This Week in SABR: August 23, 2019

August 23, 2019/in This Week in SABR /by Jason Best

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 August 23, 2019:

SABR Defensive Index rankings released through August 18

Arizona shortstop Nick Ahmed and Oakland third baseman Matt Chapman remain in the top spots in their respective leagues in the most recent SABR Defensive Index™ rankings.

Click here to view full SDI rankings by position through games of Sunday, August 18.

For the seventh consecutive season, the SABR Defensive Index will be 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 will be added to the votes from the managers and coaches.

The final SDI results will be released following the conclusion of the 2019 season at SABR.org/SDI. The SDI is compiled by the SABR Defensive Committee, which includes former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro; Sean Forman of Baseball-Reference.com; Ben Jedlovec, MLB’s Director of Engineering, Data Quality; SABR Director F.X. Flinn; author and defensive metrics expert Chris Dial; and author Michael Humphreys.

Seeking nominations for the 2020 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

What are the best baseball analytics articles you’ve read so far in 2019?

We’re seeking nominations for the 2020 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: 2020-analytics-awards@sabr.org no later than December 31, 2019. Include author, title, date of publication and a URL link (if applicable).

Results will be announced and presented at the ninth annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 13-15, 2020, at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more at SABR.org/analytics.

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

Call for papers: 2020 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 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 2020 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 12th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 24-25, 2020.

The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2019. Your abstract must be between 200-400 words for a 20- to 25-minute presentation. Please include name, title, and contact information and send your proposal as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to Peter Mancuso at peterplus4@earthlink.net.

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

Two weeks left to submit abstracts for 2019 SABR/IWBC Arizona Fall League Experience

All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a research presentation proposal abstract on any topic related to women in baseball for the SABR/IWBC Arizona Fall League Experience on Thursday, October 10 to Saturday, October 12, 2019, in Phoenix, Arizona.

This conference is focused on women in baseball, co-hosted by the International Women’s Baseball Center, and held in conjunction with the Arizona Fall League (MLB.com/AFL), baseball’s premier player development league. In past years, attendees have been treated to sneak peeks at MLB stars like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Stephen Strasburg, Nolan Arenado, Gerrit Cole, Gary Sanchez, Peter Alonso, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Ronald Acuña Jr. before they hit the big leagues.

To apply: Please send a 150-200 word abstract to Leslie Heaphy at Lheaphy@kent.edu by September 2, 2019. Please include full contact information and a short bio. Please note: You must be registered for the conference in order to give a presentation.

All baseball fans are welcome to attend the SABR Arizona Fall League Experience.

Registration: Click here to register online. Registration is $199 for all SABR members and guests; $219 for non-members. Single-day rates are available for $90 on Friday (includes breakfast and game ticket) or $110 on Saturday (including breakfast, lunch, and game ticket).
Hotel: SABR’s recommended hotel is The Saguaro (4000 North Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251) in Old Town Scottsdale. Please e-mail Ally Bascom at abascom@thesaguaro.com or call 480-385-4800 and mention “SABR” to book your room at our special group rate of $189/night (plus tax).

Visit SABR.org/AFL for registration information and complete details.

Save the date! Join us for the 2020 SABR Analytics Conference

SABR is pleased to announce that the ninth annual SABR Analytics Conference will be held Friday, March 13 to Sunday, March 15, 2020 at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown is at 100 N. 1st St., Phoenix, AZ 85004. Conference registration and hotel information for the 2020 conference will be available beginning in October 2019 at SABR.org/analytics.

The SABR Analytics Conference brings together industry insiders from the baseball community, data innovators, thought leaders, members of the media and college students who will participate in the popular Diamond Dollars Case Competition.

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more.

**Read all stories from The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts online**

The National Pastime serves as SABR’s convention-focused publication. Published annually, this research journal provides in-depth articles focused on the respective geographic region where the national convention is taking place in a given year.

The SABR 49 convention took place this summer in San Diego, and we have dedicated the theme of The National Pastime to baseball on the Pacific Coast. All SABR members receive a free e-book copy of The National Pastime as part of their membership benefits, while attendees of the national convention also received a souvenir print edition in their goody bags.

All articles from the 2019 convention journal, The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts, can now be read online at SABR.org:

https://sabr.org/research/2019-national-pastime

Click a link below to download the e-book edition or purchase a paperback edition of the 2019 convention journal, The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts.

