This Week in SABR: April 18, 2025

April 18, 2025/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, April 18, 2025.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal is on its way!
SABR 53: Ferguson Jenkins added to speaker lineup
SABR Board of Directors election begins next week
SABR 500 Club membership referral drive
Contribute to SABR’s Campaign for Baseball Research
The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2025

Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal is on its way!

With an original cover illustration of Harrisburg Giants outfielders Fats Jenkins, Oscar Charleston, and Rap Dixon designed by SABR member Gary Cieradkowski, we hope you enjoy the e-book edition of the Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal! The e-book edition was sent to all SABR members on Thursday, April 17. Anyone who has subscribed to the print edition should receive their copy in the mail in the next 2-4 weeks.

Click here to download the PDF e-book edition of the Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal.
Click here to order a copy of the print edition of the Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal from Amazon.com.
All articles from the Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal will be available to read online soon at SABR.org.

We hope you enjoy the Spring 2025 Baseball Research Journal!

SABR 53: Ferguson Jenkins added to lineup; early-bird discounts end soon

SABR’s 53rd annual convention is scheduled for June 25-29, 2025, in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. SABR 53 will feature a Texas-sized speaker lineup we know you’ll love, alongside an invigorated social experience emphasizing SABR’s ability to unite all of us in baseball fellowship. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Early-bird registration discounts end on April 25, 2025, so sign up today to join us!

We’re excited to announce that Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins will join us as a featured speaker at SABR 53. Jenkins became the first native of Canada to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. He spent 19 seasons in the major leagues, recording 284 wins and 3,192 strikeouts and winning a National League Cy Young Award with the Chicago Cubs in 1971. He won at least 20 games in each of his first six full seasons, and won a career-high 25 games with the Texas Rangers in 1974. SABR members voted him as one of the top 100 baseball players of the twentieth century in 1999.

Jenkins joins an All-Star speaker lineup that also includes Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez; former All-Star infielder Elvis Andrus; Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy; Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young; former MLB Players Association Executive Director Don Fehr; former major-league pitcher Steve Rogers; former Rangers president Tom Schieffer; longtime Rangers executives Rob Matwick and Jack Hill; Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bradford William Davis; baseball card pioneer James Beckett; former Houston Astros GM and Texas League president Tim Purpura; and former Texas League players Bob Baillargeon and Rick Herrscher.

Please note: All speakers are subject to change depending on availability.

If you’ve never attended a SABR convention, this is the perfect year to join us and make new baseball friendships. If you’re a veteran attendee, we can’t wait for you to experience our rejuvenated convention experience. It will be an incredible week of baseball fellowship in the heart of Texas and we hope you’ll make plans to be part of it! Visit SABR.org/convention to register now or learn more.

2 weeks left in SABR 500 Club membership referral drive

Do you have friends or family members who would love SABR? Now is the time to encourage them to join during our SABR 500 Club membership drive!

The SABR 500 Club is a referral-based membership drive with the goal of welcoming 500 new SABR members between March 1 and April 30, 2025. New members who sign up for an annual or multi-year membership during the referral period will receive a custom baseball card set featuring SABR-Rucker Archive images of members of the 500 home run club. Current members who refer three or more new members during the drive, regardless of membership type, will receive their choice of a card set or SABR logo lapel pin. The current SABR member who refers the most new members will receive a complimentary registration for SABR’s 53rd annual convention in Dallas-Fort Worth this June. Cash prizes will also be awarded to SABR chapters with the most referrals.

Visit SABR.org/500-club to learn more.

Join SABR’s Campaign for Baseball Research!

Research isn’t just part of our name—it’s the heart of everything we do.

From our expansive Research Collection to the powerful tools and resources we offer baseball scholars and fans alike, SABR is where baseball’s past meets its future. We’re working towards our vision of becoming the essential community for baseball worldwide—and we can’t do it without you.

This spring, we invite you to join the Campaign for Baseball Research. Our goal is to raise $75,000 to expand, maintain, and preserve SABR’s Research Collection and Research Resources for current and future generations of baseball enthusiasts. We will use your best gift of $150, $300, $500, or $1,000 to better serve our growing membership base, attract more attention for our research, and offer new research tools to all corners of the worldwide baseball community.

To donate or learn more about recent Research Collection projects and upgrades to our Research Resources, assets, and tools made possible by your donations visit sabr.org/donate/research-campaign.

Call for papers: 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference

SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center have announced a call for papers for the seventh annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, scheduled as a virtual event for September 19-21, 2025.

Registration information will be available soon at SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Women Beyond the Diamond.” Topics can focus on ideas such as announcers, owners, executives, writers, artists, architects, and much more. All topics and time periods related to women’s baseball are welcome. Abstracts accepted for posters and/or oral presentations.

