The Best of FanGraphs: January 12 – January 16, 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.
ALL WEEK
10 Wishes for Baseball’s 10th Commissioner Series
Rob Manfred takes office next Sunday as baseball’s 10th commissioner. To commemorate the occasion, we at The Hardball Times spent the week doling out advice to him (and we will next week as well). Alex Remington, Shane Tourtellotte, Nathaniel Grow, Dustin Parkes and Jeff Zimmerman all checked in with thought-provoking pieces.
Analyzing the FanGraphs’ Mock Draft from an Outsider’s Point of View — 1B, by Bobby Mueller
Bobby put together a quintet of pieces on the recent RotoGraphs mock draft, and had keen insights in each. The linked post above is to first base, and then he also analyzed second base, third base, shortstop and catcher.
MONDAY
On Generational Fandom, by Dave Cameron
A fantastic story from Dave, and even better comments from our readers.
Examining the Most Underwhelming Hall of Fame Selections, by August Fagerstrom
Quibble with the names on the list if you must, but still an excellent job here by August.
A Quick Attempted Measure of Team Depth, by Jeff Sullivan
Note: By this measure, the Rockies have more depth than the Cardinals, if just slightly.
TUESDAY
How Did Pedro Martinez Get Bombed?, by Jeff Sullivan
In 1999, Pedro Martinez was 17 percent better than any pitcher ever, but even Pedro in 1999 was human once in awhile.
Researchers Create Computer Program You’ll Never Beat At Poker, by Michael Tunney
Well, not with that attitude!
WEDNESDAY
New Allegations of MLB Bias in MASN Dispute, by Nathaniel Grow
This breakdown from Nathaniel shows just how deep MLBs tentacles extend.
Sleeper Candidates According to Steamer, by Brett Talley
Fun fact about Wilson Ramos — he’s never amassed more than 435 plate appearances in a season. Will this be the year he stays healthy? If he does, he’ll make Brett — and Steamer — look pretty smart.
Top 107 Redraft Prospects, by Brad Johnson
It’s a list for redraft leagues, but it’s one that can be useful in non-dynasty keeper leagues as well, as it can often be folly to buy in too soon on prospects.
THURSDAY
2014 xBABIP Values, by Jeff Zimmerman
Jeff finally gets around to blessing with the updated values for his new xBABIP values. I like looking at the few guys who had no difference whatsoever. In 2014, two of those six guys were Brandon Belt and Nelson Cruz.
The 2015 Michael Brantley: A.J. Pollock, by Daniel Schwartz
I’m not sure we can trust the Diamondbacks to play A.J. Pollock every day, but whether they do or not, this was an interesting read from Daniel.
Top 5 Prospects for 2015: Colorado Rockies, by Marc Hulet
As he has done with almost every team in this series, Marc pulls out some players who were not on your fantasy radar.
FRIDAY
2015 ZiPS Projections – Minnesota Twins, by Carson Cistulli
We crossed the halfway mark with ZiPS Projections posts this week, and in Carson’s final post of the week, we have a candidate for worst. outfield. ever.
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.