TWIS archives

This Week in SABR: February 2, 2024

This Week in SABR: February 2, 2024

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, February 2, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Top Headlines

Early registration ends soon for SABR Analytics Conference
Find a SABR Day event near you on Saturday
SABR’s Ballpark Figures to feature Stories of the Negro Leagues
New Digital Library book: One-Win Wonders
Vote now for 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal


Research Collection Events Calendar Around the Web

2024 SABR Analytics: Biomechanics Panel

2024 SABR Analytics: State of the Baseball Biomechanics Industry Panel

Join us at the SABR Analytics Conference on March 8-10, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona, for a special panel discussion on the State of the Baseball Biomechanics Industry.

Panelists are expected to include:

  • Arnel Aguinaldo, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Biomechanics Lab, Point Loma Nazarene University
  • Adam Nebel, Graduate Assistant of Sports Science, Auburn University
  • Mike Sonne, Baseball Scientist, Chicago Cubs
  • Moderator: Ethan Stewart, Lead Sport Scientist and Biomechanist, Oakland A’s

To learn more about the SABR Analytics Conference, or to register, visit SABR.org/analytics.

Early registration ends soon for 2024 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration ends soon for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from March 8-10, 2024, 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.

  • Reminder: Early registration discounts end on Friday, February 16. Registration increases $150 after the early discount ends, so register today to join us!

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 8 through Sunday, March 10, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 7. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value).

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more or to register.


SABR Day 2024

Join us for SABR Day on Saturday, February 3

Our annual SABR Day celebration is coming up this weekend and we hope you’ll join us! 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.

The All-Star lineup of guest speakers for more than 30 SABR Day events on Saturday, February 3 includes Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Kaat (Detroit); best-selling author Joe Posnanski (New York); The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner (New Hampshire), Zack Meisel (Cleveland), and Cody Stavenhagen (Detroit); author and film producer Lindsay Berra (Orlando AND New Hampshire); Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch (Cooperstown); former major-leaguers Jerry Janeski (Anaheim), Cory Sullivan (Denver), Jeff Manto (Rochester), Brian Boehringer and Jason Simontacchi (St. Louis); broadcasters Drew Goodman (Denver) and Lanny Frattare (Pittsburgh); and many award-winning authors and presenters elsewhere.

Some SABR Day events are virtual and some are in-person, but all are open to baseball fans everywhere. Visit SABR.org/sabrday to view full details for each SABR Day meeting, from Atlanta to Boston, Anaheim to Tallahassee, and Louisville to Las Vegas.


Shakeia Taylor, host of SABR's Ballpark Figures

SABR’s Ballpark Figures to feature Stories of the Negro Leagues

SABR’s Ballpark Figures: Stories of the Negro Leagues, hosted by award-winning writer Shakeia Taylor, will return this summer as a 10-episode podcast series focusing on Negro Leaguers and the history of Black baseball. 

Ballpark Figures will be available on your favorite podcast networks and you can listen to each episode as soon as they are released on Mondays beginning on June 3, 2024.

Click here to watch a replay of previous episodes from SABR’s Ballpark Figures, including interviews with ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Clinton Yates, and Jeff Passan, MLB executive and former All-Star pitcher Dave Stewart, filmmaker Randy Wilkins, FanGraphs’ Meg Rowley and Jay Jaffe, and more.


SABR Digital Library: One-Win Wonders

SABR Digital Library: One-Win Wonders

Add a new baseball book to your collection from the SABR Digital Library: In One-Win Wonders, edited by Bill Nowlin, we meet 78 players whose time in the major leagues included only a single pitching win.

One-Win Wonders is a companion book to the 2021 SABR book One-Hit Wonders, which included biographies of players who had gotten only a single hit.

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download your free e-book edition or save 50% off the purchase of the paperback edition.


