The Best of FanGraphs: May 2-6, 2016
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 and blue for Community Research.
MONDAY
Are These the Best Young Hitters in Baseball History?, by Dave Cameron
The numbers from April suggest that yes, they are.
This Represents the First Edition of the Year’s NERD Scores, by Carson Cistulli
They’re baaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Improving Projections with Exit Velocity, by William Sapolsky
This excellent research was done by someone who is still in high school, which makes me feel both old and unaccomplished. Also, this was William’s THT debut!
TUESDAY
Jose Iglesias, Defensive Metrics, and the Value of Going Right, by August Fagerstrom
August finds what seems to be a flaw in Jose Iglesias’ game.
Finding a Trade Partner for Ryan Braun, by Dave Cameron
Dave points to three teams he sees as prime targets.
Jason Heyward Has Made Some Weird Decisions, by Jeff Sullivan
At least he doesn’t think lamb and tuna fish go together…probably.
WEDNESDAY
Aaron Nola Has Baseball’s Best Curveball, by Jeff Sullivan
“What he looks like today is indeed a stable pitcher, and a low-walk pitcher, but now he’s mixing in third strikes on top of all that.” Watch out now!
Ottoneu April Power Rankings, by Justin Vibber
Did your team make the list?
Thoughts on Jeff Passan’s Book, “The Arm”, by Jeff Zimmerman
Jeff isolates some of the data that is presented in The Arm.
THURSDAY
How to Score Runs Off Noah Syndergaard, by Owen Watson
xOBA and Using Statcast Data To Measure Offense, by Andrew Perpetua
In his RotoGraphs debut, Andrew develops some new statistics that incorporate Statcast data. Very cool!
The Minor Leagues of College, by Brian Reinhart
Baseball at its purest may not have top-rated prospects, but it has an important role.
A Way-Too-Early 2016 MLB Mock Draft, by Scott Moore
I mean, it’s not that early — the draft is only a month away. Todd McShay already did a mock draft for the 2017 NFL draft. That’s too early. Very thorough work here from Scott.
FRIDAY
The Garrett Richards Injury and the Mike Trout Question, by Dave Cameron
The Angels weren’t going to be very good this year, but there was still hope until this death blow.
Let’s Watch Adam Eaton Save 12 Runs, by August Fagerstrom
Yes, let’s!
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.