JotCast | Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat

Ben Clemens FanGraphs Chat - 7/5/22

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UZR

2:35

How can UZR be negative but UZR 150 be positive? (Looking at Nico Hoerner's page)

Ben Clemens

2:36

Oh man, I've asked Appelman about this before and it's confusing. Basically in UZR/150, the relative contribution of each component is standardized.

2:37

As in UZR/150 uses some ratio of range runs, some ratio of arm runs, and so on. In small samples (and even medium samples sometimes) that can lead to discrepancies (like the Hoerner one)

EVs

2:37

Why were EVs for hitters removed from the player page? I loved seeing that right next to wRC+.

Ben Clemens

2:37

Dunno, but I'll ask, I like it too

2:38

Well, you know what, on looking at it, I'm still okay with how it's displayed

They're in the 'statcast' tab and if you'd like, you can create a custom dashboard of your own with whatever stuff you want appearing on the dashboard

Mine has barrel rate on it, for example

Waiting

2:38

R. Helsley has been great in the STL bullpen. Smoke and mirrors (check that babip!) or talent change (check that K-BB!)? Or something in between?

Ben Clemens

2:38

Talent change

Like, he has a 1.46 FIP

2:39

His fastball has gotten a lot better, his slider plays off of it well, I think if he continues to have playable command (definitely the worry here) he's a top 10 reliever in baseball

Scheur Stevewater

2:39

Do teams track which umps are more or less susceptible to good or bad framing? If they do, would it be worth the time to game plan around?

Ben Clemens

2:39

They do, and probably a little bit yes

Guest

2:40

Does Kelenic or Torkelson have a better career as a hitter?

Ben Clemens

2:40

Gimme Torkelson by a mile

But I mean, I would have said that before 2020 even

Sodo Mojo

2:40

What should KC fans expect as a return on Benintendi? Is a fringe top 100 and flyer reasonable or should they push for more given the limited number of sellers this year?

Ben Clemens

2:40

In my eyes, they'd be lucky to get that. Corner-only outfielders with no team control and no power are not usually hot commodities at the trade deadline

Chapultepec

2:41

How about the unsustainably decent season Keston Hiura is having? Can’t say I’ve ever seen that much production with that much swing and miss.

Ben Clemens

2:41

Best production-with-whiffs season since... Keston Hiura

It's I guess encouraging to see him hitting for power again but this isn't really sustainable in my opinion

2:42

I do think he could approach average wRC+ despite that crazy strikeout rate but I don't think it'll look like this

Dan

2:42

In no way is this meant to be a sky-is-falling type question, but looking at Wander Franco's swing decisions is interesting in that he doesn't seem to make any other than "swing." Since his hit tool has proven to be exceptional at every level (and because, to some extent, he rightly thinks he can do damage on most swings), do you think it's just going to take him a little longer than we thought to develop some selectivity in the zone?

Ben Clemens

2:42

Basically yes

2:43

His hit tool is just so good that I don't think he's ever had to make a swing-less adjustment

2:44

I don't think he'll keep swinging as much as he has this season, but it's definitely a worry, and one that makes perfect sense given his skill set and age

Coop

2:44

So, yesterday: grilled fare or something more exotic? And beverage of choice?

Ben Clemens

2:44

My wife made carnitas, I made a corn salad

Multiphasic

2:44

Willson Contreras will be a-dorable on August 3rd.

Ben Clemens

2:44

Can't argue with that

Cito's Mustache

2:44

Follow up to Oneil Cruz staying @ SS... is there anything inherently prohibitive about a 6'7" human playing the position, or just that it hasn't been done before?

Ben Clemens

2:45

Shortstops have just tended smaller b/c of the flexibility they need. Taller people are generally less flexible, and shortstops need to get pretty low to field, so you can see why it would be tough

Yordan

2:45

I continue to hurt baseballs at an alarming rate. Would you take me over Soto, Freeman, or Ohtani for best LHH over the next 5 years?

Ben Clemens

2:46

I'd take Soto, but I think you'd be wildly incorrect to take Freeman or Ohtani over Alvarez for the next five years

Matt VW

2:46

Three key players of the 2018 team (Bogaerts, Eovaldi, Martinez) are likely to leave at the end of this season. If you're the Red Sox, do you add a little around the edges at the deadline to go for it one more time with this foundation? Or do you hang on to in the pipeline assets for the next cycle?

Ben Clemens

2:47

Add a little around the edges, and extend Devers. I think losing Eovaldi is survivable, as is Martinez, and there's gonna be a lot of shortstops if the team wants to replace X in free agency

but you can't expect to always be in contention in the ALE, so being in contention means you should add a little

2:47

Jose Urquidy for Danny Jansen. Assuming Jansen returns fine from the IL, who says no? I know this kind of trade between contenders in the same league is practically unheard of, but rarely do 2 teams' weaknesses so perfectly complement each others

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