What Was The Best Thing You Read Last Year?

This year, in addition to participating in some of the aspects of the SABR Analytics Conference, we’re helping our friends over at SABR recognize some of the best works in baseball from 2012. SABR is going to be giving out three awards at the conference, recognizing high quality work in three categories:

Contemporary Baseball Analysis: Honoring the best analysis focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).

Contemporary Baseball Commentary: Honoring the best commentary focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).

Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary: Honoring the best original analysis or commentary focusing on a subject related to a game(s), team(s) or player(s) throughout baseball history.

Works of “Analysis” will be judged on the following criteria: thorough examination of the subject matter; originality of research; factual accuracy; significance in advancing our understanding of baseball.

Works of “Commentary” will be judged on the following criteria: distinguished writing; profound insight; factual accuracy; significance in advancing our understanding of baseball.

A work can be in any format except books, including but not limited to articles, columns, blog posts, television, film, websites, spreadsheets or databases, but it must have been first published in the preceding calendar year. No unpublished work will be considered. No work published, in part or in whole, prior to the preceding calendar year will be considered.

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No work will be considered in more than one category.

For the next few weeks, we’ll be looking back at pieces we enjoyed last year, and then we’ll submit a list of works to be nominated for public voting, which will open up in a few weeks. That voting will take place here, on The Hardball Times, at Baseball Prospectus, and at SABR’s own site, with you guys eventually selecting the winners in each categories. Those awards will be handed out during the Analytics Conference in Phoenix between March 7th-9th.

I have a few pieces in my mind that I really enjoyed last year, but the web is so vast that there’s no way for us to be aware of everything that was published last year. So, we’re looking for your input as well. What was the best thing you read, watched, or listened to last year that fits into one of the three above categories? Whether it be something that was published on a team specific blog or here on FanGraphs, we’re interested in nominating the best works, and we want to help shine a light on things that may not have gotten as much attention as they deserved.

So, in the comments, leave your nominations, and we will make sure they are considered in the process. Let’s give recognition where its due, and reward those who worked hard to contribute to the community at large in 2012.