Kindle/MOBI: To download the MOBI/Kindle version of The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts, click here (8.4 MB)
EPUB: To download the EPUB file — for use on iBooks, iPads, Nook or Sony Reader — of The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts, click here (3.8 MB)
PDF: To download a PDF version of The National Pastime: Pacific Ghosts, click here (2.2 MB)
Paperback: To purchase a copy of the print edition from Amazon.com, click here

If you weren’t able to attend the convention in San Diego, please enjoy this issue of The National Pastime as your virtual trip to SABR 49. Happy reading!

SABR Digital Library: The Newark Eagles Take Flight: The Story of the 1946 Negro League Champions

Add a soaring baseball book to your collection with our newest title from the SABR Digital Library:

The Newark Eagles Take Flight: The Story of the 1946 Negro League Champions
Edited by Frederick C. Bush and Bill Nowlin
Associate Editors: Rich Applegate and Len Levin
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-9701-5906-6, $9.99
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-9701-5907-3, $29.99
8.5″ x 11″, 230 pages

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

SABR members, get this e-book for FREE!

E-book: Click here to download the e-book version of The Newark Eagles Take Flight for FREE from the SABR Store. Available in PDF, Kindle/MOBI and EPUB formats.
Paperback: Get a 50% discount on the The Newark Eagles Take Flight paperback edition from the SABR Store ($15.99 includes shipping/tax; delivery via Kindle Direct Publishing can take up to 4-6 weeks.)

SABRcast with Rob Neyer: Listen to an interview with filmmaker Aviva Kempner

Listen to a new episode of SABRcast with Rob Neyer, a new weekly podcast hosted by award-winning author and longtime SABR member Rob Neyer — which is now available on your favorite podcast streaming services! Subscribe to SABRcast on your favorite podcast networks, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play, and listen to each episode as soon as it’s released on Mondays.

Visit SABR.org/sabrcast to listen to Episode #21 — our guest this week is Aviva Kempner, a SABR member and an award-winning documentarian whose latest film is Moe Berg: The Spy Behind Home Plate, the first ever feature-length documentary about the enigmatic baseball catcher and Jewish hero.

Every week, SABRcast will feature insights and analysis of what’s happening in modern baseball on and off the field, plus compelling interviews with figures from around the game — and music from The Baseball Project.

To learn more, visit SABR.org/sabrcast.

Students: Apply for a Fall 2019 internship with SABR

SABR is seeking Fall 2019 interns to work in our office in Phoenix, Arizona.

An internship with SABR will involve responsibilities across a variety of disciplines, possibly including:

Working on-site at a local SABR conference, such as the SABR/IWBC Arizona Fall League Experience
Working with our Membership Director or Director of Operations on organizational duties, membership renewal drives, customer service
Working with our Director of Editorial Content to help publish and/or produce content for our website at SABR.org

The internship is an educational opportunity that may count toward college credit, covering 15-20 hours per week (flexible schedule), at the SABR office in Phoenix, Arizona.

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

Become a Friend of SABR by joining our On-Deck Circle with monthly giving

SABR’s mission is to foster the study, discussion, and understanding of all aspects of baseball. In order to fulfill this mission, we rely not only on member dues but also gifts from our generous supporters. You can become a Friend of SABR by giving as little as $10 per month. When you do so, you will be inducted into a community of passionate baseball fans dedicated to supporting SABR’s work.

Get in the SABR On-Deck Circle, and help SABR become the essential community for the world of baseball. Your support will build capacity around all things SABR, including publications, website content, podcast development, and community growth.

A monthly gift is deducted from your bank account or charged to a credit card until you tell us to stop. No more email, mail, or phone reminders.

Visit SABR.org/donate or contact Ben Rose at brose@sabr.org to learn more.

SABR members, get a discount when you subscribe to Baseball Digest Archive

Baseball Digest is pleased to announce the launch of the Baseball Digest Archive.

Every regular print issue of Baseball Digest from 1942 through March/April 2019 is viewable and searchable online at BaseballDigestArchive.com.

Interested SABR members can subscribe using a special Discount Coupon Code to receive 36% off a one-year rate. Click here to view the discount code at SABR.org.

