This Week in SABR: February 14, 2025
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
SABR Analytics Conference: Early-bird discounts end next week
Bruce Bochy to be honored with 2025 Roland Hemond Award
SABR 53: 2 days left to submit presentation abstracts
ProQuest US newspapers added to SABR Research Resources
Last call: Apply for 2025 Local Grant applications
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2025 SABR Analytics Conference: Balance of Analytics and Culture and Brewers Front Office 360 and panels
We’re just over one month away from the SABR Analytics Conference on March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona! The early-bird registration discounts will expire next week on Friday, February 21, so sign up today to join us. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. We’re excited to announce more of our featured panels which will include:
The Balance of Analytics and Culture
- Burke Badenhop, Special Assistant to the General Manager, Arizona Diamondbacks, and former major-league pitcher
- Michael Girsch, Vice President, Special Projects, St. Louis Cardinals
- Max Glick, Director of Baseball Research and Development, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Moderator: Brian Kenny, MLB Network
Milwaukee Brewers Front Office 360
- Eric Babitz, Director of Player Acquisition
- Andrew Fox, Vice President, Baseball Research and Development
- Phil Hauser, Director of Baseball Data Engineering
- Everett Johnson, Senior Analyst, Baseball Research and Development
- Maggie Noffke, Manager of Baseball Application Development
- Daniel Oh, Senior Software Engineer
- Megan Stewart, Lead Strategist, Movement Solutions
- Dan Turkenkopf, Vice President, Baseball Strategy & Innovation
In addition, Vivienne Pelletier, an Arizona State University doctoral student whose baseball research focuses on physics simulations and biomechanical analysis on hitting, will be part of the Evolution of Baseball Analysts Panel along with Kyle Boddy of Driveline Baseball, Alex Caravan of Penn Interactive, and moderator Will Carroll. Click here to learn more about our Featured Speakers.
Please note: All speakers are subject to change depending on availability.
- 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. The deadline for early registration discounts is February 21, 2025. 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.
- 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.
Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more or to register.
Last chance to vote for Analytics Conference Research Award winners
Here’s your chance to vote for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards winners. The SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards 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 for the winners will be conducted online through Friday, February 14 at SABR.org, BaseballProspectus.com, FanGraphs.com, and IBWAA.com. Results will be announced and presented at the SABR Analytics Conference, March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona.
SABR 53: Bruce Bochy to be honored with Roland Hemond Award
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy will be honored at SABR 53 this summer with the Roland Hemond Award, which recognizes a baseball executive who has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to professional baseball scouts and scouting, and player development history.
“With four World Series titles and more than 2,100 wins, Bruce Bochy is one of our sport’s greatest all-time managers,” SABR Director Dan Evans said. “He is among baseball’s best ambassadors, constantly championing and supporting scouts and player development staff. That’s the essence of Roland Hemond and why we are thrilled that Bruce is the 2025 Roland Hemond Award recipient.”
Bochy will be one of our featured speakers at the 2025 SABR convention, scheduled for June 25-29 at the Westin DFW Airport hotel in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Visit SABR.org/convention to register now or learn more.
SABR 53: 2 days left to submit research presentation abstracts
SABR invites all members to present their research findings to their colleagues attending SABR 53, the annual convention on June 25-29, 2025, in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Oral presentations are expected to last 20 minutes, followed by a five minute question-and-answer period. Posters will be presented, with the author on-hand to discuss the work, during a poster session of 60 minutes and they will remain on display throughout the convention.
Click here to submit abstracts for SABR 53
The submission deadline for SABR 53 abstracts is 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
In addition, we seek volunteers who wish to participate in the blind review process (beginning in March) and/or on-site judging (at the convention in North Texas.) Those volunteers are also requested to apply by sending an email to convention-presentations@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.
Hundreds of ProQuest US newspapers added to SABR Research Resources
SABR members have enjoyed free online access to The Sporting News archives through Paper of Record, the Newspapers.com World Collection, and the Historical Black Newspapers Collection at ProQuest. This week, another important new archive has been added to our Research Resources as a benefit for all members.
The ProQuest Historical Newspapers: US Collection brings SABR’s archival offerings up to the present day with more than 600 publication titles from 35 states, including significant newspapers from major-league cities such as Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Tampa/St. Petersburg.
