The Best of FanGraphs: July 28 – August 1, 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, purple for NotGraphs, dark red for The Hardball Times and blue for Community.

MONDAY
What Happened To Brian Dozier?, by Scott Strandberg
An excellent breakdown of exactly what has changed for Dozier in the past month.

The Change: Is Matt Shoemaker a Mixed Leaguer?, by Eno Sarris
You don’t always need a great fastball to be relevant.

Trading Scherzer (aka, the Difficulties of Valuing an Ace), by Chad Young
It’s always good to have examples of prospective trades when considering your own wheelings and dealings, and Chad is here to help.

Hopeless Joe Reacts to the End of NotGraphs, by Jeremy Blachman
It’s all Hopeless Joe’s fault.

TUESDAY
Introducing InstaGraphs, by Dave Cameron
So far, no GIFs of mediocre curveballs from the Cal League!

The Effects, Or Lack Thereof, Of The New HOF Voting Rules, by Tony Blengino
In a word, the Hall of Fame is having problems.

WEDNESDAY
Why I’m a Bit of an Oscar Taveras Skeptic, by Dave Cameron
With Allen Craig getting traded, Taveras is going to get his shot, at least.

Lost in the Sun: The Physics of Ballpark Orientation, by David Kagan
One of the most-ignored rules in baseball (and there are plenty of them) gets put into context.

THURSDAY
2014 Trade Reaction Roundup, by Dave Cameron
Thursday was a pretty big day in the baseball world. Rather than hit you like a ton of bricks with every single post, just go here to catch up.

Obsessing Over Perfection, by Neil Weinberg
There are very few walks of life in which there is an explicit definition of perfection.

FRIDAY
The Dark Side Of Booming Local TV Deals, by Wendy Thurm
The cable companies are having problems, problems, problems.

Where Chris Davis is Really Struggling, by Jeff Sullivan
Even Chris Davis is having problems. And to top it off, Starks got ejected.

Rays Fan Still Awaiting Trade Results, by Bradley Woodrum
Surely, the Rays got some more prospects in this deal?

John Smiley Is Not, by Patrick Dubuque
Some flagrant false advertising here.

Sonny Gray, Perfecting What Works, by Owen Watson
Hint: It’s his curveball.