Resources
Below are the resources I use when I want to find information about the Atlanta Braves. I’ll try to keep this as current as possible, so let me know if a link is broken or has changed. Even better, let me know if there’s something you use that I can add to the list.
Baseball Reference
Baseball Reference is my favorite site for quickly answering questions about basic stats. Thanks to the Play Index tool, the number of ways you can slice up the data is pretty much limitless. I could probably link to a lot more from B-R.com than what I have below, but this should get you started if you haven’t been there before.
2008 Braves Stats:
National League: standings, team stats, league leaders
Braves Team Page: basic individual batting and pitching stats
Minor League Affiliates: basic individual minor league stats
Game Log: W/L splits, standings, box scores by day
Lineups: starting lineups by day
Batting Orders: batting orders by day
Game Previews: the most comprehensive preview I’ve seen anywhere
Historical Resources:
Braves Franchise Encyclopedia: basic team history w/links to further resources
MLB.com
Major League Baseball’s official site is not all that bad compared to those of other professional leagues, but it’s still not the best resource for most information. Here are a few of their better offerings:
Braves News: the latest from the only official source of news
Scoreboard: while the game is going on, Gameday is probably the best way to follow it online
Probable Pitchers: for the next five days
Sortable 2008 Schedule/Results: this tabular schedule can be sorted by opponent or home/away
2008 Schedule: calendar-style schedule
Minor League Affiliates: list of minor league teams and links
Braves Radio Network: if you’re on the road and can’t seem to find them on the radio
Rosters
Standings
MLB.com: lets you play around with the format and is updated live
Baseball Reference: a cleaner text-based interface, updated daily
Cool Standings: current standings with a projection system that forecasts playoff odds
Minor Leagues
First Inning – Top Prospects: includes all under-25 players with skill projections and detailed statistical profiles
First Inning – Daily Game Report: reviews the previous day’s games
John Sickels’ Top 20 List: as of November 2007
Baseball America Top 10: as of November 2007
Baseball Prospectus Top 11: as of January 2008
Minor League Affiliates: MLB.com
Minor League Affiliates: Baseball-Reference.com
News
MLB.com: news from the official site
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: most comprehensive beat coverage
AJC Braves Blogs
Fan Blogs
I don’t read every Braves blog, and I rarely comment on any of them, but these are the ones I’ll read if I get the chance. Braves Journal is my favorite stop for news and in-game discussion. Chop-N-Change seems to have the most analysis, but Sabernomics has the best analysis.
Braves Journal
Talking Chop
Chop-N-Change
Sabernomics
FanGraphs
While B-R.com is unmatched for its speed and presentation of massive amounts of data, FanGraphs has the best advanced stats, particularly for WPA.
2008 League Leaders
Live Scoreboard: including WPA and leverage data, plus an index for how close (in terms of win probability) the other ongoing games are
2008 Braves Stats: I obviously prefer my own presentation of these stats, but this is updated every day
PITCHf/x
See the Sons of Sam Horn PITCHf/x wiki before going too far in depth with these reports. PITCHf/x is a wonderful system, but you can get lost in the details if you’re not sure what to look for.
Brooks Baseball Graph Tool: to analyze a single game or appearance
Josh Kalk’s PITCHf/x Tool: more general PITCHf/x analysis by pitcher, pitch type, etc.
2008 Pitcher Cards: Josh Kalk’s pitcher profiles are a must-use resource
Braves Pitcher Cards:
Manny Acosta
Jeff Bennett
Blaine Boyer
Jorge Campillo
Buddy Carlyle
Tom Glavine
Mike Gonzalez
Tim Hudson
Chuck James
Jorge Julio
Jair Jurrjens
Charlie Morton
Peter Moylan
Will Ohman
Jo-Jo Reyes
Jeff Ridgway
Royce Ring
John Smoltz
Rafael Soriano
Phil Stockman
Other Resources
Cot’s Baseball Contracts: detailed player contract information