- SABR members, log in to view the Research Resources page and start browsing the ProQuest Historical Newspapers: US Collection.
Click here to view the full announcement at SABR.org.
Last call: Apply today for 2025 Local Grant applications
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.
The deadline to apply has been extended and applications are now open until February 14, 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.
By-Laws change proposed for special election beginning on February 19
The SABR Board of Directors recommends adoption of a new bylaw intended to avoid conflicts of interest in board service in a special election that will begin on February 19, 2025.
More specifically, the change is intended to avoid situations where board members, whether intentionally or not, might have access to information that could be useful to another competing organization, or might be unable to deliberate in the best interests of SABR due to their relationship with another organization.
An online voting ballot will be sent out from tellers@sabr.org to all eligible SABR voters on February 19. The voting period will remain open until March 5.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Call for papers: Volume 5 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts
SABR’s Baseball and the Arts Committee is seeking submissions for the upcoming Volume 5 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of the Baseball Arts. All SABR members are encouraged to send along your submission, or your questions, to editors Joanne Hulbert or Jay Hurd before June 1, 2025. Turnstyle accepts original literary and creative works including poetry, fiction, cartoons, artwork, photographs, and creative nonfiction, all under 1,500 words.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Seeking volunteers: MLB Team Employee Database
SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee would like to continue growing our MLB Team Employee Database and are looking for additional volunteers to enter data. We have several options for those who might want to help with data entry. Much of the information comes from team media guides, and we have some 2024 guides that have not yet been entered. For those looking to enter earlier data, The Sporting News — available through SABR’s Research Resources — has major-league level presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, treasurers, managers, etc. We can supply search terms so these can be found efficiently. If you might be willing to help, please contact Dan Levitt for further information.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
Ichiro Suzuki, Minnie Miñoso, and the ever expanding 4,000 Hit Club (and research team)
In 2013, Scott Simkus wrote an article for SABR.org about Ichiro Suzuki’s achievement of reaching the 4,000-hit milestone over the course of his career in Japan and the United States. It was, as it should have been, A Very Big Deal — a genuine source of baseball joy. But there were other players who had done the same if you include their career hits at the highest levels of the game in other countries. One of these was Minnie Miñoso.
Much has changed during the past dozen years. Suzuki was recently elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, falling just one vote shy of becoming the institution’s second unanimous selection. And Miñoso, the longtime Chicago White Sox fan favorite, was finally enshrined in 2022. The other big development is the scope of the 4,000 Hit Club. Amazingly, this exclusive group has now doubled in size. Simkus’s initial list included just nine players, but today we count no fewer than 18 documented players who have recorded 4,000 career professional hits.
Click here to read the full article at SABR.org.
Read 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants bios online
In 2024, SABR published The 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants, edited by Frederick C. Bush, Thomas Kern, and Bill Nowlin, celebrating one of Black baseball’s most memorable championship teams, led by a young Roy Campanella, future Hall of Famer Biz Mackey, Henry Kimbro, and player-manager Felton Snow.
All of the biographies from the 1939 Baltimore Elite Giants book can now be found online in the SABR BioProject.
The book also included an array of essays about the players and team officials that resulted in Baltimore’s 1939 crown, including a complete season timeline; a history of the Elite Giants organization; the story of Oriole Park in Baltimore; the historical context of the time, and some of the team’s standout games.
Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book for save 50% off the purchase of a paperback edition.
4 new stories published at SABR BioProject
- Evan Scribner, by David Bilmes
- Willie Stanard, by Vincent T. Ciaramella
- Jim Sundberg, by Justin Krueger
- Huyler Westervelt, by Bill Lamb
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR Biography Project or to get involved.
