This Week in SABR: November 10, 2017

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Welcome to “This Week in SABR!” Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web. Here’s what we’ve been up to as of November 10, 2017:

2017 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners announced

For the fifth consecutive season, the SABR Defensive Index™ was used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR. The SABR Defensive Index accounts for approximately 25 percent of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award selection process that was added to the votes from the managers and coaches.

The 2017 Gold Glove winners were announced on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” on Tuesday, November 7. Click here to view the winners.

The final SABR Defensive Index rankings for the 2017 season were also released this week. Click here to view the full positional rankings.

Voting for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, presented by SABR, was conducted online at Rawlings.com this week and the winner will be announced tonight at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony in New York.

To learn more about the SABR Defensive Index, visit SABR.org/SDI.

SABR members, cast your vote in the 2017 Esurance MLB Awards

Once again, SABR members have the opportunity to play a key role in selecting the winners of the 2017 Esurance MLB Awards. The votes from SABR members will be equal to each of the other four categories.

  • SABR members (20%)
  • MLB.com fans (20%)
  • Front office personnel (20%)
  • Retired players (20%)
  • Media (20%)

To cast your SABR vote in the 2017 Esurance MLB Awards, click here. Voting will remain open through 2:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 17, 2017.

This year’s Esurance MLB Awards will feature nominees in 20 key categories. Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer, Best Hitter, Best Pitcher, Best Rookie, Best Manager, Best Executive, Best Postseason Major Leaguer, Best Postseason Moment, Personality of the Year, Best Defensive Player, Best Play-Offensive, Best Play-Defense, Best Performance, Best Fan Catch, Best Call-TV/Radio, Best Player-Fan Interaction, and more.

Visit mlb.com/awards to learn more. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 8:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 17.

Fall 2017 Baseball Research Journal is on its way

Good news! The Fall 2017 edition of the Baseball Research Journal has been mailed out to all SABR members.

Those of you who receive the print edition should find your BRJ arriving in the next two to four weeks, although we’ve heard reports that some have already arrived. For digital subscribers, the e-book edition was delivered to your inboxes earlier today.

To learn more about contributing to a future SABR publication, click here.

Having trouble downloading our e-books? To view PDF files on your computer, click here to download the free Adobe Reader software. Having trouble downloading e-books to your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or iPad? Click here for additional help.

We hope you enjoy reading the Fall 2017 Baseball Research Journal!

Help us reach our donation-drive goal this year

This has been a banner year for SABR, and your year-end charitable gift can help us bring 2017 to an even more successful close.

SABR continues to offer unparalleled opportunities for involvement and benefits for members around the world. We depend upon the volunteer work of members to mount our exciting events like the SABR Convention (in Pittsburgh next summer), the SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, and the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference; to produce groundbreaking research through the SABR Digital Library e-book program (with 8-10 free e-books provided to members each year), the Baseball Research Journal, and The National Pastime; and to expand the online resources of the research committees, regional chapters, the BioProject, the Games Project, and much more. SABR continues to offer unparalleled opportunities for involvement and benefits for members around the world.

As a 501(c)3 organization, tax-deductible donations allow SABR to expand member opportunities and to become an even larger voice in the baseball community. Many members have already become donors, and you can join them right now by making your gift online at SABR.org/donate. Please help us reach our donation drive goal!

You can also send your donation by check to: SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

All of us at SABR appreciate your support of our great organization and the game we love.

To learn more, visit SABR.org/donate.

It’s time to renew your membership for 2018

For those of you whose SABR memberships expire by December 31 — you can check your current membership status here — it’s time for you to renew!

From the Baseball Research Journal and the SABR Digital Library to “This Week in SABR” and our extensive list of research resources — and, of course, all the memorable conferences, chapter meetings, and events — we hope you enjoyed the many benefits of SABR membership this past year.

We hope you please continue your support by renewing your SABR membership today.

  • Pay online: Click here to renew your SABR membership for 2018!
  • Renew by mail: To pay by check or money order, mail this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the office at SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.
  • Pay by phone: To process your credit-card payment over the phone, please call the SABR office at (602) 496-1463 during regular business hours. (We accept Visa, Mastercard, or Discover Card.)

