Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat — 4/26/21

April 26, 2021

2:01	Ben Clemens: Hey everyone, and welcome to the chat. I filed an article literally five minutes ago, so my brain is full of random details about pitchers losing or gaining velocity… I might be a little flighty at the start of the chat. You’ve been warned, as it were.

2:01	JJ: So. How about Padres-Dodgers? Seems like everything about these matchups so far is great for the game. Intensity, stars, memes! How can MLB market this more?

2:02	Ben Clemens: I’m not sure how they can market it more than they have, aside from using the Statcast broadcasters more often. I missed most of Sunday’s game due to weekend plans, and when I turned it on and heard A Rod talking, I got very annoyed IMMEDIATELY

2:02	Ben Clemens: Then Meg told me there was a Statcast broadcast and things got great

2:02	Ben Clemens: So I’d say mainly less A Rod ruining the game’s premier matchup

2:02	Matt Damon: MATT. DAMON.

2:02	Ben Clemens: Hello there Matthew

2:02	Mike Tyson: designated hitter: Kimbrel is back? Top 7 closer?

2:03	Ben Clemens: Kind of seems that way. Jay Jaffe wrote about him two weeks ago and most of it still holds:

2:03	Ben Clemens: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/craig-kimbrel-is-dominant-once-again/

2:03	brad penny for your thoughts: Mo had some pretty frank comments re: carpenter recently. how close do you think carp really is to be moved off team (in whatever capacity)?

2:04	Ben Clemens: Oh I think it’s getting close

2:04	Ben Clemens: Er, off the team is maybe a stretch, because he backs up three infield positions

2:04	Ben Clemens: It’s not hard to imagine 8 starters, then a bench of a backup catcher, a 4th outfielder, a middle infield backup, and Carpenter

2:05	Ben Clemens: I think continuing to use him as a starter is sketchy at this point, though. There’s a good deal of evidence that his bat, right now, is just not gonna get it done

2:05	Roy Hobbs: Do you see Josh Rojas becoming viable with his recent improvement? In a 14 team league with 5 player benches. I like his versatility and love his minor league stats.

2:05	Ben Clemens: Yes

2:05	Ben Clemens: I’m not good at fantasy baseball, so take this with a grain of salt

2:06	Ben Clemens: but lots of good fantasy people love Rojas

2:06	Ben Clemens: And I don’t see why he wouldn’t

2:06	Lawrence: When looking at EV for hitters, whats the general breakdown of the tiers? For example, what number/range is considered excellent, very good, good, average, poor, terrible, etc.

2:06	Ben Clemens: First rule of thumb: don’t look at average EV

2:06	Ben Clemens: I know it’s annoying, but basically, average is the wrong way to think about it

2:06	Ben Clemens: Look at percentage of balls hit over 100mph, maybe?

2:06	Ben Clemens: Or average EV of the top 50%?

2:06	Ben Clemens: It’s frustrating that average EV has very little correlation to production on contact, but those are the facts

2:07	Ben Clemens: It’s a misleading stat

2:07

Bubba: I asked this to Kevin too, but here goes. On a practical level is it better to get 10 WAR out of a Pitcher (deGrom) or 10 WAR out of a position player (Trout). My thought is that there must be diminishing returns on squeezing excellence into one game (you can’t make your chances of a win = 100%), and so the position player is probably better. Thoughts?

2:07	Ben Clemens: Posting this not to answer it (I’d have to take too long thinkingn about it), but to flag it as something I’m going to investigate and see if it merits an article

2:07	Ben Clemens: What a cool idea

2:08	brad penny for your thoughts: Rockies GM Jeff Bridich has resigned.

2:08	Ben Clemens: We now go live to Dan Szymborski, trying and failing to suppress a giggling fit

2:09	Ben Clemens: I mean, it’s about time!

2:10	Ben Clemens: Bridich has been doing bizarre stuff for quite some time now

2:10	Ben Clemens: How many hundreds of millions have they spent on middle relievers?

2:10	Derek: What in the world would compel Bridich and the Rockies to part ways now, less than a month into the season, that wouldn’t have been reason enough before??