8 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- September 3, 1908: Rube Marquard, the $11,000 Beauty, throws minor-league no-hitter for Indianapolis, by Larry DeFillipo
- September 19, 1911: Rebel Oakes’ single completes four-run ninth-inning comeback as Cardinals top Boston, by Thomas E. Merrick
- September 6-10, 1939: Baltimore Elite Giants top Newark Eagles in Negro National League playoffs, by Mike Huber
- September 16-24, 1939: Baltimore Elite Giants defeat Homestead Grays in five-game championship series, by Rich Puerzer
- August 21, 1955: A’s prospect Bob Davis treats Vermont fans to minor-league no-hitter, by Kurt Blumenau
- September 3, 1964: Houston’s Don Larsen tosses four-hit shutout, Philly boo birds target Dick Allen, by Gary Belleville
- April 26, 2002: Shawn Estes pitches Mets’ 19th one-hitter to beat Brewers, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
- September 1, 1990: Mike Greenwell hits inside-the-park grand slam as Red Sox rout Yankees, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
From Bytown to the Big Leagues:
150 Years of America’s Pastime in Canada’s Capital
Ottawa Baseball from 1865 to 2025
Edited by Steve Rennie and Bill Nowlin
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:
- In Memoriam: Fay Vincent
- Larry Gerlach’s Lion of the League wins 2025 SABR Seymour Medal
- SABR Digital Library: When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963
- Save the date! 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference is September 19-21
- Read SABR biographies of 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- Register now for 2025 Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference
- Call for papers: 2025 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
- Browse the new, searchable SABR MLB Team Employee Database
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Appelman | Arlington, VA | Shane Linett | Hoboken, NJ | ||
| Jack Bartlewski | Kennesaw, GA | Charles Lowe | Sterling, MA | ||
| Tom Beem | Independence, MO | Jim Loyer | Red Lion, PA | ||
| Gary Bonnett | Tomball, TX | John Mattes | North Royalton, OH | ||
| Kevin Braig | Belle Center, OH | Scott McClary | Philadelphia, PA | ||
| Julian Calas | Miami, FL | Brian Mills | Austin, TX | ||
| Yu Chen Chu | State College, PA | Jack Mycka | Glen Ridge, NJ | ||
| Paul Chubb | El Paso, TX | Jeff Napierala | Shoreview, MN | ||
| Carter Delaney | Davis, CA | Steven Napolitano | Bloomfield, NJ | ||
| Benett Dervishaj | Syracuse, NY | Don Nelson | La Grange Park, IL | ||
| Mark Epstein | Mount Pleasant, SC | Kay Nichols | Fishers, IN | ||
| Austin Finn | Brooklyn, NY | Mark Nowlin | Okemos, MI | ||
| Owen Freeman | Philadelphia, PA | AJ Parker | Marietta, GA | ||
| Ethan Goldberg | Ithaca, NY | Carter Pena | Conroe, TX | ||
| Andrew Golden | Arlington, VA | Melanie Pena | Conroe, TX | ||
| Isabella Guidry | Baton Rouge, LA | Aaron Powell | McKinney, TX | ||
| Jenna Hazlip | Chicago, IL | Seth Rojas | Tucson, AZ | ||
| Carlos Hernandez | Oklahoma City, OK | Erica Rosner | Madison, WI | ||
| Tom Hoffarth | Los Angeles, CA | Matthew Spina | Boca Raton, FL | ||
| Steve Isaacson | Wharton, NJ | Christin St. John | Los Angeles, CA | ||
| Davis Koester | Trout Lake, WA | Avery Tanner | Mount Juliet, TN | ||
| Hunter Kosmider | Lacey, WA | Treston Wonser | Oakfield, WI | ||
| Nathan Laffond | Bloomington, IN | Mark Yeh | Kaohsiung, TWN | ||
| Myeongjin Lee | Seoul, KOR | Octavian Yuen | Alameda, CA | ||
| Curtis Leung | Bloomington, IN |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from Jason Schwartz (“Before Jackie: The Early Life of Rachel Robinson”); Jeff Orens (“The Intertwining Lives of George Wright and Albert Spalding”); Tom Hoffarth (Perfect Eloquence: An Appreciation of Vin Scully); and MLB.com reporter Mark Sheldon. Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- February 15: Pacific Northwest Chapter meeting (12:00 p.m. PST)
- February 17: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting with Danny Spewak (6:00 p.m. CST)
- February 17: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Eric Gray (7:00 p.m. EST)
- February 17: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CST)
- February 17: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with Jonathan Goodwin (7:00 p.m. CST)
- February 18: 19th Century Baseball Book Club (8:00 p.m. EST)
- February 19: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Allison Levin (7:00 p.m. EST)
- February 19: Quarterly Chapter Leaders Meeting (8:00 p.m. EST)
- February 22: Casey Stengel (NYC) Chapter SABR Day meeting with Kevin Baker (11:00 a.m. EST)
- February 22: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter SABR Day meeting with Jack Bales (2:00 p.m. EST)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- February 15: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- February 17: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter SABR Day meeting (Baltimore, MD)
- February 18: Bob Davids Chapter Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
- February 19: Rocky Mountain Chapter monthly lunch (Denver, CO)
- February 20: Magnolia Chapter “Third Thursday” meeting (Sandy Springs, GA)
- February 22: Central Florida Chapter SABR Day meeting (Vero Beach, FL)
- February 22: Kekionga Chapter of Fort Wayne meeting (Fort Wayne, IN)
- February 23: Rogers Hornsby Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Austin, TX)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Baseball Cards: The Baseball Cards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2025 Jefferson Burdick Award. Click here to learn more or to submit a nomination.
