This Week in SABR: December 20, 2024

December 20, 2024/in This Week in SABR /by Jacob Pomrenke

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, December 20, 2024. Click here to view this newsletter on the web. Please note: The SABR office will be closed for the holidays on December 24-25 and January 1. The next newsletter will be sent on Friday, January 3, 2025.

SABR 2024: Year in Review
Give the gift of SABR this holiday season
In Memoriam: John Holway
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2025
Apply for scholarships to attend 2025 SABR Analytics Conference
Last call: 2025 research award nominations

SABR 2024: Year in Review

From a groundbreaking study of independent Negro Leagues teams to a star-studded convention of Hall of Famers in Minneapolis, SABR has enjoyed a banner year in 2024. Thanks to all of our chapter and committee leaders, donors, writers, editors, volunteers, and contributors who have helped make the SABR community such a rewarding experience for so many baseball fans around the world!

This year, we launched a new MLB Team Employee Database online. We also published more than 1,200 articles online in the SABR Research Collection, including new stories from the Biography Project and Games Project, and many older articles from SABR’s archives over the past half-century. We expanded our Local Grants program, partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, and launched a new Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship.

Hundreds of virtual SABR events were held online with authors, former players, and other guest speakers, including a new live Oral History interview series with prominent baseball figures like Hall of Famer Harold Baines, Ken Singleton, Dave Righetti, and Mike Hargrove.

SABR members enjoyed meeting new and old friends by attending the SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference and the Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference in Cooperstown, and the virtual Women in Baseball Conference.

New books from the SABR Digital Library included titles on Sandy Koufax, Dodger Stadium, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and Negro League champions from Baltimore. We published a new volume of Turnstyle on baseball and the arts and we also unveiled the Dazzling Debuts book and companion website on first at-bat home runs.

Thanks again for an outstanding 2024, and we look forward to more fun for SABR in 2025!

Give the gift of SABR this holiday season

This holiday season, it’s easy to share that passion for the game with friends and family. If you’re looking for a great gift for the baseball fan in your life, how about a SABR Gift Membership? All baseball fans are welcome to join SABR.

Click here to learn more about how to sign up a family member or friend with a SABR Gift Membership.

Visit SABR.org/gift-membership to learn more.

In Memoriam: John Holway

Before John Holway, most scholarly baseball research focused on the professional game in America. Holway’s research over the course of nearly eight decades brought recognition and fame to forgotten players around the world.

“John Holway has been researching baseball since 1944,” John Thorn wrote in SABR’s Baseball Research Journal in 2011. “Few, if any, may boast longer or more noteworthy contributions to baseball research.”

Because of Holway, Thorn wrote, knowledge and understanding of the Negro Leagues grew exponentially. A pioneer in researching baseball in the Negro Leagues and Japan, which earned him acclaim as a recipient of SABR’s Henry Chadwick Award and Bob Davids Award, Holway died on December 5 at the age of 95 in Springfield, Virginia.

— Peter Warren

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

Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2025

In 2025, all SABR members exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically twice a year. The Spring 2025 issue will be sent out in April. However, if you are interested in a paperback copy of BRJ for your personal library, we have rolled out a subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail.

To subscribe and receive a printed edition of BRJ, visit SABR.org/subscribe
(If you have any questions about your subscription, please email brjsubscribe@sabr.org.)

Click here for a short video on how to subscribe to printed copies of BRJ.

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) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value). SABR membership will be fulfilled after event sign-up and access to Rapsodo course will be delivered after the conference.
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.

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.

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.

Apply now for a SABR Local Grant in 2025

The SABR Local Grants program provides an opportunity for chapters, research committees, and chartered communities to apply for funding for their projects under SABR’s Four Pillars: Research, Scholarship, Preservation, and Future of the Game.

Applications are now open for a 2025 SABR Local Grant at SABR.org/local-grants. Submissions will be accepted until January 31, 2025. A Grants Review Board will review all submissions and respond with their final determination in February 2025.