Dues are the same as they have been in recent years: $65 for one year or $175 for three years, with discounts available to anyone under 30 or over the age of 65.

Please note: If you have had trouble logging in to the SABR website, please try resetting your password using this reset link. Then try logging in to renew at the link above.

Thank you for your support of SABR as we continue to strive to make SABR membership a great experience and a great value!

Photos and highlights from the 2017 SABR Arizona Fall League Experience

The ninth annual SABR Arizona Fall League Experience was heldlast week  in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event featured three AFL games at three different ballparks, including the Fall Stars Game showcasing baseball’s top prospects.

On Thursday, November 2, attendees were treated to a ballpark dinner at Scottsdale Stadium before the Scottsdale Scorpions’ game against the Peoria Javelinas. AFL president Steve Cobb spoke about the evolution of the fall league and Max Scherzer’s induction into the AFL Hall of Fame. Del Unser, a 15-year major-league veteran who helped the Philadelphia Phillies win the 1980 World Series and has spent more than three decades in the organization, spoke about his long career as a hitting coach, farm director, and scout. Former Toronto Blue Jays scout Ed Lynch talked about his own career as a pitcher and front-office executive, including his stint as the Chicago Cubs general manager.

On Friday, November 3, attendees enjoyed a game at Scottsdale Stadium between the Mesa Solar Sox and the Scorpions before meeting for dinner at Don and Charlie’s, home to one of the greatest baseball memorabilia collections you’ll ever see. We were joined by longtime SABR member Roland Hemond, the founder of the AFL, and our guest speaker was John D’Acquisto, former major-league pitcher and author of a new autobiography, Fastball John.

On Saturday, November 4, about 45 attendees and members of SABR’s Hemond-Delhi Arizona Chapter gathered for the chapter’s regional fall meeting at the Embassy Suites in Scottsdale. Our guest speakers included Terry Kennedy, former major-league catcher and Chicago Cubs scout; and a panel discussion on baseball today with Jeff Borris, MLB player agent and attorney; Tony Siegle, Senior Advisor, Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants; Charlie Vascellaro, baseball historian and author; and moderator Barry Bloom, MLB.com national columnist and Hemond-Delhi Chapter president. After lunch, the conference concluded with the Fall Stars Game on Saturday evening at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Learn more at SABR.org/AFL.

In Memoriam: Roy Halladay

“Having displayed a work ethic second to none, a compassion for teammates and community that was the envy of his peers, and a pitching style and achievement reminiscent of a bygone era, Roy Halladay left the sport, and the sport was much the better having had him for 16 seasons.”

Alan Cohen wrote this tribute for the SABR BioProject about Halladay’s retirement as a pitcher in 2013. No one could have imagined that four years later, the former All-Star pitcher would be dead at the age of 40. Halladay died tragically on Tuesday, November 7 in a plane crash off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Halladay’s on-field accomplishments were legion. The Colorado native was a throwback star in a decade of dominance in the early 21st century, winning 203 games for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies and leading the league in complete games seven times. In 2010, he threw baseball’s 20th perfect game against the Florida Marlins and followed that up with a no-hitter in the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds — the second no-hitter in postseason history after Don Larsen.

As SABR member and Spink Award winner Bob Elliott wrote this week, Halladay endeared himself to baseball fans by his uncompromising commitment to excellence, from spring training into the postseason, and his generosity on and off the field. After his perfect game, he gave a gift to 60 members of the Phillies team and staff: a luxury watch with the line score engraved on the base and an inscription that read, “We did this together.”

Halladay’s SABR biography includes a quote from Cole Hamels that, as Alan Cohen writes, brings Roy Halladay into focus: “That’s how we labeled him: This guy is the Immortal, we’re all just humans, and we’re lucky enough to play baseball with him.”

Related links:

Early registration now open for 2018 SABR Analytics Conference

We hope you’ll join us for the seventh annual SABR Analytics Conference on Friday, March 9 to Sunday, March 11, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix, where we’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Early registration is now open at SABR.org/analytics. Sign up today to join us!

