This Week in SABR: October 18, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists announced
SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts accepted until November 20
Help us Bring It Home in 2024 and invest in SABR’s future
2 weeks left to submit abstracts for 2025 SABR 19th Century Base Ball Conference
Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by November 1
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2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists announced
The SABR Defensive Index (SDI) will be used to help select the winners of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award® and Rawlings Platinum Glove Award™, presented by SABR.
On Tuesday, Rawlings announced the finalists for the 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Award, honoring the best individual fielding performances at each position in the American League™ and National League™. The winners will be unveiled during a one-hour, special-edition ESPN Baseball Tonight broadcast at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 3.
Following the show, voting will begin online for the Rawlings Platinum Glove Award, presented by SABR. A combination of the SABR Defensive Index and the national fan vote will determine who takes home the honor in each league. The final SABR Defensive Index rankings will be released at SABR.org/SDI on November 3, immediately following the ESPN broadcast. The Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winners will be unveiled at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Ceremony on Friday, November 8 in New York.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Early registration is now open for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
Early registration is now open for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from March 14-16, 2025, 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. Register today to join us!
- Registration: Click here to register for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $395 for SABR members, $495 for non-members, and $150 for currently enrolled high school or college students. Student-only virtual registration is $50. Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link.
- Student Registration: Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive a special link to register at a discounted rate. 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 14 through Sunday, March 16, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 13. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value).
- Research Presentations: Present your baseball research at the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline to submit an abstract: November 20, 2024.
- Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here to register your team for the 2025 Diamond Dollars Case Competition. Registration is $1,750 per team, which includes admission to all SABR Analytics Conference sessions and a one-year SABR membership for each participant.
- Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline: January 3, 2025.
- Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship: Applications are now open for the 2025 Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship. Deadline: January 3, 2025.
- Research Awards: We’re seeking nominations for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. Deadline: December 31, 2024.
- Certification Courses: The first three courses in the online, on-demand SABR Analytics Certification program, including the newest offering Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, are available now. Click here to learn more or to sign up.
Submit your presentation abstract for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
SABR is excited to announce the call for presentations for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held on March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona.
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 preliminary and/or final results, and the expected contribution to the field of baseball analytics offered by this work. Please send all abstracts to this e-mail address: analytics-presentations@sabr.org. Please clearly indicate whether you are submitting for the general track or for the student track of presentations. The submission deadline for all 2025 SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts is 11:59 p.m. MST on November 20, 2024.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship or Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship
With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four Yoseloff Scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the SABR Analytics Conference on March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging fees associated with the conference up to a total value of $1,250.
Awarded annually to four recipients, the Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship will provide meaningful professional development and networking opportunities for female identifying students or young professionals pursuing a career in baseball analytics and data science. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona; plus registration for all courses in the online SABR Analytics Certification program. Click here to learn more or to apply.
Click here to learn more about SABR Scholarships.
Seeking nominations for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
What are the best baseball analytics articles you’ve read in 2024? We’re seeking nominations for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, which recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary.
Please send all nominations via e-mail to this address: analytics-awards@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2024. Include author, title, date of publication and a URL link (if applicable).
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Help us Bring It Home in 2024 and invest in SABR’s future
SABR has made great progress toward our vision of becoming the essential community for the world of baseball, but there is still work to be done to fulfill that goal. By investing in mission-focused initiatives and outreach, SABR will be well positioned to sustain and grow into the future. Key areas of focus to achieve that growth include the continual addition of research resources, expansion and amplification of programming, and an emphasis on connection for our members and the wider baseball community. Gifts from members like you will help us BRING IT HOME, ensuring we achieve a successful 2024 while making investments in our collective future.
You can support SABR’s annual Bring it Home Campaign by making a gift of $150 or more by December 31, 2024. We will use your best gift of $150, $300, $500, or $1,000 to boost SABR’s general operations. Contributions from generous donors like you are critical in supporting SABR as we add to our research resources, expand programming, and strengthen the connection of our baseball community.
