Matt Harvey and Doing It the Hard Way | FanGraphs Baseball

Apparently Matt Harvey has a pretty significant reverse-platoon split.

You learn something new every day. Happy Harvey Day!

Matt Harvey’s Nearly Perfect Outing | FanGraphs Baseball

The GIF images in this Fangraphs post are great, especially the ones where multiple pitches are overlaid onto the same GIF, like this one showing the difference between his fastball and slider:



I'm amazed at how his release point on both pitches is in exactly the same spot. The image gives the appearance of the ball multiplying into two baseballs on its way to the plate.

Mets’ Ynoa and Lara Add to Dominican Pitching Pipeline | FanGraphs Baseball

Fangraphs with a great review of two Mets pitching prospects further down the pipeline, Gabriel Ynoa and Rainy Lara. (Yes, his name actually is Rainy. No word yet if he has a brother named Sunny.)

Brandon Nimmo Stands Out For Savannah | FanGraphs Baseball

Great post on Fangraphs about Brandon Nimmo, the Mets 1st round draft pick (13th overall) in 2011. I've written about and posted about Nimmo in the past. The Fangraphs post has some great video, which I re-posted below. This quote pretty much sums up the post:

"Finally in full season, Nimmo has achieved a .447/.518/.574 line through twelve games and shows no signs of slowing down. Having scouted him a couple of times against the Rome Braves, the left-handed hitter deserves mention with the very best the South Atlantic League has to offer."

The Sand Gnats are actually in Lakewood, NJ this weekend playing the Phillies Low-A Affiliate, Lakewood Blue Claws. Unfortunately I can't make it this weekend to any of the games but hopefully enough local fans will make it out and post lots of video of Nimmo, Steven Matz, Gabriel Ynoa, Rainy Lara, Phillip Evans, Kevin Plawecki, and others.

How Much Time the Pitchers Took | FanGraphs Baseball

A very interesting piece on which pitchers work fast and which ones work slow. Among the quick workers include new Toronto Blue Jays Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey, including these two games that I recall vividly from last season:

"It’s worth noting that Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey went head-to-head twice last season, on April 25 and September 22. The first game lasted two hours and 29 minutes, while the second game lasted two hours and 26 minutes. Last year’s average Marlins game lasted two hours and 57 minutes, while last year’s average Mets game lasted two hours and 56 minutes. That, of course, is with Buehrle and Dickey starts included. That would’ve been some nicely-tempoed baseball, between sometimes unwatchable teams."

R.A. Dickey: The Market’s Other Ace | FanGraphs Baseball

I have to begrudgingly admit that I agree with the premise of this post on FanGraphs:

There are teams best suited to take a chance on a talented 38-year-old knuckleballer. The present New York Mets aren’t real high on that list.

As much as I enjoyed R.A. Dickey pitch and hope he does win the National League Cy Young Award this season, I'm not sure he's going to be the same pitcher he is now when the Mets are finally ready to contend. It's a shame because he's really fun to watch pitch.

Tom Seaver Has No Friends | NotGraphs Baseball

I can't believe Tom Seaver's official statement said he never met Johan Santana when Fangraphs found proof to the contrary.

So sad Tom. Perhaps you should ease up on that wine at the Seaver Vineyard.

Q&A: Matt Harvey, Mets Ace in the Making | FanGraphs

The title of the article says it all. A great read into the mindset of Matt Harvey and what a competitor and his manager have to say about him. Also, a great general post on how a pitcher pitches and thinks about his arsenal of pitches. It almost sounds like he's a craftsman talking about a tool belt.

Broadcaster Rankings (TV): #10 – #1 | Fangraphs

Fangraphs ranked the broadcasters in Major League Baseball. The New York Mets' announcers Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez ranked #2, behind the legendary Vin Scully.

For the record, the YES Network announcers came in at #22, which is remarkably high for them.