High & Inside: 5/21/11

Baseball links from around the sabersphere...

• On Pitchers Hitting, And The Value Of Practice | Baseball Nation

  Based on the data, regular practice does appear to give NL pitchers an advantage at the plate over AL pitchers when interleague play rolls around. But like so many things, that advantage is often overstated, and at the end of the day, even the talented, experienced NL pitchers still hit worse than Brandon Wood.

• 2011 Draft: Scouting Sonny Gray | Fangraphs
  A look at draft prospect Sonny Gray.
• On the Beat: Rebuilding the Astros | Baseball Prospectus

  While Crane said he would not be afraid to spend money to improve the Astros, it was not a surprise that his plan is to rebuild the franchise by adding talent to the farm system.

• Historic May bashing | The Hardball Times
  What players have had the best homer totals in May?
• Career ERA+ 100 Or Better After 7+ ER In Debut | Baseball Reference Blog
  Some pretty good names on this list.

• Overthinking It: The Over/Under-30 All-Stars | Baseball Prospectus
  A run-down of the top 10 players whose value percentage was skewed toward their earlier years, and the same for late-bloomers.
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Contracts and Financial Overview
  A run-down of the Pirates' financial situation.
• The Offensive Downturn and Our Perceptions | The Platoon Advantage
  Some secretly excellent and horrible starts you may not have noticed because of the depressed scoring environment.
• Cubs' Jeff Baker Vs. Lefties | Baseball Analytics Blog
  Baker is tearing up left-handed pitching this year.
• More Double Plays Hit Into Than Strikeouts | JunkStats
  Tony Gwynn is king.