Wednesday Halolinks: PECOTA, Parking, Pujols (just because), and Pilfering

Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car Halolinks:

• Here's a subjective look at which teams are using more of the stat stuff: 2012 Sabermetric Teams: The Market for Saber Players - FanGraphs Baseball. The Angels are classified as "Old School" which might have been correct before Jerry Dipoto showed up, but from everything I've heard and read, the new Angels' GM has been using a more balanced approach.
• And in case there's any questions about player projections; Reintroducing PECOTA: Weighting is the Hardest Part - Baseball Prospectus, B-Pro has released the 2012 numbers. Here's a portion of their formula, "To predict future TAv (from here on out, TAv_OBS), we will use three years of past TAv, where TAv_1 means one season prior to TAv_OBS, TAv_2 is two seasons prior, and TAv_3 is three seasons prior. The simplest model we can come up with is: TAv_OBS = (TAv_1 * PA_1 + TAv_2 * PA_2 + TAv_3 * PA_3)/(PA_1+PA_2+PA_3)" Got that?
• Finally, if you don't have the brains to figure out the math, just raise your prices: Parking at a Yankees game could soon cost $55 - Yahoo! Sports. "Fans of the New York Yankees may soon have to pay as much as $55 to park at Yankee Stadium thanks to the poor planning by New York City, the Yankees and a private firm that is running low on cash."
• Part whatever in Mark Saxon's series: Position previews: Shortstop - ESPN Los Angeles. "Even while batting .279, Aybar finished 52nd in the AL in on-base percentage (.322) last year and was the second most-likely hitter in the league to fall behind 0-and-1 after Toronto's Colby Rasmus. Aybar is a hacker by nature. When he tried to alter his approach after getting the leadoff spot entering 2010, it sent him into an offensive tailspin he never recovered from." I'm not sure how "pressing" Aybar's contract status will be to the Angels, especially if the Angels are now focusing on OBP, "Aybar is a free agent after this season and Dipoto said it's unlikely a contract extension will be worked out before Opening Day, so his future will be among the pressing decisions as the season moves along."
• This is a cool story: Teen's research brings Negro Leagues to life - MLB.com: News. "That researcher was Cam Perron, an Internet-savvy sleuth who has tracked down dozens of Negro League players whose stories had never been told. Perron scoured newspaper archives to find proof of Jones' playing days, and that information was passed on to Major League Baseball to process the payments. Within a week of Perron's discovery, the first check arrived at Jones' home."
• Dave Cameron looks at the transactions over the last couple months: The 10 Best Transactions of the Winter - FanGraphs Baseball. "Transactions were judged on several criteria: Expected on-field performance, cost to acquire the player, and how important the transaction is in terms of affecting the team’s ability to contend either now or in the future."
• And who's letting the women outta the kitchen?? The BP Broadside: Pardon Me, Sir, But Have You Ever Even TALKED To A Female Baseball Fan? - Baseball Prospectus. This incident is what The Natural was loosely based on, "Steinhagen, 19, had been fixated on Waitkus since seeing him play for the Cubs in 1947, making a shrine of his pictures and clippings and conducting an imaginary relationship with him. She had no interest in the game, she said, until she began to focus on Waitkus. "I just became nuttier and nuttier about the guy," she later testified, "[I decided] if I can’t have him nobody can. And then I decided I would kill him."
• Mailbag: Who's got the best pitching rotations? - Baseball- NBC Sports
  Tampa Bay Rays: One through five, it's hard to beat David Price, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Wade Davis and/or Jeff Niemann. One of the latter two could be traded, as Moore has emerged as the game's top pitching prospect.
  Philadelphia Phillies: Nobody's top three is better than Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. But it's dicey after that, with Roy Oswalt gone, Joe Blanton coming off injury and Vance Worley having to prove he can do it again.
  Los Angeles Angels: C.J. Wilson was the ace on the AL pennant-winning Rangers' staff, and he slides to the No. 3 spot here — behind Jered Weaver and Dan Haren, and in front of Ervin Santana. The question is the fifth spot, with reclamation project Jerome Williams the early leader.
• Highest paid baby-sitter? Hamilton gets new accountability partner - FoxSports SW. "Hamilton said last month he wasn’t sure he needed an accountability partner but would have one if the team felt it was necessary." Uh, yeah Josh, we'll be getting you the guys now.
  
• George Brett lawsuit claims his company falsely advertises ion necklaces’ health benefits - Yahoo! Sports. "My first thought is, "You can't sue George Brett — he's awesome!" But then, being awesome doesn't give anyone the right to deceive ignorant people into handing over money. But I guess you can...Lawsuit claims Hall of Famer George Brett falsely advertised necklaces - FOX Sports. "The lawsuit says an Iowa man, Seth Thompson of Adel, bought one of the necklaces for $30 at the College World Series in Omaha last year after reading Brett's endorsement of them. He hoped the product would reduce stress and fatigue and boost his energy and concentration, but none of those benefits were realized, rendering the product ''useless to him,'' the lawsuit says. And Rob Neyer thinks, "You Mean Magnets Won't Make Me Run Faster?- Baseball Nation
  
• Elvis Andrus, Rangers reportedly agree on three year contract - Lone Star Ball. "Per a variety of folks on Twitter, Elvis Andrus and the Rangers have reportedly agreed on a three year contract that is believed to be worth between $14 and $15 million, thus avoiding an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Thursday."
• Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers avoid arbitration with two-year deal worth $19 million - HardballTalk. "Rather than letting an arbitrator choose between the reigning Cy Young winner’s $10 million request and the team’s $6.5 million counter, Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers have agreed to a two-year contract worth $19 million." That's a little more than the $6.5M the Dodgers offered...right?
  
• This is the same guy who'd pay $55 to park his car. If he had a car. Or $55. Some Dude From Brooklyn Who Thinks He's A Jedi Master Is Whining About His Light Saber Getting Stolen. 'I finally got my uber custom saber, and then some jerk walks out with it."