This Week in SABR: October 21, 2016

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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 October 21, 2016:

Early registration now open for 2017 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration is now open for the sixth annual SABR Analytics Conference on March 9-11, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix. We hope you’ll join us next spring in Arizona, 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.

SABR has a long and storied history with baseball statistical analysis, evidenced by the link between our name and sabermetrics. SABR’s long history in this area of baseball research, coupled with our mission of advancing the understanding and knowledge of baseball, makes us the perfect choice to coordinate and host this ground-breaking event.

The Analytics Conference schedule consists of a combination of Guest Speakers, Panels, and Research Presentations — plus the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition, in which undergraduate, graduate and law school students from across the country analyze and present a real baseball operations decision.

For more information on the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Submit your research presentation abstract for 2017 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR and Baseball Info Solutions are excited to announce the call for presentations for the sixth annual SABR Analytics Conference. Abstracts of proposed research presentations should be no more than 500 words in length, and must include the abstract’s title, review of previous work on the subject, a summary of the research methodology and anticipated results, and the expected contribution to the field of baseball analytics offered by this work. Submissions are open to the general public, with student presenters considered in a separate track.

Please send all abstracts to this e-mail address: 2017-analytics-presentations@sabr.org. The submission deadline for 2017 SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts is 11:59 p.m. MST, Monday, November 14, 2016. Note: If your presentation abstract is selected as a semi-finalist, you will be required to register for the conference in order to be eligible for a presentation slot.

Click here for complete details and criteria.

Students: Apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend 2017 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 2017 SABR Analytics Conference. This scholarship will pay for registration, air transportation and lodging 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, 2016.

The objective of this scholarship fund is to encourage student engagement with baseball analytics, and to engender an active interest in baseball research and SABR. 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 2017 Yoseloff Scholarship application.

Register now for the 2017 Diamond Dollars Case Competition at SABR Analytics

The SABR Analytics Conference is pleased to host the unique Diamond Dollars Case Competition on Thursday, March 9, 2017. Click here for more details.

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 a dozen alumni from the first five Diamond Dollars Case Competitions have secured internships or permanent positions within Major League Baseball.

For more information on the 2017 Diamond Dollars Case Competition, please contact SABR President Vince Gennaro or click here for rules and entry requirements.

New speakers added for the 2016 SABR Arizona Fall League Experience

We have an exciting list of speakers for the eighth annual SABR Arizona Fall League Experience, and we hope you’ll join us Thursday, November 3 to Saturday, November 5, 2016. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Registration is still available online at SABR.org/AFL.

On Friday, November 4 at Scottsdale Stadium, Arizona Fall League President Steve Cobb will welcome conference attendees and the featured speaker will be Byron Browne, former outfielder with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies from 1965-72.

On Saturday, November 5 at the Flame Delhi Chapter meeting in Scottsdale, we’ll have a Broadcasters Panel with Oakland A’s announcer Vince Cotroneo and KNBR radio host Marty Lurie; MLB.com columnist Barry Bloom along with former major-league pitcher John D’Acquisto, whose new autobiography Fastball John was just published; former scout Bernie Pleskoff will talk about the prospects we’ll see at the Fall Stars Game on Saturday night; and other member presentations (TBA).

Your registration fee includes all game tickets; an AFL Media Guide; a special evening with Arizona Major League Alumni; and transportation to and from all events.

The Arizona Fall League (mlbfallball.com) is baseball’s premier player development league. In the first seven years of the conference, attendees were treated to sneak peeks at Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Stephen Strasburg, Nolan Arenado, Gerrit Cole, Billy Hamilton, and Gary Sanchez before they hit the big leagues.

All baseball fans are welcome to attend, so join us in November for the SABR Arizona Fall League Experience!

Help us reach our donation-drive goal in 2016

This has been a banner year for SABR, and your year-end charitable gift can help us bring 2016 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 New York City 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 SABR membership

For those of you whose SABR memberships expire by December 31 — you can check your current membership status here — it’s almost time for you to renew! We’re excited about the upcoming year ahead of us and we hope you’ll take advantage of all the great membership benefits offered to SABR members in 2017.