Visit SABR.org/donate/2024 to learn more.
2 weeks left to submit abstracts for 2025 SABR 19th Century Base Ball Conference
All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2025 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 16th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 25-26, 2025. The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2024.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board by November 1
SABR’s Editorial Board welcomes new project proposals from members to be considered for publication through the Digital Library, SABR.org, or any other multimedia formats. We strongly encourage new proposals that involve collaboration between SABR research committees and/or chapters, and web-based projects with an eye toward enhanced multimedia presentation.
- Click here to submit a SABR project proposal
Next deadline: November 1, 2024 (for publication in early 2026 or 2027)
SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects and 6-8 books per year. Book projects should be of a scope that can fit in a single volume, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 total words.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Seeking volunteers for MLB Team Employee Database expansion
SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee is looking for additional volunteers to support the expansion of the newly released MLB Team Employee Database. We need help entering 2024 employees and scouting, player development, broadcasting, and minor league field employees from 2010 to 2024.
The media guide source material necessary for data entry can be made available electronically. The database is an exciting new addition to the available baseball resources. If you are willing to assist with this project, please contact Dan Levitt.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
3 new stories published at SABR BioProject
- Al Aber, by Joseph Wancho
- Dick Sharon, by Robert E. Bionaz
- Big Mike Sullivan, by Bill Lamb
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR Biography Project or to get involved.
7 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- August 18, 1891: Cincinnati’s Arlie Latham knocks down Cleveland’s Jimmy McAleer, who ‘rushes The Dude with a bat’, by Tim Newby
- May 1, 1909: Ralph Works makes favorable debut in snow-delayed Tigers victory, by Andrew Harner
- October 20, 1924: José Méndez, Kansas City Monarchs shut out Hilldale Club to win first Negro League World Series, by Donna L. Halper
- October 9, 1981: With backs to wall, Brewers earn franchise’s first postseason win in Game 3 of ALDS, by Kurt Blumenau
- July 2, 1993: Phillies salvage doubleheader split on Mitch Williams’s walk-off hit, by Steve Ferenchick
- May 22, 2001: Doug Mientkiewicz’s four-hit outburst keys Twins’ win over Mariners, by Steve Ginader
- October 13, 2007: Cleveland explodes for 7 unanswered runs in 11th inning to beat Red Sox in Game 2, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Sandy Koufax
Edited by Marc Z. Aaron, Bill Nowlin, and Glen Sparks
Visit SABR.org 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:
- Check out highlights, photos, and recordings from the SABR 52 convention in Minneapolis
- Browse the new, searchable SABR MLB Team Employee Database
- Sean Lahman donates Lahman Baseball Database to SABR
- Watch highlights from 2024 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
- D. Bruce Brown selected as 2024 Bob Davids Award winner
- Barbara Gregorich honored with Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
- Save the date! SABR 53 will be in Dallas/Fort Worth in 2025
- SABR special committee: 1949-50 Negro American League, independent Black teams are major-league caliber
- Check out highlights from the 2024 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- Call for papers: Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
- Learn more about recipients of SABR Local Grants in 2024
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Bruno | Seattle, WAS | Jake Polega | Canton, MI | ||
| Hyeonsang Cho | Jamestown, NY | Matthew Rectenwald | Oconomowoc, WI | ||
| Peter DePaul | Glen Mills, PA | Yasunori Sato | Chiba, JPN | ||
| Brian Kopycinski | Moon Township, PA | Craig Simpkins | Kenosha, WI | ||
| Gavin Kordestani | Piedmont, CA | Jenn Smith | Whitby, ON | ||
| Brian Mohr | Cape Coral, FL | Harper Wicker-Lenseigne | Portland, OR | ||
