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Morning Mound Visit: sabermetrics news - 7/21/18

Kole Calhoun’s slump is over; the decline of OBP>SLG; a Pitching Ninja profile; Rafael Palmiero hitting Indy League dingers

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69th MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby

FanGraphs | Rahul Setty: Kole Calhoun may have a .556 OPS, but he is already much better than he was earlier in the season. His massive, massive slump is probably over, which we can credit to a simple change in his swing mechanics.

Baseball Prospectus | Patrick Dubuque: A lot of things are changing about baseball, and one of them in particular is: players who have an OBP higher than SLG are disappearing. Right now Delino Deshields holds that honor, and it’s possible he might be one of the last to have such a line.

The Athletic | Lindsey Adler ($): Everyone on Twitter knows about Pitching Ninja, the pitching GIF-maker showcasing nasty pitches and pitch tunnels. This is a fascinating profile on his work, on how MLB tried to shut him down, and how players actively seek his advice.

The Ringer | Rodger Sherman: Rafael Palmiero is 53 years-old, and he’s playing baseball again. He’s hitting .291/.419/.523 with six home runs in 27 games in the American Association. Players who were in baseball just a couple of years ago are playing worse, and it’s just a testament to how good he was (PEDs notwithstanding).