You can renew your membership for 1 year or 3 years online at the SABR Store; by phone at (602) 496-1460; or by mailing this downloadable PDF form and your payment to the office at: SABR, Cronkite School at ASU, 555 N. Central Ave. #416, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

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. 

For one low price, you get two editions of the Baseball Research Journal, the expanded e-book edition of The National Pastime; 8-10 free e-books published by the SABR Digital Library; “This Week in SABR” every Friday; access to research resources such as Paper of Record (with complete archives of The Sporting News); discounts to all SABR conferences such as the National Convention (New York City in 2017), the SABR Analytics Conference, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, and the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference; and much, much more.

We believe SABR has something for everyone, from the active researcher to someone passionate about baseball. We hope you’ll invite your friends, colleagues and family members to join at store.sabr.org.

  • Add a family member for $15: Any SABR member can add a family member in the same household for $15 per year; they will receive all electronic member benefits and access to the website, but no printed publications. To add a new family member, please contact Membership Director Deb Jayne. Note: In order to renew your existing family membership, you must log in to the SABR website under the family member’s username/e-mail address, not your own.

New categories added for 2016 Esurance MLB Awards; cast your SABR vote today

SABR members once again have the opportunity to play a key role in selecting the winners of the 2016 Esurance MLB Awards. More categories were added to the ballot this week, so cast your vote today! 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%)

This year’s Esurance MLB Awards will feature nominees in 20 suspenseful categories. Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer, Best Hitter, Best Pitcher, Best Rookie, Best Defensive Player, Best Social Media Personality, Best Play-Offense, Best Play-Defense, Best Moment, Best Performance, Best Social Media Post, Best Fan Catch, Best MLB Interview, Best Call, TV/Radio, Best Player-Fan Interaction, Best Trending Topic, Best Manager, and Best Executive.

Plus, check out the top MLB Fans of the Year presented by Esurance, including SABR member Emma X. Amaya, who was voted as the Los Angeles Dodgers Fan of the Year.

To cast your SABR vote in the 2016 Esurance MLB Awards, click here. Voting will remain open through November 11, 2016.

Visit mlb.com/awards to learn more. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on November 18, 2016.

Please complete the SABR Diversity and Inclusion Committee survey

SABR’s new Diversity and Inclusion Committee is dedicated to promoting outreach into traditionally underrepresented communities in our membership base. We would greatly appreciate the participation of all SABR members in a quick survey to help us ensure that future SABR events and activities provide a welcoming environment to individuals of all backgrounds.  

Please take two minutes and click the link below to fill out the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sabr-diversity

If you’ve already responded, we appreciate your input. For questions, please contact Emily Hawks at emilyhawks@gmail.com. Thanks for your help!

Blane Ferguson joins SABR as new Manager of Chapter/Partner Relations

SABR is pleased to welcome Blane Ferguson as our new Manager of Chapter/Partner Relations. He will serve as a liaison between the SABR national office and our regional chapters, working closely with chapter leaders. He will also serve as the liaison to SABR’s business partners, helping to make them aware of and promote SABR’s groundbreaking research.

Blane graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2015 and he will graduate in December 2016 with a master’s degree in sports management from Texas A&M University. He spent two years working as the communications assistant with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, as well as working gameday communications for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Cardinals, and as an spring training intern with the San Diego Padres. During college, he worked as a sports broadcaster and host for ASU’s campus radio station in addition to covering the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training as part of the Walter Cronkite School’s Sports Bureau.

Blane can be reached at bferguson@sabr.org.

Looking back at Cleveland’s first two World Series championships

As the Cleveland Indians bask in the glow of their first American League pennant in 19 years and rest up for next week’s World Series against either the Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Dodgers, we thought we’d take a look back at the franchise’s only two championships in this article by SABR member Joseph Wancho:

This trivia question came up while the Cleveland Indians announcers were filling time during a rain delay: What did the 1920 and 1948 Cleveland Indians world championship teams have in common? Answer: Both teams were led by a player-manager (Tris Speaker in 1920 and Lou Boudreau in 1948).

But the player-manager aspect was not the only connection between these two teams. Both field­ed future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame at shortstop and center field. And both teams received outstanding pitching performances from unherald­ed players. And of course, like all great teams, both of these had their own unique personality. For a city and a franchise that has enjoyed just two World Se­ries titles in its history, let’s take a look back at the 1920 and 1948 squads.

