

Is over exposing a fringe major leaguer that much of a thing? I always that it was much more about simply playing a below average player than a player producing less because opponents can scout them more.

Ben Clemens

3:00

I would assume that it is not, and that yes, the main consideration is how good they are

i think it's very different with prospects though

or like, guys who you think might have true difference-making ability

Hundreds, perhaps thousands

3:00

Who will be the Kyle Stowers of 2026?

Ben Clemens

3:00

i mean, my best guess is Kyle Stowers

but I'm less certain than ever of what consciousness even is

maybe I'll be Kyle Stowers

Dan

3:00

Have you ever been privy to a teams Kangaroo court? Could you share and example of something someone was charged with? No names needed.

Ben Clemens

3:00

I wish

jerry

3:01

tucker also in the rendon / grisham mode of possibly not caring

Ben Clemens

3:01

eh, I just don't think this is true

about Grisham or Tucker

i mean, who's to say

but they give me different vibes. Grisham in particular is a pretty hustle-play kinda guy

i mean, my lasting memory of him is of him overrunning the ball in the 2019 wild card game b/c he was so geeked up to make a throw home

3:02

he might move languidly but I don't think those are the same

also like, he's not going around giving quotes like "I personally don't rate baseball all that highly in my priorities"

to misqoute Ant

1st Base Market

3:02

Assuming the Mets do re-sign Alonso, what's to be made of the free agent 1Bers? Coming into the year I thought this would be a sneaky deep class with Naylor, Flores, LaMonte Wade, Arraez, the seemingly ageless Carlos Santana, but outside of Naylor I think all of those names have had tremendous value crashes

Ben Clemens

3:03

yeah, it's bad!

I think that it's good for Arraez's market that it's basically Naylor or bust no

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