The Best of FanGraphs: April 20-24, 2015

Each week, we publish north of 100 posts on our various blogs. With this post, we hope to highlight 10 to 15 of them. You can read more on it here. The links below are color coded — green for FanGraphs, brown for RotoGraphs, dark red for The Hardball Times, orange for TechGraphs and blue for Community Research.

MONDAY
The First Two Weeks in Home Runs, by Owen Watson
A great recap by Owen, who also broke down the first two weeks in defensive highlights.

HBO Now Doesn’t Know What It, Or Its Customers, Want, by David Wiers
If only HBO knew what they wanted

TUESDAY
Let’s Get Paulo Orlando 21 Triples, by Jeff Sullivan
I’ll never be able to hear this dude’s name and not think of Troy McClure.

Middle Relievers As Prime Assets, by Paul Sporer
Strikeouts are king.

Rougned Odor’s Slow Start Should Not Bother You, by Ben Duronio
This could apply to most hitters who have started slowly, but it’s particularly of note given the fact that Odor’s still a greenhorn.

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The Physics of Baseball in Super Slow Motion, by David Kagan
Come for the physics, stay for the GIFs.

WEDNESDAY
A Look at Statcast’s Broadcast Debut, by Sean Dolinar
This is the tip of the iceberg, so Sean put it under the microscope.

The Fringe Five: Baseball’s Most Compelling Fringe Prospects, by Carson Cistulli
It’s baaaaaaaaaaack.

Velocity’s Relationship with Pitcher Arm Injuries, by Jeff Zimmerman
Jeff digs deep for some great insights.

Different Aging Curves For Different Strikeout Profiles, by Devin Jordan
The best part about great research is when it inspires more great research. We have Jeff and Devin to thank for that.

THURSDAY
The Historical Significance Of A Potential A-Rod Resurgence, by Tony Blengino
Whether this continues or not, Alex Rodriguez’s season is going to continue to fascinate.

A Tale of Two Dingers, by Alan Nathan
We had the privilege this week to have a piece from Alan, who used StatCast data to look at home runs by, guess who, Alex Rodriguez.

FRIDAY
Is the New Turf at the Rogers Centre Really a Problem?, by Owen Watson
I could tell you, but it’d be better for everyone if you clicked through and read the article.

Modeling Salary Arbitration: Introduction, by Alex Chamberlain and Sean Dolinar
The second part in what will be an ongoing series from Alex and Sean.

The Prospect Stock Watch: Jagielo, Medeiros, Quinn, by Marc Hulet
It’s baaaaaaaaaaack.





Paul Swydan used to be the managing editor of The Hardball Times, a writer and editor for FanGraphs and a writer for Boston.com and The Boston Globe. Now, he owns The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, an independent bookstore in Acton, Mass. Follow him on Twitter @Swydan. Follow the store @SilUnicornActon.

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