Read the full article here: http://sabr.org/latest/looking-back-clevelands-first-two-world-series-championships

This article was first published in SABR’s Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians, edited by Joseph Wancho and published by University of Nebraska Press in 2014. Read all SABR biographies from that book by clicking here.

New SABR resource: Near Major Leaguers and the ‘Bill Sharman Society’

SABR member Bill Hickman, the longtime chair of our Pictorial History Committee, has made available his research into “near major leaguers” — the aspiring professional players who were invited to spring training, who appeared in spring training games, or who were called up during the regular season but never appeared in an MLB game. These lists are now available for all baseball researchers to view at SABR.org:

http://sabr.org/research/near-major-leaguers

The Google Docs spreadsheet is divided into three categories:

  1. Rostered But DNP: Also known as “phantom major leaguers,” these are players who were called up during the regular season, but didn’t get into a major-league game. SABR member Keith Olbermann likes to describe this group as “The Bill Sharman Society,” in honor of the future Boston Celtics star and Basketball Hall of Famer who was called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951. This list covers more than 350 players dating back to 1884. Sources include: SABR Baseball Records Committee, Baseball-Reference.com.
  2. Spring Rosters: Players who were on major-league rosters around the time of spring training, but never got into a regular season major-league game. Most of them were in spring training exhibition games. This list covers more than 3,200 players between 1928 and 2007. Sources include: The Sporting News, Baseball Digest, annual yearbooks/guides.
  3. Non-Roster Invitees: Players who were invited to major-league spring training camps, but were not on the rosters, i.e. they were known as non-roster invitees, but they also never got into regular season major-league games. This list covers more than 2,400 players between 1950 and 1999, including “replacement players” in 1995. Sources include: The Sporting News, newspaper archives.

Please contact Bill Hickman at bdhickmn@aol.com if you have any questions or corrections.

For a comprehensive list of all SABR Research Resources, visit SABR.org/research/resources.

SABR Digital Library: Boston’s First Nine: The 1871-75 Boston Red Stockings

The newest publication from the SABR Digital Library focuses on the first great dynasty in professional baseball:

Boston’s First Nine: The 1871-75 Boston Red Stockings
Edited by Bob LeMoine and Bill Nowlin
Associate editor: Len Levin
397 pages, 8.5″ x 11″
ISBN (ebook): 978-1-9438-1628-6, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9438-1629-3, $19.95

Before the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Braves, there were the Boston Red Stockings. They were “Boston’s First Nine” and 1871 through 1875, they won four consecutive pennants in the old National Association, considered by many to be baseball’s first major league. In this five-year period, the team only fielded 22 players — but, then again, these were the days of the “one-man rotation.” Who needed two pitchers, when one would do? And if that pitcher was Al Spalding, who won more than 50 games in back-to-back seasons of 1874 and 1875, that one pitcher was pretty good. Of the 22 players on the team, five of them are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

These were different days. The game was played a little differently from today — but not that differently. Take some time and enjoy the work of 38 SABR members. Several are among our leading 19th-century baseball experts; others became enthralled digging into the early days of professional baseball in Boston. There are fascinating stories of the men who played the game, the games, the seasons, the tours of Canada and even England and Ireland, where they took on some of the better cricket players of the British Isles, and beat them, too. 

Take a trip back to those glorious days of yesteryear, and see if you don’t become captivated as we were in learning about stories of baseball and life from more than 140 years ago. The book includes recaps of each season, 1871-75, informative articles about the team and front office, and player biographies.

Contributors include: Matt Albertson, David Arcidiacono, Andrew Arends, Charlie Bevis, Christopher J. Devine, Paul E. Doutrich, Brian Engelhardt, Charles F. Faber, Scott Fiesthumel, Terry D. Gottschall, Gerry Goulet, Donna L. Halper, Richard Hershberger, Joanne Hulbert, Jay Hurd, Bill Lamb, Bob LeMoine, Len Levin, Michael R. McAvoy, David McDonald, William McMahon, Eric Miklich, Peter Morris, David Nemec, Bill Nowlin, Mark Pestana, Mike Richard, Bob Ruzzo, William J. Ryczek, Mark Souder, David C. Southwick, Mark S. Sternman, John Thorn, Richard “Dixie” Tourangeau, Joe Williams, Jim Wohlenhaus, Gregory H. Wolf, and John Zinn.

