New York Times | Benjamin Hoffman: We kick off with a couple stories about the baseball itself. MLB has been plagued with issues about consistency over the past five seasons, with “juiced” balls, “dead” balls, and sometimes both in the same game. Players have begun to voice their disapproval with the ever-changing ball, and it’s becoming a significant stain on MLB’s credibility.
FanGraphs | Jim Albert & Alan Nathan: So we know that the ball is inconsistent, and that players are complaining about it, but what is the effect on the game itself? FG goes deep on how the ball is actually performing in the air this season, and if it feels like more fly balls are dying than usual, that feeling certainly seems borne out in the data.