Vote now for the winners of the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

Vote now for winners of the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards

Online voting is now open for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards, which 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 take place online from February 1-9, 2024, and announced at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

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


SABR Baseball Research Journal covers

Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2024

Beginning in 2024, all SABR members will exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically. A majority of SABR members already receive the BRJ electronically and will not be affected by this change.

For any members who are interested in a hard copy of the publication for their personal library, we are rolling out a new subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail. (International members will pay $11 per issue.)

  • Visit SABR.org/subscribe to receive future printed editions of the BRJ in the mail. Or click here if you’d like a tutorial on how to subscribe.

As with any change, we understand that you may have questions or concerns that you would like to share. Please feel free to reach out to any SABR staff member.


SABR Scholar Session with Travis Apple of Logitix on Tuesday, February 20, 2024

SABR Scholar Session on February 20 with Travis Apple

All student and young professional members of SABR are invited to our next SABR Scholar Session, held virtually on Zoom at 8:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 20.

Join host Tyrone Brooks, Senior Director, Front Office and Field Staff Diversity Pipeline Program at Major League Baseball, for our free quarterly virtual series created exclusively for SABR student and young professional members. This session’s guest will be Travis Apple, Chief Revenue Officer at Logitix. A veteran of MLB, NBA, WNBA, and NHL front offices, Travis wrote the book, Hustle Your Way to $ucce$$ in Sports Sales, and hosts the 52 Weeks of Hustle podcast.

To learn more or to pre-register for the SABR Scholar Session on Zoom, please contact Jessica Smyth.


SABR Live Oral History Interview with Jon Matlack

SABR Live Oral History Interview: Jon Matlack

Baseball fans, join us for a special virtual event at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, February 6: a live SABR Oral History interview with former New York Mets All-Star pitcher Jon Matlack.

All fans are invited to attend this interview session on Zoom, which will be conducted by Oral History Committee chair John McMurray. The interview will be recorded and added to SABR’s Oral History Collection archive afterward.

Click here to pre-register for this Zoom event.


Register now for the 2024 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference

Registration is now open for the 15th annual SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference, which will be held on April 19-20, 2024, at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to register for this special event.

The 2024 conference will be highlighted by a keynote address from author Michael Haupert, along with a panel discussion on the Knickerbocker club with Bruce Allardice, Thomas Gilbert, Bob Tholkes, and moderator Bill Ryczek; a 19th-century artifact session with Robert Mayer, Gary Passamonte, and Jonathan Popovich; a Member Spotlight interview of Thomas Gilbert by Bob Bailey; plus research presentations.

Visit SABR.org/ivor-campbell19c to learn more or to register.


SABR Analytics Certification: Sign up now for new Level 3 course

We’re excited to announce that the newest course in the SABR Analytics Certification program, Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, is now available.

Taught by award-winning baseball writer and analyst Rob Arthur, the Level Three course provides an introduction to programming using a practical approach in its application for baseball and focusing on R (with a dash of SQL) as a programming language, the goal of this online, on-demand course is to give learners a foundational understanding of the technical skills necessary for a career in data science and baseball analytics.

To sign up now, or to learn more about previous courses, visit SABR.org/analytics/certification.


Volunteer opportunities

SABR is seeking volunteers with professional experience in specific areas to help the organization with several upcoming projects: 

  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Online Retail
  • Data Visualization
  • Nonprofit Annual Reports

Please contact CEO Scott Bush for more details.


Call for volunteers: Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires

SABR seeks volunteers to help transcribe the Bill Weiss Baseball Player Questionnaires, a collection of self-completed surveys of professional baseball players from 1945-2005, which will soon be made available at SABR.org. Since we began this project in October 2023, more than 50,000 questionnaires have already been transcribed; we are more than halfway done to meet our goal of finishing before SABR 52 this summer.

No experience is needed, just a love for baseball, data, and history. We are looking for any volunteers who can spare a few hours a week (or more!) with help reading these questionnaires and writing down the player’s ambitions, background, and signing scout. Please contact Jason Sigler if you would like to be a part of our team.


