Pitcher List: Best of 2021 Part One

Read Part Two here.

Here at Pitcher List, we posted thousands of articles in 2021. From the inane to the silly, to grasping at a tenuous premise or recycling ideas that would bear the fruit of multiple posts throughout the season, there was no shortage of content. But enough about my posts.

Truly, we have some seriously talented writers that helped you win your fantasy league, offered a new insight or historical perspective, or simply celebrated the game of baseball.

As we close out 2021, our authors take a look back at their favorite pieces from 2021. In no particular order, here are those articles.

Best wishes to you all at the end of the year, and a very happy and prosperous 2022. We’ll be with you all the way with fresh and dynamic baseball content!

Searching For This Year’s Devin Williams by Eric Dadmun

This was my first time making my own GIFs for an article and I was really happy with how it turned out. I think I was also among the first to call Kendall Graveman’s breakout season and that feels pretty good, too. – Eric Dadmun

‘I’m Meant to be Alive’: The Impact of Drew Robinson’s Vulnerability by Nicole Cahill

Vulnerability is uncomfortable and terrifying, but it’s also courageous and allows for connection. This article was the most important thing I’ve ever written because it gave me the opportunity to connect with our readers and the baseball community about the value of compassion, the importance of mental health advocacy, and the impact of vulnerability. –Nicole Cahill

High Five: Glenn Burke by Mat Kovach

Baseball is filled with amazingly complex human beings. Researching this story was interesting and was about more than baseball. I found myself really wishing I had the opportunity to talk to Glenn Burke about baseball and life. I was surprised to learn how much his teammates supported him and accepted him. He has become one of my favorite baseball stories. Then, of course, the graphic team created a graphic that fit the article perfectly. – Mat Kovach

Analyzing K% and O-Swing% Leaderboards in Search of ADP Values by Anthony Tucker

This was my first fantasy-focused article for Pitcher List. It felt great to see Muncy and Canha in particular deliver this year (although I whiffed pretty badly on Clint Frazier). – Anthony Tucker

Sink or Spin: What Makes Sinkers Effective? by Natan Cristol-Deman

I spent quite a bit of time researching on this one, and have to give big thanks to Jordan White and Jeremy Siegel for editing and data help. What I REALLY want to highlight though is the amazing graphic by Doug Carlin, which incorporates spin direction graphics, a literal wake of water, and lines up the title so the first letters spell out “SSW” (seam shifted wake). It’s a masterpiece. – Natan Cristol-Deman

Steamer Projections vs NFBC ADP by Kevin Hasting

This was my first Pitcher List article! – Kevin Hasting

Is Bob Nightengale a Fortune-Telling Wizard? by Adam Sloate

This was my favorite because I gained a new insight into the fortune-telling wizardry of Bob Nightengale! Seriously, though, it was nice to get some clarity into Twitter’s favorite Bob Nightengale joke. There’s always so much talk about his jinx, and to find out that it’s not actually true was a bit of a bummer, but it was still very fun to investigate. – Adam Sloate

Goodbye, Jerry by Matt Goodwin

It was sad to lose Remy and this helped me honor him while processing my own feelings. It’s weird to feel such loss about somebody I’ve never met, but he was synonymous with the Red Sox for me. – Matt Goodwin

Could Ted Lasso Fix the Rockies? by Wynn McDonald

The question was burning in everyone’s minds, and I’m just glad I had the guts to answer it. –Wynn McDonald

Putting it all Together: Using speX as the Ultimate Pitching Estimator by Carlos Marcano

This piece helped me gain a lot of knowledge in statistics pertaining to baseball while working with Jeff Nicholas from the data team. Even more importantly, I’ve received a ton of feedback from people who are actually using the stat and it has helped them to get better with their fantasy teams. That’s priceless to me! – Carlos Marcano

The deGrom Formula: Finding Baseball’s Future Ace by Joseph Garino

We all have an idea of who the next breakout pitchers are. Everyone will create their subjective lists detailing their guys, but the deGrom formula pushes through all the weeds and gives you a look at the sweet promised land ahead. – Joseph Garino

 

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