This Week in SABR: February 9, 2024

February 9, 2024/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, February 9, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Coming soon: Early registration for SABR 52
Announcing more featured speakers at SABR Analytics Conference
Highlights, photos, videos from SABR Day
Join us for SABR Scholar Sessions with Travis Apple
Last call to vote for 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal

Coming soon: Early registration for SABR 52 in Minneapolis

At SABR’s 52nd annual convention on August 7-11, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we are thrilled to highlight four Hall of Famers — the most ever to speak at a SABR convention — who are scheduled to appear:

Rod Carew, seven-time batting champion and 1977 AL MVP
Tony Oliva, Cuban star who won three batting titles and 1964 AL Rookie of the Year
Bert Blyleven, two-time World Series champion and longtime Twins broadcaster
Jim Kaat, 16-time Gold Glove winner and MLB Network broadcaster

In addition, Derek Falvey, Executive Vice President, Chief Baseball Officer for the Minnesota Twins, will give the convention’s opening remarks on Thursday, August 8. Please note: All speakers are subject to change.

Conference and hotel registration for SABR 52 will open next Tuesday, February 13 at SABR.org/convention. This year’s streamlined registration options will provide for a consistent and accessible experience for all attendees and the lowest registration price since 2018. We hope you’ll join us this summer in Minneapolis!

More featured speakers at 2024 SABR Analytics Conference

All baseball fans are invited to join us at the SABR Analytics Conference on March 8-10, 2024, in Phoenix. Early registration discounts expire on February 16, so register today to join us!

We’re excited to announce more featured speakers and panelists:

Vince Gennaro, Author and former SABR Board President
Brian Kenny, Host, MLB Network
Meg Rowley, Managing Editor, FanGraphs
Eno Sarris, Senior Writer, The Athletic
Bobby Scales, Vice President of Baseball, Sports Info Solutions
Mark Simon, Editorial Operations Lead and Staff Writer, Sports Info Solutions

To learn more about the SABR Analytics Conference, or to register, visit SABR.org/analytics.

2024 SABR Analytics: Student programming

We’re excited to announce student programming for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. Available to currently enrolled high school or college students, this schedule of student-specific presentations is geared toward those looking to gain an edge in breaking into the ultra-competitive baseball industry.

The virtual student-only programming — which will be held on Zoom from 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. MST on Thursday, March 7 — will include:

Introduction to Baseball Databases: Sean Lahman, SABR
Working with Baseball-Reference Data: Jonah Gardner and Zoe Surma, Sports Reference
Working with Baseball Savant and R: Shanna Shi, Associate Data Quality Analyst, MLB
Forecasting Using Regression Analysis: David Hyland, Xavier University
SLICED with SABR: Nick Wan, Director of Analytics, Cincinnati Reds

Early registration ends next week for 2024 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration ends soon for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from March 8-10, 2024, at the Beus Center for Law and Society on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix Campus in Phoenix, Arizona. 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.

Reminder: Early registration discounts end on Friday, February 16. Registration increases $150 after the early discount ends, so register today to join us!

Students have the option of choosing virtual ($50) or in-person ($150) registration. Both include access to General Session panels and presentations on Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 7. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value).

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more or to register.

Check out SABR Day highlights, photos, and videos

On Saturday, February 3, more than 30 SABR chapters held their annual SABR Day meetings, with guest speakers that included Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Kaat and a Miguel Cabrera retrospective panel in Detroit; best-selling author Joe Posnanski in New York; Tyler Kepner, Lindsay Berra, and Andy Tuetken in New Hampshire; former major-leaguer Jerry Janeski in Anaheim; author Keith O’Brien in Austin; Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch in Cooperstown; former major-leaguers Brian Boehringer and Jason Simontacchi in St. Louis; and many more.

Visit SABR.org/sabrday to find more highlights, videos, and photos from all SABR Day events.

SABR Scholar Session on February 20 with Travis Apple

All student and young professional members of SABR are invited to our next SABR Scholar Session, held virtually on Zoom at 8:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 20.