2:10	Ben Clemens: I truly have no idea

2:10	Ben Clemens: But I’m very excited to hear more

2:10	Roberto Beers: How late is too late to drink coffee?

2:10	Ben Clemens: Bobby Beers (can I call you Bobby Beers?), let me tell you, this problem vexes me to no end

2:11	Ben Clemens: I’m a huge lover of both caffeine and hot beverages

2:11	Ben Clemens: I’ve had coffees at extremely inappropriate times in my life

2:11	Ben Clemens: I would say that it truly depends on how caffeine affects you

2:11	Ben Clemens: I can drink a coffee in the late afternoon and go to sleep at a normal hour with normal sleep cycles

2:12	Ben Clemens: If my wife has a coffee after 3, she doesn’t sleep well

2:12	Jeff: Carson Kelly or James McCann over the next 4-5 yurrs?

2:12	Ben Clemens: Oh, give me Kelly by a HUGE margin

2:13	Ben Clemens: If you want to see me get too excited about him:

2:13	Ben Clemens: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/carson-kelly-is-raking/

2:13	Jacques Pederson: would you rather have Tommy Edman or Nick Madrigal?

2:13	Ben Clemens: Ooh, fun one

2:14	Ben Clemens: I think I’ll take Madrigal, but it’s kinda close

2:16	Ben Clemens: My thinking is that Madrigal’s contact is much more of a plus tool than anything Edman has

2:17	Morbo: “What in the world would compel Bridich and the Rockies to part ways now, less than a month into the season, that wouldn’t have been reason enough before??” It’s the Rockies and Birdich what has compelled them to do any of the myriad of inexplicable things they have done in the past 7 years?

2:17	Ben Clemens: What a solid counterpoint, Morbo

2:17	Ben Clemens: My puny human brain failed to realize that

2:17	Charley: Someone dropped Dominic smith in my dynasty.. spent $9 faab to claim him… Thoughts on him going forward? Is the offensive progression from him last yr for real?

2:17	Ben Clemens: Yes, I totally buy the Dom Smith career arc

2:18	Ben Clemens: I’d take him over Alonso right now

2:18	Ben Clemens: Good pickup in my eyes

2:18	BringBackDeSpanielHair: Ben! Lou Bob is going to start popping homers soon right? And everything else is gonna be sexy time along with it? Dude looks so good at the plate right now.

2:19	Ben Clemens: I’ll be honest with you: I don’t buy it

2:19	Ben Clemens: It’s SO hard to keep up his level of production with plate discipline as poor as his

2:19	Ben Clemens: He swings at 47.4% of pitches out of the strike zone!

2:19	Ben Clemens: He’s swinging and missing at 20% of the pitches he sees

2:20	Ben Clemens: Not 20% of the pitches he swings at

2:20	Ben Clemens: 20% of the pitches he sees

2:20	Ben Clemens: He’s a really fun player, but until he manages to rein that in a little, I’ll be a seller of a true breakout

2:20	Appa Yip Yip: What happens with Trevor Story now? Midseason trade with an interim GM? Can’t imagine he signs an extension with so much uncertainty.

2:20	Ben Clemens: He wasn’t signing an extension either way

2:21	Ben Clemens: “Hey, Trevor, remember your friends Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado? How’d you like to follow in their footsteps?”

2:21	Ben Clemens: “Wait, no, not in the getting traded from the franchise after we didn’t build around them way.”

2:21	Ben Clemens: “No, not in the us trashing our personal relationship with them on the way out the door either.”

2:21	Ben Clemens: “Definitely not in the number of non-competitive teams they played on, you jerk.”

2:22	Ben Clemens: “Okay, this isn’t going well.”

2:22	Charley: Hot take or realistic: John means and Trevor Rogers can get to ace level as pitchers/be legit ace(s)

2:22	Ben Clemens: Really depends what “can” means here

2:22	Ben Clemens: I’m very in on Means

2:23	Ben Clemens: I think that people who are underrating him are doing a normal thing, which is letting how John Means looked when he came up influence their thinking now

2:23	Ben Clemens: He throws a lot harder now

2:23	Ben Clemens: He’s not a soft tosser, but he has soft tosser skills

2:24	Ben Clemens: Rogers is more of a traditional stuff-first guy

2:24	Ben Clemens: I think he’s got a shot at it, but he’ll need to improve his command

2:25	Ben Clemens: I like the fastball, and I love the changeup — lefties with plus changeups are one of my favorite archetypes

2:25	Guest: is there any value in “punting” games (using all your worst relievers when you’re already down 3+). My hunch this is one of the reasons why the Brewers always seem to outperform their Pythag: their better relievers always seem available in close games.

