The Best of FanGraphs: September 15 – September 19, 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, orange for TechGraphs and blue for Community Research.

MONDAY
Announcing the FanGraphs Player of the Year Award, by Dave Cameron
There will be 10 smart people voting, and then also this guy.

Ned Yost Is The Worst Manager, Except For All The Other Managers, by Mike Petriello
He is not alone.

In Lieu of “The Sleeper and the Bust”, by Nicholas Minnix
If you ever wanted to read the breakdown of the voluminous work that goes into this podcast, read this piece, or the similar one on Friday. Technical difficulties aside, it’s a nice reminder of just how much work Nicholas and the RotoGraphs crew put into it.

Way Too Early Top 10 SP for 2015, by Brett Talley
If you’re lucky, you’re competing for a title right now. If you’re planning for next season though, this is an instructive post, even if it is a little early.

Martin Prado Makes a Brand New Start of it in Old New York, by Scott Strandberg
Prado has now been traded twice, so he hasn’t exactly got to do things his way, but he is still hitting all the high notes now that his game is being made in New York.

TUESDAY
Q&A: Buck Showalter, Baltimore Orioles Manager, by David Laurila
#slapdick

Wilmer Flores: Not a Disaster at Shortstop Yet, by Carson Cistulli
History is littered with shortstops who played the position just well enough to stay there. Perhaps Flores is the next such shortstop?

WEDNESDAY
Why Is There Even a Pitcher-for-MVP Debate?, by Jeff Sullivan
Some people don’t like voting a pitcher for MVP. Jeff is not one of those people.

Announcing the NotGraphs Player of the Year Award, by John Paschal
Eminor3rd might be on to something here.

THURSDAY
Examining the A’s Epic Collapse, by Tony Blengino
Perhaps that offense wasn’t as good as we all thought it was.

Inserting Derek Jeter into the 20 Basic Plots of All Fiction, by Carson Cistulli
I’m looking forward to that grand duel.

The Solheim Cup is Using Tech to Up Their Fan Experience, by David G. Temple
This is a nice contrast to that time the USGA tried to make me hand over my cell phone in order to attend the US Women’s Open in Cherry Hills (note: I most certainly did not hand over said phone).

FRIDAY
Justus Sheffield Finds Himself After A Tough Spring, by Eric Longenhagen
Eric focuses on the Indians’ recent draftee in his inaugural post at FanGraphs.

Any More Fantasy Baseball Games?, by Nicholas Minnix
A ton of research and interviews went into this in-depth think piece on where fantasy games have been, and where they might go next.

Javier Baez: It Won’t Mean a Thing if He Don’t Fix His Swing, by 1908
Baez has really got to learn to give his rhythm every little thing he’s got.