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FanGraphs | Travis Sawchik: As teams further emphasize four-seam fastballs with higher spin rate, and off-speed pitches like the slider and splitter, the two-seam fastball is becoming a thing of the past.
Baseball Prospectus | Aaron Gleeman: Sure, the Astros rotation may be the story, but the story lurking right underneath is the defense. The team has jumped from 19th in park-adjusted defensive efficiency in 2017 to first this year, partially through the use of extreme shifts.
Bill James Online | Mark Simon: Miguel Rojas, Xander Bogaerts, and Jed Lowrie have all boosted their launch angles, and thus their power numbers with them.
FiveThirtyEight | Neil Paine: The logic goes that with the Red Sox acquiring JD Martinez, the Green Monster will be a huge boon. That hasn’t been the case thus far, as Martinez has hit only three home runs to the pull side, and only two of those were at home. This means that his opposite field power could make him largely immune to massive home/road splits, which should be a good thing for Boston.