Visit SABR.org/local-grants to learn more or to apply.

SABR Games Project: Authors’ Choice 2024

The SABR Games Project polled our authors to nominate the favorite articles that they wrote in 2024. Twenty-five authors responded and their stories are collected online at SABR.org. Click here to view the full list.

These stories are a great reflection of the spirit of the Games Project, covering games from 1877 through 2023, and including selections from the minor leagues, amateur baseball, and women’s baseball.

Writing a story 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.

Save the date! SABR Day is February 1, 2025

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 1, 2025, when we will hold our annual SABR Day celebration! SABR Day is a way for all baseball fans to come together, regardless of where they live, and talk about the game we all love.

Regional chapters are also encouraged to plan their own SABR Day events (virtually or in person) throughout the months of January or February to celebrate the start of a new baseball season.

Chapter leaders, please email Jacob Pomrenke as you finalize your SABR Day plans so we can update our comprehensive schedule of events, which are posted online at SABR.org/sabrday.

Call for volunteers: Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires

Thanks to the hard work of a fantastic team of volunteers, more than 100,000 Bill Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires of players from 1945-2005 have now been transcribed. These questionnaires will give baseball researchers tremendous first-hand knowledge from the pens of 18-year-old minor-leaguers.

We’re now seeking volunteers to help match the players to their Baseball-Reference IDs, making it easier for everyone to find their favorite player. We have finished more than one-third of the players so far, and we are seeking more help to finish by the end of 2024. No experience or time commitment is needed, just a love for baseball, data, and history. You can jump right into volunteering at tinyurl.com/WeissPage, or reach out to Jason Sigler to get an informational video and more instructions.

Writing Opportunities: Player Biographies

As part of a “team completion” project, we are seeking SABR members to write biographies of a number of former ballplayers: in particular, Paul Quantrill and John Flaherty. We would also welcome people who might like to write bios of Wes Chamberlain, Sergio Valdez, and several other players.

Please contact editor Bill Nowlin if you would like to contribute with any of these biographies.

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

New Oral History interview: Frank Viola

Frank Viola, former Minnesota Twins Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP
Recorded December 17, 2024, by John McMurray

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

12 new stories published at SABR Games Project

May 8, 1968: Oakland’s emerging ace Catfish Hunter fires perfect game against Minnesota, by Andrew Harner
August 7, 1971: Nervous Vida Blue wins his 20th game as A’s top White Sox, 1-0, by Laura H. Peebles
April 17, 1972: Campus strike moves exhibition between A’s and Cal Bears to Oakland Coliseum, by Kurt Blumenau
October 7, 1972: A’s win ALCS opener in 11 innings thanks to Gonzalo Márquez’s pinch-hit single, by Gary Belleville
May 5, 1978: A’s beat Tigers in matchup of unexpected first-place teams in front of meager Oakland crowd, by Steve Ginader
June 24, 1979: Rickey Henderson makes his major-league debut for Oakland A’s, by Ray Danner
September 29, 1983: Oakland’s Mike Warren caps first major-league season by no-hitting White Sox, by Richard Cuicchi
May 29, 1990: Rickey Henderson breaks Ty Cobb’s AL stolen-base record as A’s fall to Blue Jays, by Jake Rinloan
October 1, 2003: Bullpen woes doom Red Sox as they lose to A’s in ALDS opener, by Donna L. Halper
June 12, 2004: Salomón Torres brushback ejection turning point in Oakland’s 12-11 win over Pirates, by John Fredland
July 22, 2015: A’s celebrate extra-inning win over Blue Jays again after umpire’s call is upheld, by Madison McEntire
September 26, 2024: A’s beat Rangers in the last game at Oakland Coliseum, by Douglas Jordan

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

Dazzling Debuts: First At-Bat Home Runs
Edited by Giselle Stancic, Bill Nowlin, and Jacob Pomrenke

Visit SABR.org/dazzling-debuts for exclusive highlights online or to download the free e-book edition.

