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.
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
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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.
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.
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
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 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.
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 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: 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.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
6 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- July 3, 1932: Yankees beat Red Sox in first Sunday baseball game at Fenway Park, by Bill Nowlin
- August 19, 1949: Roberts and Ashburn key Phillies win on Eddie Waitkus Night, by Steve Ginader
- June 27, 1963: Phillies’ Johnny Callison hits for the cycle, sparking ‘merry-go-round of base runners’, by Mike Huber
- September 7, 1974: Orioles pitchers set AL scoreless innings record in Cleveland, by Tim Otto
- July 21, 1979: Rivera’s bomb-o wins it for Twins, by Kurt Blumenau
- July 9, 1995: Rangers overcome 6 errors, beat Yankees to move into first-place tie, by Madison McEntire
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
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.
Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:
- Save the date! SABR 52 will be in Minneapolis in 2024
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- SABR member Joe Castiglione honored with 2024 Ford C. Frick Award
- Giménez, Tatis win 2023 Rawlings Platinum Glove Awards, presented by SABR
- Read articles online from Fall 2023 Baseball Research Journal
- Interviews with Italian American major leaguers added to SABR Oral History Collection
- Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
- SABR forms new Special Negro Leagues and Teams Committee
- SABR Landmarks Committee unveils new Baseball Grave Map
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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.
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from Micah Franklin of the Oakland Ballers; Jacob Pomrenke (Shoeless Joe Jackson trial); Steve Gietschier (Baseball’s Turbulent Midcentury Years); and the 19th Century Book Club (If I Never Get Back). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
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.
- 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.
- Larry Dierker Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (Houston, TX)
- Ted Williams Chapter: February 2024 newsletter (San Diego, CA)
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:
- Registration is now open for the 2024 NINE Spring Training Conference in Arizona
- Justice B. Hill: Stolen Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas leaves baseball community asking why (Andscape)
- Tyler Kepner: Carl Erskine recalls lessons of teammate Jackie Robinson after Wichita statue is destroyed (The Athletic)
- Elizabeth Muratore: ‘Too determined to be defeated’: Black women in baseball share journeys (MLB.com)
- Evan Drellich: Can Amazon save the Bally RSNs? Understanding what’s next for broadcaster (The Athletic)
- Jay Jaffe: Heavy Hitters Ahead: The Next Five Years of BBWAA Hall of Fame Elections (FanGraphs)
- Jayson Stark: Billy Wagner reflects on the emotions of just missing the Hall of Fame (The Athletic)
- Sarah Langs: Look for these players to make bids for history in ’24 (MLB.com)
- Daniel R. Epstein: Rōki Sasaki, Chiba Lotte, and MLB Have a Messy Love Triangle (Baseball Prospectus)
- Zach Criser: Blake Snell Contract: Why Secondary Pitches Are a Concern (Opta Analyst)
- Ben Clemens: Which Hitters Benefit From Pulling? (FanGraphs)
- Mark Simon: CC Sabathia and the Hall of Fame (ACTA Sports)
- Jared Diamond/Miriam Gottfried/Lindsey Adler: The Surprise Deal to Buy the Baltimore Orioles Was Years in the Making (Wall Street Journal)
- Rob Mains: What We Got From Expanded Interleague Play (Baseball Prospectus)
- Davy Andrews: Strike Three?! Let’s Check in on Umpire Accuracy (FanGraphs)
- Michael Baumann: Give Me Weirder Contract Structures, You Sickos (FanGraphs)
- John Thorn: The World of Baseball: A Model Institution for All of Us (Our Game)
- Craig Brown: The first photograph of an iconic Detroit logo (Threads of Our Game)
- Nathans and Ronstadt: ‘Flatbush Sunset’: Rory Costello on the Brooklyn Dodgers and Ebbets Field
- Lewie Pollis: Cooperstown is for Closers (Substack)
- Chris Foran: Records of 1924 Milwaukee trial shed new light on Black Sox scandal (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
- Gary Cieradkowski: Chick Gandil: After the Black Sox (Studio Gary C)
- Frederic J. Frommer: When the San Diego Padres almost relocated to Washington, DC (Washington Post)
- Jeff Jaech: The Art of Selling Bubblegum: Bowman Trading Cards 1933 – 1955 (Fresno Art Museum)
- Bob D’Angelo: New Book Features Essays About Every Card From 1959 Topps Baseball Set (Sports Collectors Daily)
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.