I know I need a vacation when I start running out of flippant nonsense to spew. I’ve got one coming up in about a week!

AGENDA

1. A Hero for All of Los Angeles
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. Hitters to Use
5. SaberSim Says…
6. TDG Invitational Returns!

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Earlier this year, I updated my pitcher expected strikeout rate metric, or xK%, with new coefficients. The equation uses a pitcher’s overall percentage of strikes thrown, as well as the breakdown between the types of strikes he generates — swinging, looking, and foul. We could use xK% over a smaller sample given that its denominator is pitches, rather than batters faces, so it likely stabilizes much more quickly.

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I wish I could get Korean commentary on all my games.

Here is the Korean call of Jae-Gyun Hwang’s 1st MLB home run (MBC Sports+). What a moment! #MLB #Giants pic.twitter.com/huUXpjNGIB

— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) June 28, 2017

Congrats to Jae-Gyun Hwang on his 1st MLB home run!

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The Cardinals have been teetering on a the cusp of a closer change for awhile, and Mike Matheny may be finally taking the plunge with Trevor Rosenthal. It was Rosenthal, and not Seung Hwan Oh, who came in for the save at Arizona on Wednesday night, even though Oh was clearly available, having warmed up earlier in the game. Rosenthal came close to frittering away a 4-2 lead, as a wild pitch allowed Brandon Drury to score and Chris Herrmann to advance to third base with two outs. He eventually got out of the jam, getting David Peralta to ground into the final out.

Whether Rosenthal is officially the closer, sharing the job with Oh or the recipient of a one-off save chance is not yet known. If he is not the Cardinals’ full-time closer, he is certainly much closer to having that status than he was prior to Wednesday’s win. It’s time to find room to stash him.
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6/28/17

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is brought to you by Out of the Park Baseball 18, the best baseball strategy game ever made – available NOW on PC, Mac, and Linux platforms! Go to ootpdevelopments.com to order now and save 10% with the code SLEEPER18!

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Strategy Section: Discussing My SP Update (link to list)

• Must Start (3:00)
• Usually Start (1:17:00)
• Spot Start (2:07:30)

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There are a number of factors that have contributed to the surprising success of the Milwaukee Brewers thus far in 2017, with many of them found on the offensive side of things. Of those elements that have been essential to their rise in the National League Central, Travis Shaw has been a consistent source of offense, as well as quietly representing one of the more impactful offseason acquisitions of this past winter. After a season in which Shaw experienced a major regression after a hot start with the Boston Red Sox, he’s flourishing in a full-time role in Milwaukee. Does that mean it’s finally time to trust Travis Shaw?

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Monday, Tom Tango took to twitter, releasing two graphs.

Explanation here: https://t.co/fSoKBGymlH pic.twitter.com/lXpHEkTy7s

— Tangotiger (@tangotiger) June 26, 2017

This might be interesting, especially at the high-end speeds. @pobguy pic.twitter.com/LJcmO7l7RQ

— Tangotiger (@tangotiger) June 27, 2017

Like many of us who benefit greatly from Tom’s work, these got me thinking (specifically the second graph). What we have here is wOBA on each event type plotted against each event’s exit velocity. Like we would expect, the harder you hit the ball, generally, the better outcomes you have. So my thought is, how do we apply this to Ottoneu? While hardly revolutionary, the idea of converting all metrics into Fangraphs Points is an adjustment all players must make.

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In video games, “godmode” typically refers to a console command for invincibility – possibly with an ability to create items at will. In the context of The Daily Grind, it just means a certain Diamondback is making a start today.

AGENDA

1. Poll Results
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. TDG Invitational Returns!

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If you have been searching for a Tyler to add to your Tylerless fantasy roster, you’ve come to the right place! Today, I share two Tylers with you, each of whom could very well fit all your Tyler needs.

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Today’s Roto Riteup marks my 100th article at Fangraphs!

pic.twitter.com/PDLb5ho69d

— CLE4EVER (@Davidfromthe216) June 16, 2017

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