All SABR members are encouraged to submit nominations for our annual research awards, for works published or completed in 2024. The deadline to nominate is December 31:

Seymour Medal (history/biography books)
SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards (baseball analytics research)
Larry Ritter Book Award (Deadball Era books)
Russell Gabay Award (New Jersey baseball)
SABR Baseball Research Award (outstanding research articles/projects)
McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award (best history/biography articles)

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). For more information on SABR Awards, click here.

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
Ryan Bologna	Greenwich, CT	Meghan Makarski	Denton, TX
Matthew Edelson	Washington, DC	Bud McKay	Naples, FL
Genesis English	Bowling Green, KY	Hugh Polley	Cambridge, MA
Joshua Feinman	New York, NY	Gabrielle Raucci	Highland, NY
Eric Fischer	Brooklyn, NY	David Schaefer	Rockford, IL
Kevin Hurd	Aledo, TX	Jacob Young	Lewisville, TX
Ken Kalfus	Philadelphia, PA

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from former Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola; Dan Wallach (My Baseball History podcast); Scott Longert (Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman); and David Krell (Do You Believe In Magic?). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

December 23: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Allison Levin (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 30: Joint SABR chapter meeting: Chuck Hildebrandt (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 6: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with John Burbridge Jr. (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 7: Games and Simulations Committee meeting with Derek Bain and John Racanelli (8:00 p.m. EST)
January 8: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with David Krell (7:00 p.m. EST)
January 8: Joint SABR Chapter meeting with Dan Cichalski (7:00 p.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

December 21: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
December 21: Allan Roth Chapter meeting (Garden Grove, CA)

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

Women in Baseball: Winter 2024 newsletter

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

Halsey Hall Chapter: January 2025 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
Rocky Mountain Chapter: December 2024 newsletter (Denver, CO)
Rogers Hornsby Chapter: December 2024 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:

J.J. Cooper: MLB Study Finds Workload Efforts To Limit Pitching Injuries May Be Counterproductive (Baseball America)
Russell A. Carleton: The Impossible Decision (Baseball Prospectus)
Neal Rubin: An overdue book comes home to Warren after 50 years. What’s the late fee? (Detroit Free Press)
Davy Andrews: A First Look At Statcast’s Stolen Base Leaderboards (FanGraphs)
Rob Mains: A Second Opinion on Lineup Construction (Baseball Prospectus)
Tyler Kepner: The Yankees can’t replace Juan Soto. But their pivot plan has a powerful echo (The Athletic)
Stephanie Apstein: Yankees Ready to Arm Max Fried in His Relentless Pursuit of Improvement (Sports Illustrated)
Mark Simon: Which Pitchers Underachieved The Most in 2024? (Sports Info Solutions)
Zach Crizer: Is the Yankees-Red Sox AL East Arms Race Back On? (Opta Analyst)
Stephen J. Nesbitt/Chad Jennings: Where have all the power-hitting first basemen gone? (The Athletic)
Jay Jaffe: JAWS and the 2025 Hall of Fame Ballot: Russell Martin (FanGraphs)
Daniel R. Epstein: Remember Mike Trout? (Baseball Prospectus)
David Laurila: Brooks Lee Embraces the Art of Hitting (FanGraphs)
Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Bill Pulsipher (Baseball and BBQ)
Roy Carlson: 1969 Topps Magic Rub-Off Set a Clear Winner (Sports Collectors Digest)
Gary Mintz: Interview with author Richard Cuicchi (New York Giants Preservation Society)
Jason Schwartz: The first baseball card Easter egg? (SABR Baseball Cards)
David Bussell: Playing with the Void (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.

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.

Originally published: December 20, 2024. Last Updated: December 20, 2024.

Search the Research Collection

SABR Analytics Conference