Friday Liftoff Links

While Cam Newton was getting selected number uno in the NFL draft, I was selecting these number one links for your franchise.

The Farm System

Four Top Junior College Prospects for 2011 Draft - Minor League Ball
John Sickels takes a look at the top Junior College prospects for this upcoming draft.

Astros County: The Only Astros Blog That Matters: Minor League Leaderboard
In case you missed it a few days ago Astros County took a look at minor leaguers who were appearing in the top 10 of various statistical categories for their respective leagues.

Prospect Update: NL Central | FanGraphs Baseball
A look at the prospects in the NL Central. As usual it's not pretty for the Astros farm system, but this is nothing new coming from FanGraphs.

Minor League Notes, April 26, 2011 - Minor League Ball
John Sickels with some love for my favorite Astros minor leaguer.

Statistics

How to Speak Sabermetrics to a Mainstream Audience | FanGraphs Baseball
Sabermetrics is a great tool, but can sometimes be overwhelming for those not familiar with the concepts. There are ways though to get your point across without having to overwhelm someone with numbers.

Is Jose Bautista the Best Hitter in the AL? | FanGraphs Baseball
David Cameron breaks it down and wonders if Bautista is the best hitter in the AL.

Ultimate Astros " A different way of evaluating Astros hitters
Zach Levine takes a look at how the current Astro hitters are doing from a different angle, involving BB and K rates.

Pimp my wOBA
JT Jordan at The Hardball Times blings out his own version of wOBA.

Astros History

The Non-Shutout No-Hitter | FanGraphs Baseball
Anibal Sanchez almost had another no-hitter but it would of been one in which he allowed a run. Had he of accomplished that he would of been the eighth pitcher to accomplish a no-hitter while still allowing a run. Eric Seidman takes a look at who those seven pitchers are. An Astros appears on the list.

20,000 days since baseball’s coolest home run
Jose Cruz makes an appearance, he did something significant for the Astros 9,000 days ago.