This year’s conference will feature the high-quality content you’ve always enjoyed at the SABR Analytics Conference and the same number of featured panels and research presentations, but there will be a few changes to the usual schedule: We will begin programming early Friday afternoon on March 9 and will run through Sunday afternoon on March 11. The change in schedule is due to the availability at our host hotel this year. However, we have a large block of rooms for SABR Analytics Conference attendees on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

In addition, the Diamond Dollars Case Competition will start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening and the networking reception will be held on Saturday evening, March 10 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix. Lunch, which is included in your conference registration, will be served at noon on Friday — before the regular programming begins — and also on Saturday between the morning and afternoon sessions.

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more.

2018 Diamond Dollars Case Competition applications now open

The SABR Analytics Conference is pleased to host the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition on Friday evening, March 9, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix in Arizona.

In the Diamond Dollars Case Competition, undergraduate, graduate and professional school students from colleges and universities across the country compete against each other by preparing an analysis and presentation of a baseball operations decision — the type of decision a team’s GM and his staff is faced with over the course of a season. The cases are developed by SABR President Vince Gennaro, author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball, and consultant to MLB teams. The Diamond Dollars Case Competition is the first national competition to be based solely on baseball operations issues.

Four- to five-person student teams are asked to evaluate a baseball operations case problem. The student team presents their analysis and recommendations to a panel of judges that includes MLB front office executives.

More than 40 alumni from the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 Diamond Dollars Case Competitions have secured internships or permanent positions within Major League Baseball.

For more information on entering the 2018 Diamond Dollars Case Competition, please contact SABR President Vince Gennaro or click here for rules and entry requirements.

Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2018 SABR Analytics Conference

With generous funding from The Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the 2018 SABR Analytics Conference. This scholarship will pay for registration, air transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250. All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Jeff Schatzki at jschatzki@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2017.

The Yoseloff scholarship is to assist young researchers who want to attend SABR’s Analytics Conference and to introduce them to fellow SABR members and professionals within the baseball community. Through this fund, SABR hopes to inspire future baseball research, expose students to high-quality research and build the research capability of interested students.

Click here to learn more or to download the 2018 Yoseloff Scholarship application.

Seeking nominations for 2018 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

What are the best baseball analytics articles you’ve read in 2017?

We’re seeking nominations for the 2018 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, which recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year in the following categories:

  • Contemporary Baseball Analysis: Honoring the best analysis focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s).
  • Contemporary Baseball Commentary: Honoring the best commentary focusing on a subject related to the modern game(s), team(s) or player(s). 
  • Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary: Honoring the best original analysis or commentary focusing on a subject related to a game(s), team(s) or player(s) throughout baseball history.

Please send all nominations via e-mail to this address: 2018-analytics-awards@sabr.org no later than January 5, 2018. Include author, title, date of publication and a URL link (if applicable). Click here for complete details and category criteria.

Voting for the winners will be conducted online in January-February 2018 at SABR.org, BaseballProspectus.com, FanGraphs.com, HardballTimes.com and BeyondtheBoxScore.com, with results weighted equally at 20%.

Results will be announced and presented at the seventh annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 9-11, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more at SABR.org/analytics.

To view past award winners and finalists, click here.

Registration still open for SABR Rocky Mountain Chapter banquet this weekend

The SABR Rocky Mountain Chapter is pleased to announce that our 20th Annual Chapter Banquet will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2017. For the third consecutive year it will be held at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. The banquet is open to all SABR members and baseball fans.

Rocky Mountain SABR welcomes several special guests to this year’s event, including Keynote Speaker Patrick Saunders, Rockies beat writer for the Denver Post and current president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA); Featured Speaker Ryan Spilborghs, former Rockies player and Emmy Award-winning commentator for ROOT Sports, Rockies Vice President of Scouting Bill Schmidt, former Rockies GM Bob Gebhard, SABR Director Bill Nowlin, MLB.com columnist Barry Bloom, and our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, former Rockies pitcher Jason Hirsh.

As usual, we will conduct our Silent Auction of baseball memorabilia and artifacts. We will reprise last year’s popular book sale and feature a special sale of Rockies baseball cards. Tickets for the banquet are $65 per person and can be purchased online by visiting RMSABR.org/banquet.html.

For more information, visit RMSABR.org.