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

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.

SABR members will get discounted rates for all Digital Library publications, including many for free. To find more SABR Digital Library books, visit SABR.org/ebooks.

One week left to register for 2016 SABR Philadelphia 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium

Join us for the Philadelphia 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium, co-hosted by SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee and the Connie Mack/Philadelphia Chapter, will take place from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at Maggiano’s Restaurant, 1201 Filbert St. in the Center City of Philadelphia.

We’ll have a full day of programming that will include a Welcoming Address by Major League Baseball’s Official Historian John Thorn; a Luncheon Keynote presentation by veteran Philadelphia newspaper reporters and editors Daniel R. Biddle and Murray Dubin, co-authors of Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America; a panel discussion on Philadelphia’s 19th Century Baseball’s Movers & Shakers, moderated by Dick Rosen; four other Research Presentations devoted to seldom addressed aspects of 19th-century baseball by such experts as Jerrold Casway, Ralph Carhart, Richard Hershberger, John Shiffert, and Matt Albertson.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

For more information, please contact Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.

4 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

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

All new Games Project stories can be found here: http://sabr.org/gamesproject/recent

  • Get involved: 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.
  • Still seeking a Chief Editor: For those of you who have reached out offering to edit or fact-check games over the past few weeks: Thank you! Thanks to numerous responses, we are now sufficiently staffed in this area to more quickly process game articles toward publication. However, we are still seeking a Chief Editor to help coordinate the editing for all Games Project stories. This is a crucial role that is necessary to keep the project running smoothly. If you are interested, please contact Greg Erion or Bruce Slutsky for more information.

Listen to archives of Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by SABR President Vince Gennaro, will be on hiatus during the MLB postseason. After the World Series ends, the show will air again at its regular time, 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on Sundays, on MLB Network Radio. But you can still listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App.

You can also 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 47 will be in New York City in 2017

SABR will be returning to the Big Apple for our 47th national convention on June 28-July 2, 2017, at the Grand Hyatt New York. Registration information will be available at SABR.org/convention in early 2017. The New York Mets are scheduled to play the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game series at Citi Field during SABR 47.

The Grand Hyatt New York, one of the city’s most historic and luxurious hotels, is conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan just steps from Grand Central Terminal and within walking distance of many major attractions, including Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the New York Public Library. The Grand Hyatt is also easily accessible to all forms of transportation: planes, trains, automobiles (including car services), and more.

SABR 47, which is open to all baseball fans, will include top featured speakers from around the baseball world — front office executives, players, managers, scouts, writers and analysts. More details will be announced in early 2017 at SABR.org/convention.

SABR’s 2017 national convention will be our 47th annual gathering; the organization’s founding in Cooperstown in 1971 is counted as the first. Learn more about SABR’s convention history by clicking here.

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
Katherine Adriaanse Nottingham, PA     Ryan Gerda Columbus, OH
John Bartolick Garwood, NJ     Ethan Greenberg New York, NY
Coleman Bazelon Glenelg, MD     Robert Maggio Peterborough, NH
Rob Blomberg Hingham, MA     Paul Ryan Chesterfield, MO
Benjamin Chase Huron, SD     Hunter Ryan Chesterfield, MO
Evelyn Davis Baltimore, MD     Chris Sanford Hawthorne, CA
Lauren Dydyn Centennial, CO     Joe Torrisi St. Louis, MO

 

Research Committee news

Here are the new SABR research committee updates this week:

  • Official Scoring/Oral History: Ben Trittipoe has been an official scorer for the Washington Nationals since 2005 and the minor-league Potomac Nationals/Cannons since 2003. He has also worked for the athletic departments of Shippensburg University, George Mason University, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, amid an extensive career as a sports journalist.  He was interviewed by John McMurray recently for the SABR Oral History Collection. Click here to listen to the Ben Trittipoe interview (MP3).

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

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

SABR Events Calendar

Here is a list of upcoming SABR events:

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: October 21, 2016. Last Updated: April 3, 2020.

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