Links to remember

I periodically post links to items that, in my opinion, have lasting significance, or that I’d like “to remember.” I  haven’t added one of these posts since early September, so some of these links are going to be dated. Here are links from the last few months that I’d like to remember:

• Dave Cameron of Fangraphs did a really nice analysis of the Nats’ newest pitcher, Gio Gonzalez. Although I still don’t like the deal, I’m encouraged to see that several comparable young pitchers have been able to tame their wildness and transform themselves into outstanding pitchers.
• Tom Boswell of The Washington Post takes the Lerners to task for not investing in the team.
• John Sickels of Minor League Ball selects and discusses the Nats’ top 20 16 prospects.
• Although not written about the Nats per se, this research article by Matt Swartz of The Hardball Times finds that fastball velocity is an important independent factor in projecting pitcher performance, a point with obvious implications for Nats flamethrowers like Henry Rodríguez, Stephen Strasburg, and Drew Storen.
• The most memorable event this off-season, of course, was the kidnapping and dramatic rescue of Wilson Ramos. We’re all grateful that he came out of this safely.

Finally, I usually like to include links to a few video highlights. There are several memorable videos from the last few weeks of the season:

• On September 3 against the Mets, Tommy Milone crushed the first pitch he saw in the majors into the bullpen. It’s too bad that he won’t get to show off his bat in the other league.
• On September 14, again playing the Mets, Rick Ankiel‘s diving catch saved the win and ended the game.
• Here’s another nice Ankiel catch on September 24 against the Braves.
• The next day, the Nats’ home closer, featured several memorable highlights. In the top of the seventh, the Nats ahead 1–0, Henry Rodríguez struck out the side. In the bottom of the inning, Michael Morse hit his 29th home run to give the Nats a 3–0 lead. Then, in the ninth inning Ryan Zimmerman made an amazing play.