| Maximilian Peston | London, ENG |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from Tim Newby (The Original Louisville Slugger); Steve Treder (“The Giants, the A’s, and Silicon Valley”); John Bauer (“Charles Comiskey in St. Paul and the Road to the American League”); former Oakland A’s and Sacramento Solons player Bill McNulty; and the 19th Century Book Club (Summer of Beer and Whiskey). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- October 19: Talkin’ Baseball: Matthew Jacob (9:00 a.m. EDT)
- October 19: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter meeting with Doug Kurkul and Bret McKeand (9:30 a.m. CDT)
- October 21: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with David Simmons (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- October 21: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- October 21: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with Samuel Barrett (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- October 22: Sebring-Stovey Williamsport (PA) Chapter meeting with Tony Morante (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- October 22: 19th Century Speaker Series: Justin Mckinney (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- October 23: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- October 24: SABR Baseball Memories meeting (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- October 26: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting with Derby Gisclair and Ryan Whirty (10:00 a.m. CDT)
- October 27: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Lou Hernandez (7:00 p.m. EDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- October 19: Forbes Field Chapter meeting (Pittsburgh, PA)
- October 19: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- October 19: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)
- October 25: Juan Marichal Chapter meeting (Santo Domingo, DOM)
- October 26: Luke Easter Chapter meet-up (Rochester, NY)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Oral History: The Oral History Committee is seeking a newsletter editor. If you are interested in helping out, please contact committee chair John McMurray to learn more.
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: Fall 2024 newsletter (Baltimore, MD)
- Quebec Chapter: September 28 meeting recap (Montreal, QC)
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:
- Gary Cieradkowski: Bottom of the ninth: Creating my ninth Baseball Research Journal cover (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
- Nori Leybengrub: Just Our Thing: Columbia Society for Baseball Research (Columbia Spectator)
- Michael Clair: Japanese stars take postseason center stage, and the whole world is watching (MLB.com)
- Jayson Stark: Ohtani, Kiké Hernández do it again: Dodgers teammates in awe of their amazing October feats (The Athletic)
- Clinton Yates: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will never get the respect he deserves (Andscape)
- Michael Baumann: The Shohei Ohtani Nobody-On-Base Blues (FanGraphs)
- Rob Mains: Do Pitchers Learn How to Avoid the Third-Time-Through-the-Order Penalty? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jay Jaffe: Whatever It Is This October, It’s Catching (FanGraphs)
- Stephen J. Nesbitt: What lessons can MLB’s final four teams teach about how they got here? (The Athletic)
- Patrick Dubuque: The Opposite of Thunder (Baseball Prospectus)
- Ben Clemens: The Math Behind Intentionally Walking Juan Soto (FanGraphs)
- Mark Simon: A preview of the 2024 Fielding Bible Awards (Sports Info Solutions)
- Grant Brisbee: Appreciating the best plays from the Giants’ 3 Gold Glove finalists (The Athletic)
- Russell A. Carleton: Am I Going Too Fast For You? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Joe Lemire: Los Angeles Dodgers invest in Dodger Stadium improvements to give ballpark modern feel (Sports Business Journal)
- David Laurila: Thomas Saggese Believes in Loft and the Position of His Body in Space (FanGraphs)
- Roy Carlson: Wheaties Treaties: Topps Images Aplenty in 1964 All-Star Baseball Stamp Album (Sports Collectors Daily)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: Babe Ruth Barnstorms Through the Northwest in 1924 (NW Baseball History)
- Thomas Stone: Overall 2024 MLB Stats in Historical Context (Now Taking the Field)
- Craig Brown: ‘Facetime’ with the 1859 Brooklyn Atlantics (Threads of Our Game)
- Sam Gazdziak: Harry Chappas (1957-2024) (RIP Baseball)
- Brittany Morgan: Marion Mets provide Southwest Virginia connection to World Series contenders (WDBJ-TV)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Doug Kurkul (Baseball and BBQ)
- Russ Speiller: Behind the Scenes of The Diamond King (SABR Baseball Cards)
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: October 18, 2024. Last Updated: October 18, 2024.