Join host Tyrone Brooks, Senior Director, Front Office and Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program at Major League Baseball, for our free quarterly virtual series created exclusively for SABR student and young professional members. This session’s guest will be Travis Apple, Chief Revenue Officer at Logitix. A veteran of MLB, NBA, WNBA, and NHL front offices, Travis wrote the book, Hustle Your Way to $ucce$$ in Sports Sales, and hosts the 52 Weeks of Hustle podcast.

To learn more or to pre-register for the SABR Scholar Session on Zoom, please contact Jessica Smyth.

SABR’s Ballpark Figures to feature Stories of the Negro Leagues

SABR’s Ballpark Figures: Stories of the Negro Leagues, hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor, will return this summer as a 10-episode podcast series focusing on Negro Leaguers and the history of Black baseball.

Ballpark Figures will be available on your favorite podcast networks and you can listen to each episode as soon as they are released on Mondays beginning on June 3, 2024.

Click here to watch a replay of previous episodes from SABR’s Ballpark Figures, including interviews with ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Clinton Yates, and Jeff Passan, MLB executive and former All-Star pitcher Dave Stewart, filmmaker Randy Wilkins, FanGraphs’ Meg Rowley and Jay Jaffe, and more.

Last call: Vote for winners of the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

Online voting ends tonight for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, which will recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year.

Nominations were solicited by representatives from SABR, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, and Sports Info Solutions. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. MST on Friday, February 9. The winners will be announced at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2024

Beginning in 2024, all SABR members will exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically. A majority of SABR members already receive the BRJ electronically and will not be affected by this change.

For any members who are interested in a hard copy of the publication for their personal library, we are rolling out a new subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail. (International members will pay $11 per issue.)

Visit SABR.org/subscribe to receive future printed editions of the BRJ in the mail. Or click here if you’d like a tutorial on how to subscribe.

As with any change, we understand that you may have questions or concerns that you would like to share. Please feel free to reach out to any SABR staff member.

All Sports Museum and Hall of Fame honored with 2024 Russell Gabay Award

The All Sports Museum and Hall of Fame of Southern New Jersey is the 2024 recipient of the Russell Gabay Award, which honors entities or persons who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to baseball in New Jersey. The award is given out by SABR’s New Jersey-based Elysian Fields Chapter and Goose Goslin Chapter.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I’d like to thank the Elysian Fields Chapter and Goose Goslin Chapters of SABR for selecting our museum,” said Dom Valella, the museum’s chair. “To receive this award named after Mr. Gabay is truly an honor and a privilege, given his outstanding career in media and his dedication to sports, family, and the countless number of colleagues along his life’s journey.”

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Register now for the 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference

Registration is now open for the 15th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held on April 19-20, 2024, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special event.

The 2024 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Michael Haupert, along with a panel discussion on the Knickerbocker club with Bruce Allardice, Thomas Gilbert, Bob Tholkes, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a 19th-century artifact session with Robert Mayer, Gary Passamonte, and Jonathan Popovich; a Member Spotlight interview of Thomas Gilbert by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

Visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c to learn more or to register.

SABR Analytics Certification: Sign up now for new Level 3 course

We’re excited to announce that the newest course in the SABR Analytics Certification program, Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, is now available.

Taught by award-winning baseball writer and analyst Rob Arthur, the Level Three course provides an introduction to programming using a practical approach in its application for baseball and focusing on R (with a dash of SQL) as a programming language, the goal of this online, on-demand course is to give learners a foundational understanding of the technical skills necessary for a career in data science and baseball analytics.

To sign up now, or to learn more about previous courses, visit SABR.org/analytics/certification.

Call for volunteers: Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires

SABR seeks volunteers to help transcribe the Bill Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires, a collection of self-completed surveys of professional baseball players from 1945-2005, which will soon be made available at SABR.org. Since we began this project in October 2023, more than 50,000 questionnaires have already been transcribed; we are more than halfway done to meet our goal of finishing before SABR 52 this summer.

No experience is needed, just a love for baseball, data, and history. We are looking for any volunteers who can spare a few hours a week (or more!) with help reading these questionnaires and writing down the player’s ambitions, background, and signing scout. Please contact Jason Sigler if you would like to be a part of our team.

Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.

New Oral History interview: Susan Shemanske

Susan Shemanske, pioneering female sports editor and Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame inductee
Recorded January 23, 2024, by Lawrence Baldassaro

Visit SABR.org/oralhistory to find more interviews from the SABR Oral History Collection.

