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The first week of the season is in the books and there's plenty of baseball to be written about. Jered Weaver broke his left elbow and may be out for four to six weeks, putting even more pressure on the Angels' offense. Did you know Stephen Strasburg has yet to pitch in the eighth inning yet? Take a look at some of these noteworthy articles from around the SaberSphere.
Previously on Beyond the Box Score
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When Will Stephen Strasburg Throw a Complete Game Shutout? by Dan Rozenson | Beyond the Box Score
Stephen Strasburg is a dominant pitcher. Throughout his first 47 starts, he hasn't pitched in the eighth inning! Washington has developed a reputation for being super conservative with their young ace but what does Strasburg need to do to complete a game? Dan explains that although he has a dominant repertoire, Strasburg actually has to work pretty hard to get outs. -
Measuring Offense with Process, not Outcome by Spencer Schneier | Beyond the Box Score
Spencer believes that offensive statistics have some holes. It'll be hard to really develop these new kinds of metrics that he suggests such as velocity with which the ball is struck by the bat, the angle at which the ball is hit upon contact, timing and ability to keep the ball fair and the discipline of the hitter without HITf/x but there may be some incredibly useful data on the way. -
A Quick Look at Hyun-Jin Ryu by Lee Trocinski | Beyond the Box Score
Lee takes an in-depth look into Hyun-Jin Ryu's pitching repertoire and believes that he should be just fine sticking in the starting rotation for the Dodgers. -
Yu Need to Swing at Darvish's First Pitch by Mike Mulvenna | Beyond the Box Score
I broke down Yu Darvish's splits by count and concluded that hitters have their best chance at beating him on his first pitch, which, more often than not, will be a fastball. If Darvish is ahead in the count, all bets are off.
Around the Sabersphere
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Just How Broken is John Axford, Really? by Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
Jeff Sullivan wonders if John Axford is really as screwed up as his peripherals suggest. Last night, he took the loss after giving up three more earned runs. In this article, much of his disastrous opening week to the season can be attributed to bad luck. -
For Halladay, The Problem Is Everything by Ryan Sommers | Crashburn Alley
Something is definitely wrong with Roy Halladay. Either he's hurt, physically or mentally, or this is one of the most drastic declines of a pitching great I've ever seen. Ryan Sommers over at Crashburn Alley examines Doc's drastically lower release point and his poor location on his sinker and cutter. Will there be a learning curve for Halladay to transform himself into a finesse pitcher or is he going to be a back end starter for the rest of his career? -
Anatomy of a Really Bad Call by Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
Jeff Sullivan analyzes Marty Foster's awful call at the end of the Rays and Rangers game on Monday night. The pitch really wasn't as horrible as it looks due to AJ Pierzynski's poor glovework but this truly changed the outcome of a meaningful game. -
Roberto Hernandez: New Name, New Team, New Pitcher? by Michael Barr | FanGraphs Baseball
Roberto Hernandez, or Fausto Carmona, whichever you prefer, was signed by the Rays this offseason. In 2007, he was a great, extreme groundball pitcher but battled injuries and regressed through the following seasons. The Rays are known for their ability of recreating pitchers so will Hernandez be another Tampa success story?
Around SB Nation
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Baseball Academies in the Dominican Republic: From Sweatshops To Big Business by Charlie Drysdale | Minor League Ball
The Cubs, Rockies and Mariners are investing in upgrading their Dominican baseball academies. Charlie writes that the DR is basically an Ellis Island for all Latin American players, putting them into one program. With international spending being restricted in the latest CBA, teams need to be as efficient as possible with their investments on young, promising foreign players. This is a must read over at Minor League Ball. -
Weaver Injury Highlights Angels' Bet on Hitting by Steven Goldman | SBNation.com
There were a ton of red flags around Jered Weaver and Los Angeles' rotation going into this season. The Angels seemed to ignore them and focused on putting all their chips on the offense by spending $125 million on Josh Hamilton. The offense hasn't been clicking on all cylinders yet but can it compensate for what could be an average rotation?
Outside the Sabersphere
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Previewing Coachella by Steven Hyden | Grantland
This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year, Coachella. Last year was an incredible experience but I'm extremely excited about this upcoming lineup. I never thought Blur would be getting back together to play a show here in the US. Steven Hyden actually believes the lineups for these music festivals are becoming more and more interchangeable. The only difference between Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella anymore seems to be their setting.