2:25	Ben Clemens: I definitely think that there is

2:25	Ben Clemens: It’s a tough thing to quantify, though worth trying to do

2:25	Ben Clemens: But teams don’t usually win when they’re down 3

2:26	Gregg: Interesting point on average EV; are there any other stats where the average is the wrong number to use?

2:26	Ben Clemens: Launch angle

2:26	Ben Clemens: That’s the one that most springs to mind

2:26	Ben Clemens: Anything where production isn’t linear and monotonic

2:26	Ben Clemens: I’m actually not sure whether the word there is monotonous, but I mean the mathematical definition of monotone

2:26	Ben Clemens: Always either increasing or decreasing

2:27

LFC Mike: Hi Ben. Is Blake Snell who he really is going to be? 5 IP maybe 6 occasionally if he doesn’t nibble too much and elevate his pitch count? 5 starts and 5.1 is his longest outing and he had the debacle against Pittsburgh. He was 5 IP guy at Tampa last year… granted they do things their way plus the late start for Covid….maybe pass on last year. Weren’t the Padres expecting a little more?

2:27	Ben Clemens: Mike, let me tell you about something that will go up on FG soon

2:27	Ben Clemens: I looked into which pitchers do best at holding their velocity late into games

2:27	Ben Clemens: 17 pitchers this year have thrown harder late than early

2:27	Ben Clemens: Blake Snell….. is not one of those

2:28	Ben Clemens: Blake Snell is among the league leaders in LOSING fastball velocity as the game goes on

2:28	Ben Clemens: I think that it is reasonable to short-leash him given that

2:28	Aaron: Padres-Dodgers really delivered the goods. Both teams reasonable could have won every game. What was your favorite part of the series?

2:28	MM: LAD and SD play 19 games this season. If our hearts can survive through these games so we live to see the end of the season, how many wins will each team get in the season series?

2:29	James: Padres fans call it a rivalry. Dodgers fans insist that it isn’t. Whatever you label it, if you’re a baseball fan LA-SD games are 100% must watch television holy hell. They have delivered 7 out of 7 times so far.

2:29	Ben Clemens: It’s been a minute since we talked about this series, so I just want to bring it up again

2:29	Ben Clemens: It was absolutely amazing!

2:29	Ben Clemens: I’ve watched five of the seven games so far, and they’re riveting

2:29	Ben Clemens: Both teams are so dense with fun players, too

2:30	Ben Clemens: My wife is a big baseball fan but more of a team fan than league fan, so she knows, eh, 50% of the players on each team

2:30	Ben Clemens: And she keeps asking me when they’ll play agian so we can watch more

2:30	Ben Clemens: That’s a good sign

2:31	Ben Clemens: It’s just been a blast

2:31	Appa Yip Yip: Like they valued Bridich over Arenado, then just … Gave them BOTH away???

2:31	Ben Clemens: To be fair they didn’t give Bridich away

2:31	Ben Clemens: In that no one would take him

2:32	Kevin Cash: SEE GUYS I WAS RIGHT

2:32	Connor: There’s no way Steve Cohen and friends spent 341 million bucks on a guy who can’t hit breaking balls, right…?

2:32	Ben Clemens: That’s correct, ther’es no way

2:32	Ben Clemens: 75 plate appearances, people

2:33	Ben Clemens: Lindor has had worse stretches than this in, let’s see

2:33	Ben Clemens: Every year of his career other than 2016

2:34	Ben Clemens: If you’re looking at 15-game stretches

2:34	Ben Clemens: Let’s make it 18-game stretches; that changes it to, nope, the same

2:34	Ben Clemens: Also I goofed up, and he had a swoon to end 2016, so it’s every season of his career

2:35	Morbo: I guess the Pirates have now inherited the crown for worst front office? Unless Monfort appoints himself their new gm

2:35	Ben Clemens: Nah, the Pirates have turned their front office over and I think that Cherington is well-regarded still

2:35	Ben Clemens: I’m actually not sure who holds the title now

2:35	Guest: Hi Ben,Casey Mize or Nate Pearson longterm? Do you feel both, one, or neither will ever reach elite status?