SABR Research Collection updates

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

SABR Research Collection: Bombo Rivera, Ross Grimsley, Johnny Callison

6 new stories published at the SABR Games Project

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


Featured E-Book from the SABR Digital Library

Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, Volume II: 1960-2019

Nichibei Yakyu: US Tours of Japan, 1960-2019 (Volume 2)
Edited by Robert K. Fitts, Bill Nowlin, and James Forr

Visit SABR.org/ebooks to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.


Recent Highlights

Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:


New Members

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
Megan Abraham Baton Rouge, LA     Brea Lassek Columbus, NE
Steven Alspach Chicago, IL     Joseph Lee Hacienda Heights, CA
Blake Ask Aberdeen, SD     Kuan-Yu Liao San Francisco, CA
Brianna Astbury Hamilton, NJ     Mykah Mares Baton Rouge, LA
Anthony Atlas North Chesterfield, VA     Diego Martinez Houston, TX
Tanner Bailey Madison, TN     Zack Melynchek  
Michael Beers Madison, WI     Michelle Miller Lake Mary, FL
Matt Blumenthal       Royce Mitchell Baton Rouge, LA
Andrew Bratton       Amelia Moir Corvallis, OR
Will Brazgel Hartland, WI     Deanna Moncriffe Baton Rouge, LA
Ryan Brill Philadelphia, PA     Taylor Moore Baton Rouge, LA
Ricardeau Brutus-Rigaud Baton Rouge, LA     Ellee Mortensen Indianola, IA
Remi Bunikiewicz Los Angeles, CA     James Musso Lake Zurich, IL
Blair Burns Baton Rouge, LA     Adam Nebel Auburn, AL
Mack Bush Richardson, TX     Christopher Negulic Bayside, NY
Tim Carlton-McQueen Albuquerque, NM     Tim O’Brien Washington, DC
Matt Carter San Francisco, CA     Nolan Papacek Lake Orion, MI
Celeste Casillas Melbourne, FL     Abigail Poole Stow, OH
Connor Cassady Shorewood, IL     Anika Pophali Basking Ridge, NJ
Brandon Chen Los Angeles, CA     Christopher Putnam Arlington, VA
Pranav Chugh Boston, MA     Matthew Quintino Gainesville, FL
Sarah Clark Ann Arbor, MI     Tony Rankin Antioch, TN
Matt Cookson Fort Worth, TX     Anurag Reddeddy Bloomington, IN
Mike Couillard Chicago, IL     Barret Rey Baton Rouge, LA
Natalie Davis Waukee, IA     Eric Riley Baton Rouge, LA
Milan Davis Baton Rouge, LA     Henry Rosckes North Branch, MN
Jonathan De La Cruz       Ramon Sanchez  
Larry DeBoer West Lafayette, IN     Logan Sanders Baton Rouge, LA
Noah Douglas       Owen Santarella Amherst, MA
Steve Feldberg Upper Montclair, NJ     Howard Schwach Arverne, NY
Wayne Feng Tempe, AZ     Angeleau Scott Lawrence, KS
Dom Fenoglio Durham, NC     Duke Skarda Grapevine, TX
Ken Finnigan Carlsbad, CA     Ari Smith Long Beach, CA
Juan Finol Brossard, QC     Cainan Squibb Springfield, IL
Simon Fitzjohn Staplehurst, ENG     Luke Stephens Charlotte, NC
Clayton Fogler Johnson, NY     Nikiya Sullen Baton Rouge, LA
Grant Fowler Frankfort, IL     Tyler Swan  
Jonathan Goodwin Katy, TX     Braedon VanWiechen  
Abe Goteiner Worcester, MA     Tykwon Wade Baton Rouge, LA
Joseph Gould       Sid Wadhera Hamilton, NY
Quinten Ha-Lambert Cleveland, OH     Liam Walsh Drexel Hill, PA
Tra’von Henry Baton Rouge, LA     Connor Walsh Scotch Plains, NJ
Madison Hutchinson Nashville, TN     Naomi Ward Baton Rouge, LA
Paul Jackson Oak Park, IL     Mike Wellnitz Hopkins, MN
Erica James Bryn Mawr, PA     Devin Wiles Auburn Hills, MI
Connor Kurcon Houston, TX     Colen Wilson Phoenix, AZ

Friends of SABR

Here is a list of SABR supporters for the month of January 2024.

