Morning Mound Visit: sabermetrics news - 9/7/19

FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: It seemed like Kyle Seager was on a downward slide, and after the first half his career didn’t seem salvageable. Now he has 2.5 WAR and a 160 wRC+ in the second half, so one of the better players in that span. Nothing about his profile has changed, nor his underlying peripherals, meaning that he is either back, or that age will finally claim him next season.

The Ringer | Zach Kram: September call-ups are soon to become a thing of the past, so this is the final season where their impact will be felt in a way different than just adding them to the 25-man come 2020. Those players are like the future star Gavin Lux of the Dodgers, or the Athletics’ Sean Murphy, or the Astros’ Kyle Tucker, to name a few.

ESPN Insider | Buster Olney ($): Despite grumblings from Justin Verlander, there are no signs to be real, unified effort on the ball from the player’s union. The fact is that the ball is different, and the rules offer vague definitions for its construction. So if the league wants the previous ball back, who makes that decision? Players are split among hitters and pitchers and adjustments are already being made that would have to be un-made, and this comes right in the way of a 2021 CBA.