The Best of FanGraphs: December 8 – December 12, 2014

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
Simple 2015 Pitcher Rankings, by Jeff Zimmerman
Simple is good.

MLB 15 The Show Is Bringing You Year-to-Year Saves, by David G. Temple
Wish they had done this five years ago when I still played video games. Still though, this is fantastic news.

TUESDAY
The White Sox Load Up, Look Interesting, Remain Nimble, by Drew Fairservice
Last year, the White Sox didn’t have too many options. This year, they do. One of them could be to gear up for a postseason run.

On Matt Kemp’s Defense, by Mike Petriello
He’ll be a designated hitter soon. Or, he would be, if he was traded to a team that could employ a DH.

Evaluating the Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies, by Kiley McDaniel
Just three 50+ FV prospects here.

The A’s Are Just Doing What the A’s Have to Do, by Jeff Sullivan
No one asked you to like it.

Jake Odorizzi: from Breakthrough to Breakout?, by Nicholas Minnix
If he gets the walks under control…

A First Look at StatCast Baserunning Data, by Daniel Brim
It’s too early to draw conclusions, but Daniel’s data set allows us to begin thinking critically about our brave new statistical world.

WEDNESDAY
Doug Fister’s Sweet 16, by David Wiers
Wins, that is.

THURSDAY
Q&A: David Forst, Assistant General Manager, Oakland Athletics, by Eno Sarris
As The Duke says in the first comment, informed questions can lead to very interesting answers.

The Matt Kemp Trade Feels Like the Vernon Wells Trade, by Dave Cameron
As he so often does, Dave makes a very convincing case.

Wade Miley, Who Is Better Than You Think, by August Fagerstrom
Did the Red Sox net a pitcher just as good as Jeff Samardzija?

FRIDAY
Twins Add Another Perfectly-Serviceable Pitcher in Santana, by David G. Temple
The Twins try to make their rotation a little less awful and depressing.

Some Words Regarding Baseball Projections, by Brad Johnson
Brad reminds us about the difference between trust and blind trust.

Progressive Pitch Projections: Four-Seam Fastballs (+ PITCHf/x Simulation), by Matthew Mata
Matthew returns with an another insanely detailed and engaging post.