MLB launches diversity fellowship program

SABR member Tyrone Brooks and the Office of the Commissioner have recently launched the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program at MLB.com/fellowship. This distinct opportunity will place candidates in entry-level roles within one of the MLB Clubs and MLB’s Central Office. The Club-based program will be an 18-to-24 month commitment in a front office or baseball operations role at one of the MLB Clubs around the country participating in the MLB Diversity Fellowship Program.  

Additionally, Major League Baseball will offer three entry-level fellowships with a rotational, three-year phase opportunity to: (1) two years in Baseball Operations, focusing on International Operations & Scouting, Umpiring and On-field Rules & Regulations; and (2) one year working within the League Economics Department.

While all disciplines are eligible to apply, we strongly encourage candidates with degrees and/or knowledge in economics, analytics, computer science, law and business degrees, to submit applications. Apply now at MLB.com/fellowship. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, November 17.

9 new SABR biographies published

Nine new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 4,311 published biographies. Here are the new bios published this week:

All new biographies can be found here: SABR.org/bioproj/recent

7 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

Seven new game stories were posted this week as part of the SABR Games Project. Here are the new game stories:

New Games Project stories can be found at SABR.org/gamesproject/recent. Find all published Games Project articles at SABR.org/GamesProject.

If you have any questions about the Games Project, please contact Greg Erion. If you want to know if a game is available to write about, please contact Bruce Slutsky. After the article has been completed in accordance with our Authors’ Guidelines, please submit it to Len Levin, who will initiate the editing process and get your story started toward publication.

  • Get involved: Have memories of a game you attended? Or a game you watched that caught your interest? Write about it! Writing for the Games Project is an easy way to get involved as a SABR member. Find out how by reading the Games Project FAQs section or checking out the Authors’ Guidelines. We have editors and fact checkers who are willing to help you write your first article.
  • Seeking volunteers to help enhance Games Project articles on website: Any volunteer who is willing to assist with linking player biographies in previously published Games Project stories on the SABR website, please contact Jacob Pomrenke. No experience necessary, but any background working in Drupal, WordPress or other standard content management systems is a plus.

Call for SABR award nominations

  • Seymour Medal, due 12/31/2017: The Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year. The award is presented during the Seymour Medal Banquet at the NINE Spring Training Conference every March. If you have a book to nominate with a 2017 publication date, contact Ken Fenster at kfenster2001@yahoo.com by December 31, 2017.
  • Larry Ritter Award, due 12/31/2017: Each year, SABR’s Deadball Era Committee presents the Larry Ritter Book Award to recognize the best new book primarily set in the Deadball Era that was published during the previous calendar year. The award is presented during the committee’s meeting at the annual SABR convention. If you have a book to nominate with a 2017 publication date, contact Doug Skipper at theskippers1@hotmail.com by December 31, 2017.
  • Ron Gabriel Award, due 12/31/2017: The Ron Gabriel Award annually honors the author(s) of the best research, published or unpublished, on the subject of the Brooklyn Dodgers completed during the preceding calendar year. To submit a nomination for the 2018 awards, please send a copy of your work to Gary Sarnoff at runtowin89@hotmail.com by December 31, 2017.
  • SABR Baseball Research Award, due 1/31/2018: The SABR Baseball Research Award (formerly the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) honors those whose outstanding research projects completed during the preceding calendar year have significantly expanded our knowledge or understanding of baseball. To submit a nomination for the 2018 awards, please contact Bill Felber at bfelber@att.net.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award, due 2/15/2018: The McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award honors the authors of the best articles on baseball history or biography completed or published during the preceding calendar year. To submit a nomination for the 2018 awards, please contact Len Levin at lenlevin5@hotmail.com.

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click here.

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM is back this week

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro is back for the Hot Stove League offseason, at a new time: 4:00-5:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio.

This week’s guests are SABR members Mark Simon of ESPN and Eno Sarris of FanGraphs.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App, and you can watch video highlights of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on MLB.com. Click here to watch more video highlights of Baseball SABR Style from MLB.com.

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM focuses on examining and interpreting the statistical analysis that plays a critical role in baseball today. It airs weekly throughout the year on MLB Network Radio, available to subscribers nationwide on XM channel 89, Sirius channel 209, and on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App.