Please submit abstracts of approximately 200 words, along with contact information and a short biography, by July 1, 2025, to Leslie Heaphy.

The SABR Bookshelf: Spring 2025

Periodically throughout the year, SABR.org publishes The SABR Bookshelf, a listing of new books that are received at the SABR office.

Click here for more detailed information on dozens of new baseball books published in Spring 2025.

To view previous listings in The SABR Bookshelf, click here.

SABR scholarships awarded to St. Joseph’s University students for Negro Leagues exhibit

St. Joseph’s University students Luke Ortolani and Noah Binczewski have been awarded scholarships by SABR’s Connie Mack-Dick Allen Chapter in Philadelphia for their research and development of a new Negro Leagues exhibit to be permanently installed on campus as part of the ongoing “A League Apart” project.

The scholarships were funded through the SABR Local Grants program. The Mack-Allen Chapter was one of six recipients of a Local Grant in 2025.

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

Download the 2025 Board of Directors Election Guide

SABR members, please pay attention to the e-mail address that you have on file with SABR; you will receive a message from tellers@sabr.org on Wednesday, April 23 with a link to vote online in the 2025 SABR Board of Directors election. The poll will close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on May 7. The only way to vote online is through the link you will receive by e-mail. All e-mails will come from the address tellers@sabr.org.

Election Guide: Click here to download the 2025 SABR Election Guide (PDF)
Virtual Candidate Forum: Click here to watch a replay of the 2025 Virtual Candidate Forum (YouTube)

You will find two items on the 2025 election ballot: the election of the SABR Board President and two (2) Directors positions. Click here to learn more.

Students, apply for a Fall 2025 internship with SABR

The Society for American Baseball Research is seeking student interns to work during the Fall 2025 semester from September 1-December 1. The remote internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week with a flexible schedule. The internship will be for a fixed period of time and is designed to provide the intern with skills and training that may be applicable to working in a nonprofit research environment or in other research-based organizations.

Please send a resume and cover letter in PDF form to jpomrenke@sabr.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

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

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 Biography Project

Joe Rabbitt, by Darren Gibson
Frank Rhoner, by Bill Lamb
Matt Williams, by Joseph Wancho

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

6 new stories published at SABR Games Project

April 25, 1901: After Cleveland’s Erve Beck slugs American League’s first home run, White Sox rally to win John Skopec’s debut, by Andrew Harner
August 8, 1906: Doc Hillebrand’s shutout moves Ottawa closer to first place in outlaw league, by Gary Belleville
September 8, 1950: Ottawa Nationals clinch third Border League pennant in four seasons, by Gary Belleville
August 1, 1966: Phillies prevail in extra innings on Dick Allen’s walk-off inside-the-park home run, by Steve Ginader
August 18, 2003: Steve Trachsel throws his second one-hitter of season to lead Mets past Rockies, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
April 10, 2018: Red Sox thrash Yankees to post best 10-game start; play 10 error-free games, by Bill Nowlin

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

Here Comes the Pizzer: The Found Poetry of Baseball Broadcasts
Edited by Eric Poulin

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:

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
Tomas Colon	Holyoke, MA	John Kelly	Raheny, IRE
Christopher Doscher	Laurel, MD	Pedro Nieves Torrens	Bayamon, PRI
John Elrod	Chicago, IL	Scott Orgera	Bronx, NY
Ricky Fernandez	Houston, TX	Griffin Snyder	Cheektowaga, NY
Ross Glatzer	Lancaster, SC	Tom Stokes	Jefferson City, MO
Alan Hampton	Vancouver, BC	Mark Turcotte	Lewiston, ME
Jeffrey Hass	Katonah, NY	Logan Yi	Aldie, VA

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Tal Smith (“60th Anniversary of the Houston Astrodome”); Ken Clawson (“St. Petersburg Spring Training History Tour”); Dan Schlossberg (Home Run King); and the 19th Century Book Club (A Game of Brawl). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

April 21: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Lynn Ames (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 21: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CDT)
April 22: Casey Stengel (NYC) Chapter meeting with John Nogowski (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 23: Elysian Fields/Goose Goslin (NJ) Chapter meeting with Jerry Izenberg (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 23: Roush-Lopez Gulf Coast Chapter meeting with Bob Kendrick (7:00 p.m. EDT)
April 24: Games and Simulations Committee meeting with Nate Edwards (8:00 p.m. EDT)
April 26: Schott-Pelican (LA) Chapter meeting (10:00 a.m. CDT)
April 26: Central Florida Chapter meeting with Sam Zygner (11:00 a.m. EDT)
April 26: Bay Area/Sacramento Joint Chapter meeting with Marshall Garvey and Jason Cannon (11:00 a.m. PDT)
April 27: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Robert Elias (7:00 p.m. EDT)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