3 new stories published at the SABR Biography Project

Charlie Montoyo, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
Joe “Germany” Schultz Sr., by Edward Damer (first-time author)
Carl Thompson, by Darren Gibson

Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR BioProject or to get involved.

6 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

June 16, 1884: Jim O’Rourke hits for the cycle as Bisons rout Chicago, by Mike Huber
June 14-17, 1907: Luis Bustamante and the Cuban Stars visit northern Ohio, by Stephen V. Rice
May 18, 1949: Ted Williams hits his first game-winning homer of the season, by Bill Nowlin
July 22, 1959: Bobby Ávila blasts thrilling walk-off homer in Milwaukee Braves debut, by Gary Belleville
September 6, 1964: Umpire assault mars pennant-deciding game in NY-Penn League, by Kurt Blumenau
July 21, 2012: Pitchers Matt Cain and Cole Hamels surrender three homers, one to each other, by Steve Ginader

In addition, more stories from SABR’s Willie Mays: Five Tools (2023), edited by Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks, were posted online this week:

September 12, 1948: Willie Mays’ two-out double in 9th saves the day for Black Barons, by Jeb Stewart
May 1, 1951: Willie Mays has 3 hits, makes spectacular catch in Millers’ home opener, by Dave Lande
May 24, 1954: Willie Mays’ 2 homers, 3 hits, and 4 RBIs sink Phillies, by Howard Rosenberg
September 26, 1954: Willie Mays says ‘hey’ to the National League batting title, by Frederick C. Bush
September 25, 1955: Willie Mays ties Johnny Mize’s Giants record with 51st home run, by Tim Odzer
May 18, 1957: Willie Mays steals four bases, homers against Cincinnati, by Glen Sparks

Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.

One-Win Wonders
Edited by Bill Nowlin

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.

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

Please give a warm welcome to all new SABR members who joined this week! View more Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org or click here to download the Membership Handbook. Find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.

NAME	HOMETOWN	NAME	HOMETOWN
Jarred Adams	Kennesaw, GA	Olivia Lewis	Fort Collins, CO
Andrew Burget	York, PA	Cooper Manes	Clemson, SC
Brian Clarke	Fort McMurray, AB	Jimmy Martin	Bedford, TX
Kevin Collins	Pittsburgh, PA	Jonathan Millsaps	Kansas City, MO
Danielle Contreras	Fort Collins, CO	Michael Orozco	Tampa, FL
Steven Dignam	Lewiston, NY	Nicholas Pollastro	Coraopolis, PA
Aidan Feeley	Fort Collins, CO	Derek Puth	Arlington, VA
Charles Frady	Evanston, IL	Hayden Ravert	Oxford, PA
Xinyi Ge	Ann Arbor, MI	Austin Reyling	Smithton, IL
Matt Graifer		Eduardo Rojas	Los Angeles, CA
Birch Herring-Jackson	East Aurora, NY	Marty Rosen	Louisville, KY
Paul Huang	Tempe, AZ	Inaki Sardina	Huixquilucan, MEX
Xin Qi Huang	Houston, TX	Troy Van Damme	Canandaigua, NY
Benjamin Kowalski	Louisville, CO	Christopher Wait	Sacramento, CA
Paul Krause	Peoria, AZ

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from many speakers at SABR Day events around the globe, author Ron Shandler (Fantasy Expert) and Tim Parks of the MLB Ballpark Passport Program. Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

February 10: Talkin’ Baseball: Doug Gladstone (9:00 a.m. EST)
February 13: Northern New England Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EST)
February 13: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter meeting with Jason Schwartz and Keith O’Brien (8:00 p.m. EST)
February 13: 19th Century Speaker Series: Matt Albertson (8:00 p.m. EST)
February 14: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast Chapter meeting with Rick Vaughn (7:00 p.m. EST)
February 15: Central Virginia Chapter meeting with Keith O’Brien (7:00 p.m. EST)
February 15: Larry Doby (SC) Chapter meeting with Zak Ford (7:00 p.m. EST)
February 15: New SABR Member Experience Meeting (8:00 p.m. EST)
February 15: Bay Area/Sacramento Chapter joint meeting with Zak Ford (7:00 p.m. PST)
February 18: Lou Criger (IN) Chapter meeting with Keith O’Brien (8:00 p.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

February 10: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)
February 10: Williamsport Sebring-Stovey Chapter SABR Day meeting (Williamsport, PA)
February 10: Larry Dierker Chapter SABR Day meeting (Houston, TX)
February 10: Pacific Northwest Chapter SABR Day meeting (Tigard, OR)
February 11: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast Chapter meeting (Clearwater, FL)
February 15: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
February 17: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)

To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.

