The Best of FanGraphs: September 11-15

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
How One Club Integrates Analytics into Player Development, by Michael Hattery
In the second piece of his Residency, Michael delves into how Cleveland has used data to improve things for its players.

So the Indians Might Have the Best Pitching Staff Ever, by Jeff Sullivan
They still have to finish the season to get there, but they’ve got a pretty good shot at it, as Jeff details here.

Making the Call: Keeping Score in Baseball’s Toughest Market, Part 1, by Scott Orgera
This ode to New York scorekeepers was really well done by Scott, who made his THT debut with this piece. Don’t forget to read Part 2.

TUESDAY
Charlie Blackmon Would Be a Deserving MVP, by Craig Edwards
If he does win, I hope he buys his original fan, Carson Cistulli, a new car. Or at least thanks him in his congratulatory speech/interview.

The Other Reasons Cleveland Can’t Lose, by Dave Cameron
They finally did lose Friday night, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read this article.

WEDNESDAY
How to Sign Shohei Ohtani, by Dave Cameron
This is going to be fascinating to watch unfold, and Dave is all over it. He also answered tons of Ohtani questions in his Wednesday chat.

Indians Win-Streak Facts, by Travis Sawchick
These stats weren’t final because the streak continued after Travis wrote this, but the facts within are still mind boggling.

The Pitcher Who’s Rescued the Angels, by Jeff Sullivan
You probably can’t guess who the pitcher in question is.

Here Is Your Fly-Ball Revolution, by Jeff Sullivan
I got your fly-ball revolution RIGHT HEEEERE.

Is Kris Bryant Really Sacrificing Power for Contact?, by Randy Holt
The Cubs’ third baseman was already one of the best players in the game, but he still is finding ways to improve.

THURSDAY
Are the Cubs Underachieving?, by Craig Edwards
Use this one weird trick* to find out. (* the weird trick is reading the article)

Reverse Engineering Swing Mechanics from Statcast Data by David Marshall
I don’t want to spoil this one with too much explanation. Just read it. Really thorough work here from David.

FRIDAY
Jorge Polanco’s Three-Step Process, by Eno Sarris
That’s one more step than Ciara, in case you’re scoring at home.

Every Revolution Has Casualties, by Andrew Perpetua
Make sure you read down to the bottom for the little box, it’s a really cool animation.

Fresh for the Playoffs – Pre-Playoff Fatigue Units, by Mike Sonne
Mike looks at the pitchers who have worked the most this year, through his own Fatigue Units metric.