Save the date! SABR 48 will be held in Pittsburgh in 2018

SABR will be returning to the Steel City for our 48th national convention on June 20-24, 2018, at the Wyndham Grand in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Registration information will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2018. The Pirates are scheduled to play at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks that weekend.

The Wyndham Grand is conveniently located within walking distance from PNC Park and a light rail station, many downtown cultural amenities, and right across the street from the picturesque 36-acre Point State Park where the three rivers converge.

SABR 48 will be our second convention held in Pittsburgh and first since 1995. Our 25th annual convention that year featured a keynote speech from former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner and panel discussions commemorating the 1960 and 1971 World Series champions. Learn more about SABR’s convention history by clicking here.

SABR’s 2018 national convention will be our 48th annual gathering; the organization’s founding in Cooperstown in 1971 is counted as the first.

For more information on the SABR convention, visit SABR.org/convention.

ICYMI: Highlights from last week’s This Week in SABR

We’ve heard your feedback: Some of you have said you look forward to “This Week in SABR” every Friday, but sometimes there are just

too many compelling articles and announcements to read every week. We’re not complaining — hey, keep up the great work! — but we know the feeling. So in an effort to make the length of this newsletter more manageable to read, we’ll summarize some of the repeating/recurring announcements in a special “In Case You Missed It (ICYMI)” section of “This Week in SABR”.

Here are some major headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

All previous editions of This Week in SABR can be found here: http://sabr.org/content/this-week-in-sabr-archives.

For more information, click here.

Welcome, new members!

We’d like to welcome all of our new SABR members who have joined this week. You can find all Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org and the Membership Handbook can be downloaded here.

Please give these new members a warm welcome and help them make the most of their membership by giving them the opportunity to get involved in their local chapter or a research committee.

You can find contact information for any SABR member in the online membership directory (SABR.org/directory).

Name Hometown     Name Hometown
Alexander Boyd Warren, OH     Katherine Sartain Colorado Springs, CO
Ismael Castro Columbus, OH     Lewis Shapiro Lake Oswego, OR
Anthony Pluta Sidney, BC     Marc Posnock New York, NY
Blake Oatt Skokie, IL     Peter Moskos Astoria, NY
Bob Cook Lynchburg, VA     Raidel Otero-Alonso Havana, CUB
Bryan Lake Minneapolis, MN     Robbie Clark Beardstown, IL
Charlie Vascellaro Baltimore, MD     Roger Kolp Hyde Park, NY
Dennis Bartel La Verne, CA     Sylvester Quast Chicago, IL
Greg Mercer Guelph, ON     Warren Wilansky Montreal, QC
Jeffrey Kramer Bangkok, THA     William Weinstein Independence, MO
Joseph Sigler Holland, MI        

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new SABR research committee updates this week:

Find all SABR research committee newsletters at SABR.org/research.

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

  • Hemond-Delhi Arizona Chapter: November 2017 newsletter (Phoenix, AZ)
  • Lajoie-Start Southern New England Chapter: November 2017 newsletter (Greenville, RI)
  • Rocky Mountain Chapter: Registration is still open for the chapter’s 20th annual banquet on November 11, 2017, at Coors Field in Denver. Visit RMSABR.org/banquet.html for complete information and details.
  • Best Practices handbook: Chapter leaders, you can download the updated Chapter Leaders Best Practices Handbook on the Admin Tools page at admin.sabr.org. The handbook offers suggestions and guidelines for meetings, speakers, revitalizing a chapter, and getting publicity for SABR and chapter events.

Visit SABR.org/chapters for more information on SABR regional chapters.

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming events on the SABR calendar:

All SABR meetings and events are open to the public. Feel free to bring a baseball-loving friend … and make many new ones! Check out the SABR Events Calendar at SABR.org/events.

Around the Web

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

Read these articles and more at SABR.org/latest.

This Week in SABR is compiled by Jacob Pomrenke. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article or any other information in “This Week in SABR,” e-mail jpomrenke@sabr.org.

Have trouble reading this e-mail? Click here to view this week’s newsletter on the web.

Are you receiving our e-mails? “This Week in SABR” goes out by e-mail to all members on Friday afternoons. If they’re not showing up, try adding “sabr.notes@sabr.org” to your contact list to ensure they show up in your inbox (and not the spam folder.)

 

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Originally published: November 10, 2017. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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