Register now for the 2019 SABR Minnesota 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium

The SABR Minnesota 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2019, at the Minneapolis Public Library, 300 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The day-long Saturday symposium will be devoted to 19th-century baseball as it was played and evolved in Minnesota and the greater Midwest region. The event is a joint project of the SABR Nineteenth Century Committee, SABR’s Halsey Hall Chapter, and the Hennepin County Library.

Register: Click here to register online for the symposium. You may also download the registration form and mail a check made out to “SABR” to Peter Mancuso, 6970 Ely Road, New Hope, PA 18938. The deadline to register is November 8, 2019.
Cost: $40 per person. Fee includes continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and afternoon beverages and snacks.
Schedule: Click here to download the full schedule and registration details (PDF)

Guest speakers are expected to include John Thorn, MLB’s Official Historian; Larry Millett, longtime St. Paul Pioneer Press architecture critic and author of more than 10 books, including The Curve of the Arch and Lost Twin Cities; Stew Thornley, author of Baseball in Minnesota: A Definitive History and other books; Dan Levitt, author of Paths to Glory: How Great Baseball Teams Got That Way and other books; Mike Haupert, Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse; Kristin Anderson, art and architecture professor and author of an upcoming book on the history of sports facilities in the Twin Cities; Frank White, author of They Played for the Love of the Game: Untold Stories of Black Baseball in Minnesota; Brian Madigan, SABR member and associate librarian for Hennepin County Libraries; and more.

For more information, contact event organizers at sabrMN19c@gmail.com.

Hotel block almost sold out for SABR Black Sox Scandal Centennial Symposium

Register now to join us for the SABR Black Sox Scandal Centennial Symposium on September 27-29, 2019, in Chicago. The SABR Black Sox Scandal Research Committee will host this once-in-a-century event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1919 World Series.

The event — which is open to all baseball fans — will be highlighted by a research symposium on Saturday, September 28 at the Chicago History Museum.

Please note: There are only a handful of rooms left in our courtesy room block at the Palmer House Hilton. If you want to take advantage of our special discounted rate of $179/night there, register for the Black Sox symposium now to receive the booking link. Sorry, our White Sox ticket block and walking tours are now sold out.

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

7 new SABR biographies published

Seven new biographies were posted this week as part of the SABR Baseball Biography Project, which brings us to a total of 4,985 published biographies. Here are the new bios published this week:

Mike Busch, by David Porter
Octavius Catto, by Robert Elias (first-time author)
Lave Cross, by Phil Williams
Tommy “T-Bone” Giordano, by Andrew Sharp
Ryan Kurosaki, by Rory Costello
Jackie Price, by Andrew Sharp
Dick Wakefield, by Warren Corbett

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

Search for any SABR biography: You can now visit sabr.org/bioproj_search to search for any player — or manager, executive, scout, spouse, broadcaster, or umpire — who appears in the SABR BioProject. You can also browse all of these BioProject categories and a lot more, including 300-game winners, Hall of Famers, 1960s All-Stars, or Negro Leaguers, at our Browse page: sabr.org/bioproj/browse.

2 new stories published by the SABR Games Project

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

June 14, 1959: Carl Erskine hangs ’em up with Dodgers, by Jack Zerby
May 23, 2002: Shawn Green hits four home runs, sets record with 19 total bases, by Mike Huber

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

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.

**Listen to Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM on Saturdays**

Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR Style on SiriusXM, a radio show hosted by former SABR Board President Vince Gennaro, will air this season at a new time. Listen in from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET on Saturdays on MLB Network Radio.

This week’s guests are Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs and Craig Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.

You can also listen to archives of recent episodes on-demand on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App. Click here to learn more.

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.

SABR 49 Board minutes posted

Minutes from the Board of Directors meetings during SABR 49 on June 26-30, 2019, have now been posted on the SABR website.

You can view all past minutes of SABR Board meetings by going to the page below:

http://sabr.org/content/sabr-board-minutes

Or you can go to the Members’ Info page and click on “Org. files”, then “Board Minutes” to view the minutes.

Seeking book designers for SABR Publications Program

Are you a SABR member with book design experience? As our Publications Program grows, so does our need for folks who can handle book layout and ebook creation duties. QuarkXPress or InDesign preferred.

If you’d like more information or to throw your hat into the ring, please email your resume and book design samples to Cecilia Tan at PubDir@sabr.org.

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: https://sabr.org/content/this-week-in-sabr-archives.

