Here's Wednesday's edition of Saber-Links:
David Golbiewski of Baseball Analytics looks at AJ Pierzynski's success on pitches on the lower half: Pierzynski Punishing Lower-Half Pitches - Baseball Analytics Blog - MLB Baseball Analytics
Pierzynski's .560 slugging percentage vs. lower-half pitches places fifth among MLB hitters, trailing just Mike Trout (.608), Adrian Beltre (.586), Edwin Encarnacion (.578) and Melky Cabrera (.567). Seventeen of his 26 bombs have come on pitches thrown to the middle or low portion of the plate, just one shy of matching his homer total in that area from 2009-11 combined. It's almost enough to make A.J. crack a smile. Almost.
Shaun Tourtellotte of The Hardball Times discusses rest and the postseason: Taking the long road--THT
2007 was baseball magic in Colorado. A tremendous late-September hot streak got the Colorado Rockies into a Wild Card tiebreaker with San Diego, which they won in dramatic extra-inning fashion. They then tore up the National League playoffs, sweeping Philadelphia and Arizona. As the Red Sox and Indians fought down to the wire in the ALCS, Colorado had the gift of an amazing eight days rest before the World Series began. With that plus a spent Boston to face, Rockies fans could taste the champagne. Instead, what they got for this early Christmas was coal in the stocking: a four-game sweep out of the Series.
Ian Miller of Baseball Prospectus dumps out a ton of fun facts about the 2012 Oakland Athletics: Baseball Prospectus | Punk Hits: What Billy Beane is Doing Again
Sell high. Buy low. Add a healthy amount of luck, and sprinkle in a pinch of Bernie. Ten years after the season chronicled in Moneyball, the A’s are doing it again, and it’s made for one hell of a story.
Bill Petti of FanGraphs looks at wOBA, per swing, for this season: Production Per Swing in 2012 | FanGraphs Baseball
Colorado Rockies rookie Josh Rutledge so far has generated the most production per swing for players with at least 100 plate appearances this season. Only 23 years-old, Rutledge has posted a .398 wOBA since being called up to fill in for the injured Troy Tulowitzki..