NAME   NAME
Dennis Auger   Henry Levy
Jake Bell   Peter Mancuso
Gib Bodet   Peter Marcus
David Boyle   Bruce McClure
Stephen Bratkovich   William McMahon
D. Bruce Brown   Sheldon Miller
Arthur Cantu   Ernestine Miller
Ralph Caola   Frank Mooney
Ken Carrano   David Nagy
Joseph Carriero   Linda Nichols
Karl Cicitto   Bill Nowlin
Vincent Comparato   Mickey O’Neil
Jim Cox   Gene Oppenheim
E. Stephen Cunerd   Terry Phelps
Jon Daniels   John Rall
Neal De Vos   Michael Rosenwasser
Gene Delisio   Charles Roussel
Helen Edwards   Bob Russon
Steven Elsberry   Jason Scheller
James Finke   Danielle Schooler
David Firstman   Douglas Schoppert
Adam Foldes   Jeff Self
Kathy Gregory   Rob Sheinkopf
Robert Hagerman   Mike Sparks
Leslie Heaphy   Thomas Stone
Tim Herlich   Wesley Story
Monica Hitt   Joseph Thompson
Rockwell Hoffman   Neal Traven
Thomas Hufford   Stan Webb
David Hughes   Robert Welborn
Donald Jensen   Steve West
David Jerome   Chris Wilfong
Owen King   Beach Wires
Steven Lauer   Jeffrey Wood
Todd Lebowitz   Don Zminda
Lewis Levey    

Want to become a Friend of SABR? Click here to make a recurring monthly contribution or click here to learn more about our Giving Circles to make a one-time contribution.


SABR Events Calendar

SABR's Games and Simulations Committee will hold a virtual Zoom meeting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, February 8, 2024. All baseball fans are invited to attend. Our guest is Ron Shandler, who has been providing statistical insights to fantasy leaguers since his first Baseball Forecaster book in 1986. Thirty-eight years later, the Forecaster is still going strong, and Ron has now written a historical memoir, Fantasy Expert, which is scheduled for release on February 20, 2024.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

  • February 3: 2024 SABR Day
  • February 5: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with David Pegram and Willie Steele (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • February 5: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Matt Graifer (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • February 5: Central Illinois Chapter meeting with Tom Best (7:00 p.m. CST)
  • February 6: SABR Live Oral History: Jon Matlack (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • February 7: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Tim Parks (7:00 p.m. EST)
  • February 8: Games and Simulations Committee meeting with Ron Shandler (8:00 p.m. EST)
  • February 10: Talkin’ Baseball: Doug Gladstone (9:00 a.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

  • February 4: Kekionga Chapter of Fort Wayne SABR Day meeting (Fort Wayne, IN)
  • February 7: Bob Broeg Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
  • February 10: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)
  • February 10: Williamsport Sebring-Stovey Chapter SABR Day meeting (Williamsport, PA)
  • February 10: Larry Dierker Chapter SABR Day meeting (Houston, TX)
  • February 10: Rocky Mountain Chapter baseball card meeting (Aurora, CO)
  • February 10: Pacific Northwest Chapter SABR Day meeting (Tigard, OR)

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


Research Committee news

  • Games and Simulations: SABR members are invited to participate in one of our three weekly transaction Rotisserie 5×5 leagues. In addition, the committee is creating a daily transaction league as well. Rules and more information are available at sabrbaseballgaming.com.

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


Regional Chapter news

Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.

Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.


Around the Web headlines

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

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 2, 2024. Last Updated: February 2, 2024.