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
Jennifer Blatt	Phoenix, AZ	Christopher Lok	Waterloo, ON
Kurt Blumenau	Millis, MA	Ronald Pandy	Tucson, AZ
Cheekay Brandon	Providence, RI	Bobby Salerno	Seminole, FL
Elliot Feldman	Bethesda, MD	Marideth Sandler	Washington, DC
Richard Granucci	Sparks, NV	Eiki Satake	Waltham, MA
Pete Haines	Toano, VA	Wayne Schlosser	Medicine Hat, AB
Jacob Kornhauser	Los Angeles, CA	Wes Singletary	Tallahassee, FL
Jay Kriegel	Oklahoma City, OK	Zach Vinik	Millburn, NJ

Research Committee news

Here are the new research committee updates this week:

Business of Baseball: Seeking volunteers for MLB Team Employee Directory project

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

Regional Chapter news

Here are the new regional chapter updates this week:

Gardner-Waterman Vermont Chapter: August 18 meeting recap (Burlington, VT)
Halsey Hall Chapter: September 2019 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: August 2019 newsletter (Milwaukee, WI)
Larry Dierker Chapter: August 19 meeting recap (Houston, TX)
Rogers Hornsby Chapter: August 18 meeting recap (Austin, TX)

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:

August 24: Babe Ruth/Connie Mack Chapter joint meeting/ballgame (Wilmington, DE)
August 24: Quebec Chapter summer meeting (Quebec City, QC)
August 26: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter meeting (St. Louis, MO)
August 28: Magnolia Chapter “Fourth Wednesday” meeting (Tucker, GA)
August 30: Dusty Baker-Sacramento Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Sacramento, CA)
August 31: Lefty O’Doul Chapter meeting (San Francisco, CA)
September 2: Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter tailgate party/ballgame (Milwaukee, WI)
September 4: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter monthly meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
September 4: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: “Peeps at the Peeb” monthly meeting (Baltimore, MD)
September 7: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)
September 7: Ted Williams Chapter meeting (San Diego, CA)
September 7: Hemond-Delhi Arizona Chapter monthly luncheon (Phoenix, AZ)
September 9: Halsey Hall Chapter research committee meeting (Brooklyn Center, MN)
September 11: Bob Davids Chapter Monthly Hot Stove Dinner (Arlington, VA)

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:

Call for papers: 2020 NINE Spring Training Conference
Mark Simon: Which teams are the most improved defensively in baseball? (The Athletic)
Jayson Stark: My ride on the hot-dog launcher with the Phillie Phanatic (The Athletic)
Jim Albert: What’s causing the 2019 home run explosion? (WordPress)
Dale Murphy: In praise of bench players, the glue of their teams — and more valuable than ever (The Athletic)
Jay Jaffe: We’ve reached peak position players pitching (FanGraphs)
Andy McCullough: The cornerstone, the journeymen, the closer and the reclamation project: How the A’s keep up in a changing league (The Athletic)
Greg Prince: Al Jackson, an Original Met and a family man (Fear and Faith in Flushing)
Zach Crizer: How to play baseball in the Atlantic League (Baseball Prospectus)
David Laurila: Broadcasters’ view: Who have been the top players in the South Atlantic League? (FanGraphs)
Craig Edwards: The real reliever problem in baseball (FanGraphs)
Craig Goldstein: Debut seasons are better than before (Baseball Prospectus)
Lindsey Adler: How Christina Williamson, a performance science analyst, has become essential to the Yankees (The Athletic)
Vince Guerrieri: How Cleveland and New Orleans almost shared a team (The Hardball Times)
Chris Wimmer: Infamous America podcast: The Big Bankroll and the Black Sox Scandal (Black Barrel Media)
Michele Catalano: In defense of the home run (The Hardball Times)
Peter Schwartz: Cooperstown’s own field of dreams, Doubleday Field (NY Sports Day)
Samuel Evers: A history of defunct team nicknames (The Hardball Times)
Jeff Cohen: Baseball and BBQ interviews with Chris Epting and Lori Rubinson (Baseball and BBQ)
Andrew Sharp: My 1887 Old Judge…not! (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
John Racanelli: 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers and Bill Madlock’s Subtle Badassery (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)
Jason Schwartz: Diamond Stars fails its background check (SABR Baseball Cards Blog)

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.

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