2:36	Ben Clemens: I’m on Mize, mostly because I’m more worried about Pearson’s health

2:36	Ben Clemens: I thinkt he smart bet is neither b/c pitchers are always tricky

2:36

Lee Bum-Ho: Cherington has tried (and failed) to pull off a few post-hype-prospect revivals so far (Alford, Fowler, Carson Fulmer, and one could argue the homegrown Keller). Love the idea, but some combo of the execution and luck haven’t been there. What makes teams like the current reds or the giants so successful at this?

2:36	Ben Clemens: Excellent question that I don’t know the answer to

2:36	Ben Clemens: I think that some of it is a volume thing

2:37	Ben Clemens: I really like the thought process, you can’t win them all, and I don’t think we have enough data points to say which teams are best and worse at it but it does seem very player dev related

2:37	Cashman: Who are you most excited to see when MiLB starts

2:37	Ben Clemens: You know…. I’m going to go off the board and say Nick Allen

2:38	Ben Clemens: I love good defensive shortstops, and I’m also bought in on him because he was one of my under the radar minor league picks

2:38	Ben Clemens: Not only that, but he has a cool future legend card in OOTP Perfect Team, and I traded for him in our crowdsourced Brewers sim, so I’m just max long Allen

2:38	Ben Clemens: I’d like to see him… you know… play

2:39	Appa Yip Yip: Way too early trade deadline question, what uniform is Story in by the end of July?

2:39	Ben Clemens: I think Yankees at this point

2:39	Ben Clemens: It’s getting easier to justify moving Gleyber off short and finding a way to make it work

2:39	Ben Clemens: I dunno what’s going on with him, but the lack of power is really concerning

2:40	Ben Clemens: It’s two years in a row at this point

2:40	BringBackDeSpanielHair: TLR sends Kopech back to the bullpen after a 10k outing, and we’re supposed to believe he’s the man to take them to the world series?

2:40	Ben Clemens: I would argue that he’s not, but also that sending Kopech to the bullpen isn’t why he’s not

2:41	Jeff: I could have told yous guys that Torres wasn’t that good

2:41	Ben Clemens: Dan is the resident FG Gleyber hype man

2:41	Ben Clemens: I never really got why he’d play shortstop

2:41	Will.Hunting.: Hey Ben! Dem sawks have had a wicked pissah of a yeah so far…am I right? Gotta luv dem apples. Will. Hunting.

2:42	Ben Clemens: As the only (I think?) person out of everyone on staff to pick them to make the playoffs, I have to root for it, right?

2:42	Ben Clemens: Honestly, I’m generally into what Boston is doing this year, I think they’re just better than everyone thought

2:42	Ben Clemens: And they still hopefully have Sale coming back at some point

2:42	Guest: Are you more excited to watch a Corbin Burnes start or a Jacob deGrom start at this point?

2:43	Ben Clemens: Ooooooof

2:43	Ben Clemens: This is a tough one

2:43	Ben Clemens: It’s deGrom by a hair for me, because I get such joy from listening to the Mets broadcast

2:43	Ben Clemens: I don’t know who I’d pick if it weren’t for that

2:43	Ben Clemens: It’s just so enjoyable

2:44	Ben Clemens: Burnes is a more fun story b/c he’s doing it now and wasn’t before, but deGrom is a phenom

2:44	Ben Clemens: A meteor we’ll never see again

2:44	Ben Clemens: I think I’d pick him even without the broadcast

2:44

SlightlyOff: Speaking of the Giants, did any of their pitchers pop- in a good or bad way- on that SP velocity chart you were consulting? Gausman’s rate stats are a little down from last year, so I’m wondering if it’s just my hometown bias that has me convinced he’s still firmly turning the corner into legit #2 SP land?

