Sabersphere 2/18: Whiffs, Adam Eaton, Power Bunting, Dodgers Pitching

It is officially the last week before actual real-life baseball games start. As you eagerly await the beginning of spring training games and prepare for your fantasy baseball draft, take a look at some of the best saber-minded links from the weekend.

Previously on Beyond the Box Score

Glenn DuPaul continues his research on the factors that cause swing-and-misses, again examining the high fastball: The Anatomy of a Whiff: Four-Seam Fastballs | Beyond the Box Score

If we assume, based on the original study, that a higher than usual fastball results in more whiffs then my hypothesis is that if the previous pitch was lower and slower in the zone then the high fastball will become more effective.

Have you ever wondered why batting average uses at-bats in the demoninator instead of plate appearances? Have you wished that there was a better, more accurate and more useful version of the triple-slash line? Well Spencer Schneier has you covered with this bomb-diggity piece: Reforming the triple-slash line (Part 1) | Beyond the Box Score

Since I first started watching baseball and looking at baseball statistics, I have always wondered why we have two separate stats for "at-bats" and "plate appearances."

Adam Eaton, the Arizona outfielder, not the former pitcher, has a very interesting plate discipline profile in his short time in the majors. Lee Trocinski investigates: Is Adam Eaton's Plate Discipline Really This Good? | Beyond the Box Score

James Gentile responds to Jeff Sullivan's interesting look at the bunt double: History of The Bunt Double | Beyond the Box Score

Around the Sabersphere

At FanGraphs, Jeff Sullivan does what Jeff Sullivan does best: takes a weird, rare, analytically useless baseballing occurance and makes it fun and interesting, with lots of gifs. 2012 and Bunting for Power | FanGraphs Baseball

Mark Smith writes a very interesting piece on the changing nature of corner outfielders, as well as the surprising difference between right and left field: Is the Corner Outfield Profile Changing? | FanGraphs Baseball

I’ve always been told that a corner outfielder is a guy who can hit and hit for a lot of power, indicating that it’s an offense-first position.

Grant Brisbee analyzes the Dodgers' starting pitching situation: Dodgers spring training 2013: Extra starting pitchers making for difficult decisions | Baseball Nation

But their rotation is something close to the Winchester Mystery House. It's impressive, expensive, functional, and outstanding in places, but there are staircases in the bathtub, so to speak.

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