The Best of FanGraphs: May 12-16, 2014

If you missed the inaugural post of The Best Of FanGraphs, you can do so here. In case you don’t feel like clicking through though, here is how this post is structured:

We’ll pull from the whole FanGraphs family, picking 10-15 stories that we feel you really should read before the week draws to a close. The links are color coded — green for FanGraphs, burnt sienna for RotoGraphs, purple for NotGraphs, dark red for The Hardball Times and blue for Community. They are listed in this order as well in each day, just for the sake of consistency.

Monday

The Reimagining of a Game of Baseball, by Dave Cameron
Dave has an idea.

Prospect Watch: First-Rounders Who Didn’t Play in 2013, by Carson Cistulli
Even with the new signing deadline, not every prospect had the chance to play last season. Carson breaks down three such players here.

Baseball’s Most and Least Homerable Pitches, by Jeff Sullivan
A post inspired by Brandon Hicks, whodathunkit?

A Less Balanced Country Breakfast, by Chad Young
Billy Butler owners may have eaten their last meal, so to speak.

Victorino: An Emotional GIF Essay, by Bradley Woodrum
Just watch.

Marge Schott and Major League Baseball’s Quest for Peace and Quiet, by Jack Moore
Jack details baseball’s extreme reticence to deal with Schott’s racism.

Tuesday

Meet the Disciplined Yasiel Puig, by Jeff Sullivan
It’s true.

Playing Favorites: To Grow Up (and Stay Young) With a Best-Loved Player, by John Paschal
Sometimes our favorite players change, and that’s OK.

Wednesday

Drawing a Drawing of Baseball Players, by Craig Robinson
Wherein Craig drops the science of his art down to us less artistic dweebs.

MLB Wants an International Draft. Here’s Why It Shouldn’t Happen., by Alex Remington
Some new and interesting information and perspectives on a bad idea that will likely happen at some point anyway.

Thursday

New AL Rotation Faces: Pomeranz, Gausman & Tepesch, by Mike Podhorzer
With starting pitchers dropping like flies, it’s time to get acquainted with some of the new members in their ranks.

Animal GIFs as Baseball Metaphors: 2011 World Series, G6, by Dayn Perry
The term is “sheep-assed.” You will watch the accompanying GIF several times, and laugh every time.

The Dave Cameron Rules: A Manager’s Guide, by Well-Beered Englishman
This expansion on Dave’s new baseball idea was written on holiday in Sweden. On a phone. That alone earns it a spot on this week’s list. But it also has some good suggestions/observations.

Friday

San Diego’s Historically Tenuous Trio, by Blake Murphy
Here, Blake goes in on Yonder Alonso, Jedd Gyorko and Will Venable.

Select Home Run Park Factors, Visualized, by Brad Johnson
Examining why certain parks affect balls in play the way they do.