2:45	Ben Clemens: Cueto is the fourth-best!

2:45	Ben Clemens: I’m surprised by that, but Cueto is such a blast to watch that I’m happy about it

2:45	Ben Clemens: I haven’t watched much of Gausman this year, so I’ll stick with my prior that he’s good now

2:46	Brew Crew: how worried are you with yelich?

2:46	Ben Clemens: Extremely

2:46	Ben Clemens: Like, extremely extremely

2:46	Ben Clemens: Back injuries are realllllly bad

2:47	Ben Clemens: I’ll be less worried when he’s playing and feeling no side effects, but yeah, super scary

2:47	Fernando Tatis-Buck Jr.: suarez better days ahead? Montas too?

2:47	Ben Clemens: presumably Suarez has at least somewhat better days ahead

2:48	Ben Clemens: I don’t think he’s gonna finish the year with a .253 OBP

2:48	Ben Clemens: Same with Montas — I don’t think he’s ending the year with a 6.75 ERA

2:49

Greg: Interesting tactical decision when the Padres walked two guys (Muncy and Taylor) to load the bases and face Kershaw with one out in a tie game in the 10th.

Wouldn’t it be better to just walk Muncy there and face Taylor with runners on 1st and 3rd? As long as Kershaw doesn’t GIDP, you have to face one real hitter. I think the tradeoff of facing Taylor over Peters is worth the margin of error you sacrifice by loading the bases when a walk ends the game

2:49	Ben Clemens: I thought about writing about this todya, and I might for tomorrow

2:49	Ben Clemens: It’s a really interesting spot

2:49	Ben Clemens: It’s not JUST Taylor vs. Peters, b/c you get the benefit of sequencing

2:49	Ben Clemens: Chris Taylor could do lots of things that are outs but end the game

2:49	Ben Clemens: But if you figure Kershaw is extremely likely to strike out, you’re getting edge there

2:50	Ben Clemens: So you’re trading sequencing for risking a walk

2:50	Ben Clemens: I’m generally not a fan of walking the bases loaded… if you’re curious, the Cardinals have already done it 4 times this year and I have half an article written about it that I couldn’t find a good hook for

2:51	Ben Clemens: I think I would have done what they did but I want to run the numbers on it

2:52	45 blows billygoats: Are there any Triple-A teams that could compete against the Pirates and give them a series?

2:52	Ben Clemens: No

2:52	Ben Clemens: Or, well, yes

2:52	Ben Clemens: Because the Pirates can beat the Dodgers in a series

2:52	Ben Clemens: But if they played 162? No

2:52	Rich: Any player in particular who has surprised so far that you feel will continue?

2:52	Ben Clemens: If this counts, Carson Kelly!

2:53	Ben Clemens: But eh, I don’t think he’ll continue like this

2:53	Ben Clemens: I think Burnes is one of the best 5 pitchers in baseball, so I’ll sya him

2:54	Ben Clemens: I definitely don’t think that he was a consensus top 5 pitcher coming into the year

2:54	Guest: Clayton Kershaw career %K as a batter: 27.5; Chris Taylor career K% as a batter: 27.1

2:54	Ben Clemens: Haha okay sure, but in a left/left matchup, when the pitcher needs the strikeout, you’re telling me you think they’re equally likely to strike out?

2:54	Ben Clemens: I disagree

2:54	Ben Clemens: Kershaw is also less likely to make loud contact, etc

2:54	Ben Clemens: Did you see the shift they played against him? It was hilarious

2:55	Ben Clemens: Hilarious!

2:55	Ben Clemens: They had 3 infielders between second and third, two between first and second, and only two outfielders

2:56	Ben Clemens: So they played him to hit the ball the other way on the ground

2:56	Ben Clemens: Oh, and there was legitimately no one in right field

2:56	Ben Clemens: Both outfielders were in shallow left

2:56	devil rays: maybe brandon lowe was meant to be a part time player……… like everyone else on the team… but HEY.. at least they’re competitive

2:56	Ben Clemens: I think that Lowe is an everyday player, but yeah, the Rays are really good at finding good part-time players and getting the most out of them

2:57	Ben Clemens: Neat little trick

2:57	Jeff: Any thoughts on Eduardo Rodriguez? He’s got to be one of the most interesting FAs this offseason, only 2 BBs so far this year too

2:57	Ben Clemens: I thikn people will be surprised by how much money he gets

2:58	Ben Clemens: He doesn’t FEEL like he’s this good, but I thikn some of that is me being anchored by seeing him pitch live and getting a bad game

2:58	Ben Clemens: he’s just very consistent

2:58	Coors: so which player (if any) benefits most/least from Bridich’s departure?

