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Fielding metrics have always been considered flawed but yet many still use them as primary evaluators of defense. Expanding the sample size to career numbers, it's intriguing to see the differences amongst the many metrics. This week, Michael Wacha, one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, will be making his MLB debut. Tomorrow at 8:15 PM against the Royals. Mark your calendars.
Previously on Beyond the Box Score
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Greatest Discrepancies in Career Fielding by James Gentile | Beyond the Box Score
James compares the different fielding metrics including UZR, DRS and FRAA to underline their unreliability. -
The Search for the Next MLB City, Part Two: The "Underdogs" by Ken Woolums | Beyond the Box Score
There are many metro areas competing to be the next host of a MLB franchise, but five are faced with a tall task: they are smaller than every current MLB market. This post looks at whether those cities have what it takes to overcome these odds.
Around the Sabersphere
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When Stars And Scrubs Doesn’t Work by Dave Cameron | FanGraphs Baseball
Stars and scrubs may work in fantasy baseball but it isn't working in the MLB. The Brewers have gotten 8.8 fWAR from their big five bats but -3.3 fWAR from everyone else. A few great players can't carry a team and that's evident with Milwaukee so far this year. -
The Odds of Hitting for the Cycle by Steve Saude | FanGraphs Baseball
Mike Trout is only 21 years old and recently hit for the cycle. Steve breaks down the probability of hitting a single, double, triple and a homer in a game. Unsurprisingly, Trout has the highest odds to hit for the cycle at a .0375% per game.
Around SB Nation
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Arrested Development, MLB, and huge mistakes by Mike Bates | SBNation.com
One of the best comedies in TV history came back with an excellent fourth season on Netflix this past weekend and to celebrate, Mike Bates looks at some events in Arrested Development and pairs them with stories from the 2013 MLB season. -
Cardinals pitching prospect Michael Wacha making MLB debut Thursday by Nathan Aderhold | SBNation.com
After a ton of hype and call-up rumors, the Cardinals are bringing up Michael Wacha and he's making his debut this Thursday against the Royals. He threw 11.2 scoreless innings in spring training and has a 2.05 ERA over his nine starts in Memphis. It seems like he's ready and may be another dominant pitcher in the St. Louis rotation.
Outside the Sabersphere
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Arrested Development Recap: A Slow-Binge on Season 4, Episode 1: 'Flight of the Phoenix' by Ana Marie Cox | Grantland
As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite shows, Arrested Development, returned with 15 new episodes on Sunday. Contemplating a serious binge watching, I decided to take it slower. I had a mixed opinion about the first episode but now that I'm about halfway done, all of the quick story lines and quips from 'Flight of the Phoenix' are much more enjoyable. Most of the articles I read are from Grantland so of course I had to check out their recap of the first episode.
