Morning Mound Visit: sabermetrics news - 8/30/18

FanGraphs | Jeff Sullivan: Everyone is talking about Ronald Acuna or Juan Soto for NL Rookie of the Year, but what about Harrison Bader? He may not have the same skillset or offensive numbers, but his defensive metrics make a decent case that he has been more valuable.

Banished to the Pen | Darius Austin: Does Lou Trivino have the best cutter in baseball? Maybe not considering hitters’ recent s success, but his raw numbers on the pitch, combined with movement and batted ball data, show that it is definitely one of the most formidable pitches in the league.

Baseball Prospectus | Matthew Trueblood: Javier Baez adds value in so many ways: baserunning (even if he’s in a slump right now), being able to field on either side of the middle infield, and offensively, where his increased aggressiveness and bat control has spawned his best offensive year thus far.