2:58	Ben Clemens: Nolan Arenado, in sheer self-satisfaction

2:59	Ben Clemens: Other than that, I don’t think that’s obvious. It’s not like he’s setting playing time

2:59	Greg: Richard Rodriguez could be the best reliever in baseball. The Pirates have to deal him this year right? His value can’t posibbly get any higher

2:59	Ben Clemens: Yeah, they should

2:59	Ben Clemens: I don’t think he’s the best reliever in baseball, but he’s on right now, and he won’t be part of the next good Pirates team

2:59	Tim: “Guest” was wrong. Kershaw’s k percent as a batter is 24.8. He should be teaching Taylor about plate discipline!

2:59	Cool Papa Bell: So many slow starts. Do you think 2020 has adversely affected many hitters and that it may take a month or two before overall stars play like their normal selves?

2:59	Ben Clemens: I mean…. no idea?

3:00	Ben Clemens: There are slow starts and hot starts every year

3:00	Ben Clemens: Offense is down a bit this year, but I really have no idea how to disambiguate it between better pitching, worse hitting, weather, etc

3:00	Ben Clemens: New ball

3:00	Ben Clemens: The list goes on

3:00	Brad Pitt: just wanted to throw my hat in for Colorado’s job opening.

3:01	Ben Clemens: How hard can it be? Tell him, Wash

3:01	Guest: Pirates are 11-11. Can’t we pick on Detroit or Baltimore already?

3:01	Ben Clemens: Who’s picking on the Pirates? I don’t think they’re particularly trying to win the Central this year, just find some new fun players and accumulate some value in trade

3:01	Ben Clemens: I think they’re doing well at that

3:01	James: eugenio suarez…. talk to me about him cause im hitting the panic button

3:02	Ben Clemens: I would say, make sure you mash that button frequently

3:02	Ben Clemens: Things look really bad

3:03	Ben Clemens: I am very worried

3:03	Ben Clemens: He’s makin SO little contact, it’s quite scary

3:03	Ben Clemens: Get him off of shortstop asap, imo

3:03	Ty France: How good can I be?

3:03	Ben Clemens: Very good

3:03	Ben Clemens: middle of the order bat on a good team level good

3:05	Lawrence: Are the Cubs only making deals if and when they fall a certain number of games under .500, or is it a foregone conclusion? Selling high on Bryant has to be on the table right now.

3:05	Ben Clemens: I’m honestly not sure how to think about this

3:05	Ben Clemens: If I were the Cubs, I think I’d just go for it

3:05	Ben Clemens: If they fall way out, of course, then fine

3:06	Bell: If Suarez gets moved off shortstop, who plays SS instead? Asking for a . . . friend.

3:06	Ben Clemens: Perhaps your friend!

3:06	Ben Clemens: I’ve heard they can really pick it

3:06	Ben Clemens: And it’s not like there’s much else going on

3:06	but but but: if the Cubs wait until they are way out of it, it’s prolly b/c the players suck, hence losing trade value

3:06	Ben Clemens: Eh….. that’s not totally true

3:06	Ben Clemens: Sometimes, good players play on bad teams

3:07	Ben Clemens: And trust me, the Cubs have enough bad players that they could have some good ones and still not be in the hunt

3:07	Guest: Technical question about the site. I am looking at Degroms War and he is at 1.8 on the leaderboard, but if I click on his player page and go to batting it has .4 listed as his hitting war. Does this mean his total war is 2.2 or is the leaderboard including hitting and fielding?

3:07	Ben Clemens: 2.2 total

3:08	Guest: Tatis and Acuna are getting the headlines, but Bryce Harper leads the NL (and MLB in fact) with a .555 xwOBA; is he a dark horse MVP candidate? Does he need to add Jr. to his name to get attention like Tatis and Acuna?