April 18: Maddux Brothers-Las Vegas Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Las Vegas, NV)
April 19: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
April 19: Halsey Hall Chapter spring meeting (Minneapolis, MN)
April 19: Oklahoma Chapter meeting (Tulsa, OK)
April 21: Bill Pearch: Dwight, Illinois: Where Big League Talent Met Small Town America (Dwight, IL)
April 22: Northwest Ohio Chapter book club meeting (Toledo, OH)
April 25: Hank Gowdy Columbus Chapter Ohio State ballgame/meet-up (Columbus, OH)
April 25-26: SABR Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference (Cooperstown, NY)
April 26: Connecticut Smoky Joe Wood Chapter breakfast (Middletown, CT)
April 26: Pee Wee Reese Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Louisville, KY)
April 27: Bob Davids Chapter: Day of the Book Festival (Kensington, MD)
April 27: Baltimore/Philadelphia joint chapter ballgame/meet-up (Salisbury, MD)

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

Minor Leagues: Spring 2025 newsletter

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

Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: Spring 2025 newsletter (Baltimore, MD)
Larry Dierker Chapter: April 12 meeting recap (Sugar Land, TX)
Mathewson-Plank Chapter: Spring 2025 newsletter (Harrisburg, PA)
Rogers Hornsby Chapter: April 2025 newsletter (Austin, TX)

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:

Save 40% off the purchase of baseball books at University of Nebraska Press through June 13
Eno Sarris/Brittany Ghiroli/Jen McCaffrey: MLB bat path metrics, speed training, fitting tech: Is hitting finally catching up? (The Athletic)
David Adler: How Juan Soto developed his two-strike batting stance (MLB.com)
Lynda Lin Grigsby: ‘Baseball was their glue’: Jackie Robinson’s deep bond with LA’s Japanese Americans (The Guardian)
Justin Tinsley: The uncomfortable reality around this year’s Jackie Robinson Day (Andscape)
Ryan Fagan: From ‘42’ to .466 to Significance Beyond Baseball: Celebrating Negro Leagues History on Jackie Robinson Day (Opta Analyst)
Dayn Perry: How MLB lumber has changed, from corking and axe handles all the way to torpedo bats (CBS Sports)
Sarah Langs: From a No. 1 battery to historic stretch of zeroes (MLB.com)
Tyler Kepner: For MLB umpire Mark Ripperger, a ‘very good’ game turned out to be perfect (The Athletic)
David Laurila: A Conversation With Seattle Mariners Director of Pitching Strategy Trent Blank (FanGraphs)
Russell A. Carleton: Take Your Cap Off (Baseball Prospectus)
Mike Petriello: Meet the 90 mph pitch that can move like a knuckleball (MLB.com)
Davy Andrews: This Is How You Earn (Or Lose) One Fielding Run (FanGraphs)
Mark Simon: The All-Scrapes team (Sports Info Solutions)
Stephanie Apstein: Kristian Campbell Is the Red Sox’ Greenest Monster (Sports Illustrated)
Jayson Stark: Twins’ Jose Miranda summons his inner ‘Hamilton’ (The Athletic)
John Shipley: At Capitol and Stillwater, a swing to commemorate baseball history (TwinCities.com)
Peter Cox: Minnesota baseball lovers make a pitch to honor bygone ballpark, two historic St. Paul teams (Minnesota Public Radio)
Jay Jaffe: Spencer Torkelson’s Adjustments Have Paid Off So Far (FanGraphs)
Derrick Goold: What midgame correction says about Andre Pallante’s accelerating learning curve as starter (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Daniel R. Epstein: What a 0.00 ERA Looks Like (Baseball Prospectus)
Patrick Ellington Jr.: The Fernando Rodney Experience Is Everlasting (Substack)
Eric Stephen: Memories of 5,000 Dodgers games at Dodger Stadium (True Blue LA)
Ben Clemens: Inside Pete Alonso There Are Two Swings (FanGraphs)
Grant Brisbee: Jung Hoo Lee is playing like the superstars the Giants have long coveted (The Athletic)
Tom Hoffarth: Poetic justice, sonnetized and unsanitized, leaning into wisdom (Farther Off the Wall)
Jimmy Parker: A Beauty of a Book Review: The Great American Baseball Scrapbook (Uni Watch)
Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Chris Jensen (Baseball and BBQ)
Jason Schwartz: An Ambitious Set that Nearly Pulls Off the Impossible (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Chris Kamka: Beyond the Ballparks: Cactus League History in Mesa (SABR Landmarks)
Derek Bain: Tony La Russa’s Ultimate Baseball game tutorial (SABR Games and Simulations)

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: April 18, 2025. Last Updated: April 18, 2025.

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