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I'm Ben Horrow, and this is the SaberSphere, the best and most important news from around the online Sabermetric community and beyond.
Previously on Beyond the Box Score
- The AL MVP Debate: Miguel Cabrera vs. Mike Trout vs. Chris Davis by Lance Rinker - Beyond the Box Score
Remember all the fun we had last season going at it about who should win the American League most valuable player award? Well, Lance has brought the discussion back with a fury, and he's added a name. It may only be June, but even now specific players begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, and currently we have three names to toss around.
- When is an error more likely to occur in a game? By James Gentile - Beyond the Box Score
We cannot predict the course of events of a baseball game other than to say that there is a beginning, middle, and eventual end. Still, we do our best, and using the leverage index, we can see when certain evens occur more often than others. James makes it his business to answer great questions, and this piece does just that.
- MLB All-Star Game 2013: The 2013 BTBS All-Stat Starters by Bryan Grosnick - Beyond the Box Score
As Bryan points out, the ASG has its issues, especially when it comes to who plays and who doesn't. Still, the game is an annual event, being named to play in it is considered an honor. We at Beyond the Box Score wanted to take a moment, remove the immeasurably subjectivity and beauty-pageantness that goes into naming the starting lineups and full rosters for the All-Star game by compiling our own list of ASG rosters, beginning with the starters.
Around the Sabersphere
- Baseball Therapy: The Zobrist Effect by Russell Carleton - Baseball Prospectus
Generally, flexibility and utility comprise two of the most important aspects of success. In baseball, most players are slotted into positions, with few moving around from one to the other. Maybe an outfielder moves from one OF spot to another, or a utility infielder goes from shortstop to second base, but rarely can players move around at will, especially the high-caliber players. Russell looks at the few that do this well, and if they provide more extra value.
- Position Players Flying Under the Radar by Jay Jaffe - Sports Illustrated
The best players are not always the most well known, just look at Alex Rodriguez's recent seasons. These situations bring about the terms overrated and underrated. In place of underrated, Jay Jaffe prefers the term "under the radar" and he'll tell you which players currently lie there unseen by normal detection technology.
- Calculated: More Component Park Factors for Kauffman Stadium by Matt Klaassen - Notgraphs
The Royals have been all over the baseball news apparatus ever since they dealt Wil Myers to the Rays for James Shields. Give Myers' recent promotion to the big leagues and the Royals continuing struggles, we should examine their situation more closely, and Matt has done just that.
Around SB Nation
- Phillies trade rumors: Cliff Lee, Jonathan Papelbon priced VERY HIGH by Justin Bopp - MLB Daily Dish
For a number of years there the Phillies were always a buyer at the trade deadline, looking to improve before heading to the playoffs. Last season Ruben Amaro became a seller, so if it comes to that again this season, who's on the block, and how much will other teams have to pay to make a deal with RAJ?
- Mark Appel could make professional debut in July by Conner Moylan - SB Nation
Top pick Mark Appel is officially an Astro, but when might we see him pitch for the club in the minors? Could he be in double-A by season's end?
Outside the Sabersphere
- Justices Send Affirmative Action Case to Lower Court by Adam Liptak - The New York Times
Big decisions in Washington mean interesting reading for the rest of us.
