Around the SaberSphere 9/28: Miguel Cabrera, Michael Bourn, Alex Gordon, David Price

Russell A. Carlton of Baseball Prospectus does his best to make a (sabermetric) case for why Miguel Cabrera should be the AL MVP:Baseball Prospectus | Baseball Therapy: A Sabermetric Case for Miguel Cabrera's MVP Candidacy

"And that seems to be the crux of the debate. The only universe in which Miguel Cabrera wins the AL MVP is one in which baserunning and defense have no value. In order to swallow my own argument, I have to believe that Mike Trout either is a merely pedestrian center fielder, or I have to assume that there is precious little difference between outfielders in their ability to play defense. Oddly enough, this sabermetrician now encourages people to watch an Angels game or two."

Rob Neyer of Baseball Nation says that Alex Gordon is deserving of another Gold Glove Award: Alex Gordon: (Deserving) Gold Glover - Baseball Nation

"Somehow, he (Gordon) impressed the voters enough to finish atop the ballot after the season. Oh, and his numbers were outstanding; not quite as good as Brett Gardner's, maybe, but outstanding none the less. Had to be a fluke, though, right? After all, we can't trust our eyes and we can't trust defensive metrics in just one season."

Dave Cameron of FanGraphs analyzes Michael Bourn's value as a free agent: Michael Bourn’s Market Value | FanGraphs Baseball

"The fact that Figgins didn’t collapse until 32 might be seen as a positive, but the fact that he collapsed without warning should be a bigger red flag. We already know that it’s pretty rare for guys to maintain these kinds of performances into their thirties, and it’s likely that at some point in the next couple of years, Bourn’s value is going to crater.

Maybe that’s three or four years down the line, in which case the value from the first few years could make signing him to a big contract worth it. But, if that crash is coming next year, or even the year after, then he’s a free agent landmine, and the kind of guy who could tie up a large part of a team’s payroll while producing little in return."

Bill Chuck of the Baseball Analytics Blog gives us some great heat maps for AL Cy Young candidate David Price: David Price's pitch for the Cy - Baseball Analytics Blog - MLB Baseball Analytics