Baseball and the Arts: February 2024 newsletter
Baseball Cards: Seeking nominations for the 2024 Jefferson Burdick Award through February 28

Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.

SABR Day: Check out more highlights from 2024 SABR Day meetings
Halsey Hall Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (Milwaukee, WI)
Pee Wee Reese Chapter: Sign up for the chapter’s new email discussion forum at SABRgroups.org (Louisville, KY)
Rocky Mountain Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (Denver, CO)
Rogers Hornsby Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (Austin, TX)
Schott-Pelican Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (New Orleans, LA)

Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.

Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.

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

Registration is now open for the 2024 NINE Spring Training Conference in Arizona
Daniel R. Epstein: Taking Immaculate Grid Even Further (IBWAA)
Mike Lynch: Unofficial MVPs from 1929 & 1930 Added to Baseball Reference (Sports Reference)
Colin Beazley: Villanova law students win baseball arbitration competition (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Tyler Kepner: How Brock Purdy’s Super Bowl journey was forged by his dad’s minor-league baseball career (The Athletic)
Anthony Castrovince: Dobie Moore: The tragic story of a forgotten Negro Leagues phenom (MLB.com)
Dan Cichalski: The story of how the Negro Leagues’ East-West All-Star Game came to be (MLB.com)
Dayn Perry: How MLB superteams are built: History of baseball juggernauts (CBS Sports)
Jayson Stark: Theo Epstein and his historic journey back to Fenway Park (The Athletic)
Davy Andrews: Has Anyone Ever Hit the Target Field Target? (FanGraphs)
Joe Hernandez: What’s behind people’s enduring interest in Babe Ruth (WBUR.org)
Rob Mains: Why PECOTA Hates Your Team, 2024 Edition (Baseball Prospectus)
Lindsey Adler/Jared Diamond: The Sudden Sale of the Baltimore Orioles Left Behind Some Loose Ends (Wall Street Journal)
Alex Speier: Why the Red Sox may be missing a chance to accelerate their build (Boston Globe)
Michael Baumann: What if Blake Snell Asked for All His Money Now? (FanGraphs)
Zack Meisel: In Cleveland, every Corey Kluber outing was a spectacle (The Athletic)
Ryan Divish: Mariners’ Cal Raleigh more than carries the load as foundational catcher (Seattle Times)
Jay Jaffe: Proposal to Include MLB Players in the 2028 Los Angeles Games Faces Olympian Hurdles (FanGraphs)
Dennis Lin: At new biomechanics lab, Padres harness science for better pitching health, performance (The Athletic)
Pat Ellington Jr.: Dodgers Uganda signings: LA endeavors in one of baseball last frontiers (True Blue LA)
Mark Simon: Hunter Greene Deserved Better in 2023 (ACTA Sports)
David Laurila: Ben Cherington Addresses the Pirates’ Pitching Pipeline (FanGraphs)
Richard Cuicchi: The story of major-league baseball’s integration omitted New Orleans native Johnny Wright (Crescent City Sports)
Gary Cieradkowski: Slim Jones: Rise and Fall of the Greatest Pitcher of 1934 (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
Robert Wilonsky: Swing and a Hit: How a Lifelong Ted Williams Fan Willed a LeRoy Neiman Original Into Existence (Intelligent Collector)
Steve Dunn: The Diamonds of Des Moines (Good Seats Still Available)

Please note: Some articles may require a separate subscription to view online. SABR does not endorse, and is not responsible or liable for, any content that appears on a third-party website.

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. To find past editions of TWIS, click here.

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Originally published: February 9, 2024. Last Updated: February 9, 2024.

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