3:08	Ben Clemens: I think dark horse sells him short

3:08	Ben Clemens: He’s an MVP cnadidate

3:09	but: xwOBA isn’t a thing

3:09	Ben Clemens: Sure, but how about this?

3:09	Ben Clemens: Bryce Harper is hitting .338/.471/.662

3:09	Ben Clemens: How does that grab you?

3:10	Appa Yip Yip: Bryce Harper routinely puts up 4.5 to 5 WAR seasons but because Mike Trout exists people think he’s bad the Trout singularity has completely warped our understanding of how good some players really are

3:10	Doug: With Fernando’s error filled start, chances the Padres move him to the OF rather than Abrams?

3:10	Ben Clemens: I dunno, zero?

3:10	Ben Clemens: negative 3.3%?

3:11	Ben Clemens: Is this a serious question?

3:11	Save Me Jeebus: Think Hicks takes the STL closer role in May or drop for Staumont?

3:11	Ben Clemens: I’m down on Hicks, tbh

3:12	Ben Clemens: He just doesn’t look right post TJ

3:12	Ben Clemens: I’m not saying he won’t get back

3:12	Ben Clemens: But he’s not there yet

3:12	5 Run Homer: I had an OOTP 21 sim where Tatis ended up a one-dimensional RF slugger. Sometimes that game makes me sad

3:13	Ben Clemens: Many worlds theory is wild

3:13	Doug: Yes? Just thought with a top 10 prospect at SS that it might be considered if the errors continued. What an odd response.

3:13	Ben Clemens: It’s just not even close to being close to being close to being a question

3:13	Ben Clemens: He just signed a 330 million deal

3:13	Ben Clemens: He’s played like 15 games this year

3:14	Ben Clemens: Abrams isn’t even a plus defender at short, he was looking at moving to second regardless of Tatis

3:14	Jeff: The Royals have a ton of young pitching btw the MLs and MiLs. Do they move one of the SP prospects? Bubic? Singer even?

3:14	Ben Clemens: I’m gonna say no, b/c I don’t understand what they’d be hoping to get for it

3:14	Ben Clemens: Like, a good pitching prospect?

3:15	Ben Clemens: They have done well developing pitching, and I think they’ll just roll with it

3:15	Nationals not Gnats: No update on Soto since he was placed on the IL on 4/20. Due back this weekend. Is the silence since then concerning?

3:15	Ben Clemens: Yeah I’m marginally concerned

3:16	Ben Clemens: Don’t think I’m ready to say concerned yet…. I’d rather have Soto’s news flow than Yelich’s

3:16	Ben Clemens: But I’d like to see him return and look normal

3:16	DanQuaalude: Soto is hitting off a tee as of Saturday

3:16	Guest: Are Brantley and Yuli Gurriel as undervalued as they appear to me, the person rostering them?

3:16	Ben Clemens: Yuli, I’m just consistently off on my evaluations of him

3:16	Ben Clemens: Brantley is absolutely undervalued

3:16	Ben Clemens: He’s just so boring

3:16	Ben Clemens: (unfair to him)

3:17	Ben Clemens: His production isn’t loud, let’s say

3:17	Ron Washington D.C: What argument is there that the Giants’ hot start won’t deflate when facing above .500 teams?

3:17	Ben Clemens: Um…. their hitting can improve

3:18	Ben Clemens: But yeah, the NL West is gonna be tough this year

3:18	Ben Clemens: I absolutely think that

3:18	Ben Clemens: Alright guys, sorry for my general grumpiness and a short chat today, but I need to cut out early. Hope everyone has a great day, and welcome back to baseball

3:18	Ben Clemens: Or rather, welcome back to short-season takes

3:19	Ben Clemens: Have a great week

BAL	CHW	LAA
BOS	CLE	OAK
NYY	DET	SEA
TBR	KCR	TEX
TOR	MIN	HOU

ATL	CHC*	ARI
MIA	CIN	COL
WSN	MIL	LAD
NYM*	PIT	SDP*
PHI	STL	SFG