- Games and Simulations: All SABR members are invited to participate in a Games and Simulations Committee daily or weekly transaction Rotisserie 5×5 league in 2025. Click here to learn more, including league rules and additional information.
- Nineteenth Century: All committee members are eligible to vote in the primary election for the 2025 Overlooked 19th Century Legend of the Year. Votes are due by March 10, 2025. To join the committee, click here.
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
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:
- Rob Arthur: New Front Office Data Shows Teams Are Keeping Scouts (Baseball Prospectus)
- Mike Petriello: Wind effect: These ballparks, players were most impacted by the weather (MLB.com)
- Russell A. Carleton: Are Replacement Players Getting Better? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Ben Clemens: Early Notes on the New Bat Speed Data Release (FanGraphs)
- Sarah Langs: Opening Day starters: Who’s getting the call? (MLB.com)
- Rob Mains: The 2024 Season, Á La Mode (Baseball Prospectus)
- Sarah Enelow-Snyder: Negro Leagues Baseball Sites Are Finally Getting the Recognition They Deserve (AFAR)
- Anthony Castrovince: Sam Nahem played important role in ending baseball segregation (MLB.com)
- Justin Kaufmann/Tyler Buchanan: From Rube Foster to Minnie Miñoso: Chicago’s Black baseball trailblazers (Axios)
- Ryan Trares: Lasting legacy: Program focuses on Black baseball tradition in Indiana (Franklin Daily Journal)
- Alex Speier: Breaking down the Alex Bregman contract: The Red Sox reached a deal that keeps both sides happy (Boston Globe)
- Mark Simon: Alex Bregman Fills A Big Hole Amid Position Switch (Sports Info Solutions)
- Davy Andrews: We Tried Tracker: Alex Bregman Edition (FanGraphs)
- Derrick Goold: At key position that’s been golden for generations, Cardinals turn to youngest tandem in ages (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Jay Jaffe: No Surprise: Clayton Kershaw Is Back With the Dodgers (FanGraphs)
- Ryan Fagan: Arizona’s Corbins Hold Keys to Diamondbacks’ Return to October (Opta Analyst)
- Ryan Divish: Can Mariners’ starting rotation continue to be elite? (Seattle Times)
- David Laurila: Farm Director Justin Toole Weighs In On Seattle’s Hitter-Heavy System (FanGraphs)
- Grant Brisbee: Robbie Ray is one of the wildest wild cards in the Giants’ wild-card quest (The Athletic)
- Dan Cichalski: How the NYC subway inspired the look of 2025 Topps Series 1 (MLB.com)
- Michael Baumann: The Seven College Baseball Teams You Need to Watch in 2025 (FanGraphs)
- Tim Hagerty: Did you know the Superdome was once home to a Minor League team? (MLB.com)
- Howard Megdal: USA Baseball’s Alex Hugo discusses her new role with Women’s Pro Baseball League (The IX)
- Craig Brown: 1898 Rochester uniform: a patriotic “pousse café” during wartime (Threads of Our Game)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Bill Chuck (Baseball and BBQ)
- Derek Bain: MicroLeague Baseball tutorial (SABR Games and Simulations)
- Joe Costa: World Series Time Machine: 1985 (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: February 14, 2025. Last Updated: February 14, 2025.