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Ever wonder where the pitches that ended up being home runs were located and how fast the ball came off the bat? Yes? Then, Chris has got a great visualization for you! With most of the first round draft picks being signed by now, how valuable are they? Is there room for teams to maximize their return? Quality of opposition differs throughout the MLB so how does it affect a hitter's wOBA? Max introduces a new adjusted statistic: awOBA.
Previously on Beyond the Box Score
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Visualizing Home Run Pitch Locations by Chris St. John | Beyond the Box Score
Chris has developed an interactive visualization that looks at where home runs were pitched in the strike zone by pitch type, distance, speed, and damage from 2012. This is pretty awesome. Feel free to play with the different values and comment on what you've found! -
2013 MLB Draft: How valuable are draft picks? by Andrew Ball | Beyond the Box Score
How valuable are top selections? What can teams do to maximize their return? Andrew puts together a comprehensive article looking at fWAR from the Top-100 picks and their initial signing amount while wondering if teams should be investing more money on scouts rather than their draft selections. -
Introducing awOBA -- Adjusting wOBA for Quality of Opposition by Max Weinstein | Beyond the Box Score
Max adjusts each player's 2012 season for quality of opposition and introduces awOBA with a complete 2012 leaderboard. -
BtBS Podcast #67: Imbalanced by Blake Murphy | Beyond the Box Score
The guys discuss three teenagers performing well at A-ball, the Jays' hot streak, division imbalance and more.
Around the Sabersphere
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Santana, Kipnis unsung All-Star candidates by David Schoenfield | ESPN Sweetspot
Over here at Beyond the Box Score, we're voting on the All-Star reserves. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana as backups for their positions but David Schoenfield identifies some other surprisingly All-Star caliber players such as Kyle Seager, Pedro Alvarez and Travis Wood. -
Footspeed and Forcing Errors: A Case Study by Jeff Sullivan | FanGraphs Baseball
Norichika Aoki has reached base on an error 12 times this year while no other batter has reached more than eight times. Jeff Sullivan investigates Aoki's plate appearances that ended with him reaching by a fielding mistake and wonders if there are any specific factors that can force errors.
Around SB Nation
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A brief history of Carlos Marmol and the Cubs by Grant Brisbee | Baseball Nation
The day has finally come. Carlos Marmol is not a player for the Chicago Cubs, at least not on the major league roster. Having been designated for assignment today, there have been countless rumors about Marmol being traded over the years with none coming to fruition. The erratic but sometimes untouchable reliever is actually one of the wildest pitchers in history. Grant looks at Marmol's performance over the years with the Cubs. -
MLB 2013 Trade Deadline Basics by Mike Bates | SBNation.com
As we move towards the annual July 31 deadline, here's a primer for how to get the most out of the buildup to the big day.
Outside the Sabersphere
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Let's Watch A Flyers Beat Writer Throw Ilya Bryzgalov Under The Bus by Barry Petchesky | Deadspin
The Flyers announced that they are using their second compliance buyout on Ilya Bryzgalov today. As an avid Flyers fan, there was a pretty noticeable difference in opinion about Bryz at games, in conversation and on the web. You either hated him or loved him. The Philadelphia media is known for being ridiculously tough at times, especially on the Flyers. This article showcases an absolutely embarrassing example of sports journalism at its worst. I don't understand how writers like this can continue to be employed or garner any kind of reader base. As a fan who lives in Philadelphia and attends countless Phillies and Flyers games every year, the reputation that has been painted is an extreme caricature that hangs over our heads. To writers like this, please stop and realize that the athletes that you're covering are people too. Are the Flyers going to have to overpay (even more than they usually do) just to convince players to deal with the conniving and cold-hearted media?
