This Week in SABR: March 15, 2024
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, March 15, 2024.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Check out highlights and photos from SABR Analytics Conference
Gary Huckabay honored with SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award
Announcing 2024 Local Grants recipients
Steve Gietschier receives Seymour Medal at NINE Conference
Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal
Last call for nominations: Board of Directors election
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Check out highlights and photos from the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference
The 13th annual SABR Analytics Conference was 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. For more highlights and clips from the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference, click on a link below:
- Gary Huckabay honored with 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award
- Robert Orr, Ginny Searle, Patrick Dubuque, and Rob Mains win 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards
- Diamond Dollars Case Competition winners: Syracuse University, Rice University, The Branson School
- Check out photo galleries from each day at the SABR Analytics Conference
- Click here to download the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference digital program (PDF)
- Melanie Martinez-Lopez: SABR Analytics Conference offers ‘big break’ to MLB Diversity Pipeline members (MLB.com)
- Craig Goldstein: Celebrating Baseball Prospectus past and present at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference (Baseball Prospectus)
Stay tuned for more highlights, clips, and stories at SABR.org/analytics!
Gary Huckabay honored with 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award
Baseball Prospectus founder Gary Huckabay was honored with the SABR Analytics Conference Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, March 9 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Known for his irreverent wit and brutal insight, Huckabay gathered and nurtured talented data analysts and sports writers at Baseball Prospectus who collectively changed the landscape of baseball beginning in 1996. An early combatant on rec.sport.baseball, he served in a number of roles in his career in the corporate world, ranging from performance analysis, forecasting, and finance. He has been a frequent college lecturer at Stanford University and elsewhere on the business of baseball.
Huckabay was introduced by Keith Woolner, his friend and former colleague at Baseball Prospectus, who is the Principal Data Scientist for the Cleveland Guardians.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Award winners announced
Congratulations to Robert Orr, Ginny Searle, Patrick Dubuque, and Rob Mains, winners of the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. They were recognized in an awards ceremony during the SABR Analytics Conference on Saturday, March 9 in Phoenix, Arizona. The winning articles were:
- Contemporary Baseball Analysis: Robert Orr, “Quantifying the Corey Seager Approach,” Baseball Prospectus, November 8, 2023.
- Contemporary Baseball Commentary: Ginny Searle, “The Wrong Lessons Learned,” Baseball Prospectus, June 16, 2023.
- Historical Baseball Analysis/Commentary: Patrick Dubuque, “The Other Aging Curve,” Baseball Prospectus, January 31, 2023.
- John Dewan Defensive Analytics: Rob Mains, “Fielding, It Turns Out, Does Slump,” Baseball Prospectus, August 29, 2023.
The SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards recognize baseball researchers who have completed the best work of original analysis or commentary during the preceding calendar year.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Learn more about recipients of SABR Local Grants in 2024
SABR is pleased to announce the recipients of Local Grants in 2024:
- Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter: Aberdeen (South Dakota) Municipal Ballpark Commemorative Marker/Plaque
- Field of Dreams Chapter: Dubuque Baseball Symposium
- Ken Keltner Badger State Chapter: Dave Bancroft Cemetery Acknowledgement
- Larry Dierker Chapter: Texas Historical Marker for Colt Stadium
- Schott-Pelican Chapter: George Washington University Capstone Research Analytics Project
- Scouts Research Committee: Weiss Questionnaire Machine Learning
Click here to learn more about each of these projects.
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. In total, more than $10,000 in SABR Local Grants will be awarded in 2024. Visit SABR.org/local-grants to learn more or to apply for a future grant.
Early registration is open for SABR 52 in Minneapolis
Join us in Minneapolis for SABR’s 52nd annual convention! Conference and hotel registration for SABR 52 on August 7-11, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, is now available at SABR.org/convention.
- Click here for complete details on SABR 52 Early-Bird Registration and optional sessions, including a Minnesota Twins game, St. Paul Saints game, and Target Field ballpark tour.
SABR 52 will be distinct from its predecessors, as it will feature a Hall of Fame speaker lineup we know you’ll love — including Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, and Jim Kaat — and will be the most accessible and social experience we’ve ever organized as we emphasize SABR’s ability to unite all of us in baseball fellowship. This year’s streamlined registration options will provide for a consistent and accessible experience for all attendees and the lowest registration price since 2018. We hope you’ll join us this summer in Minneapolis!
Visit SABR.org/convention to learn more.
SABR 52: Students, apply now for Yoseloff Scholarship
With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to 4 scholarships to high school or college students to attend SABR 52 on August 7-11, 2024, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250.
Students must be currently enrolled in a high school, college undergraduate or graduate program, and be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of the conference. All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Scott Carter at scarter@sabr.org no later than May 17, 2024.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Steve Gietschier receives SABR Seymour Medal at NINE Conference
Steven P. Gietschier, author of Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years, received his 2024 SABR Seymour Medal award during the 31st annual NINE Spring Training Conference on Saturday, March 9 in Tempe, Arizona. The Dr. Harold and Dorothy Seymour Medal honors the best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year.
The NINE Conference was highlighted by an evening with the 1963 Canoga Park PONY League team coached by a bank robber, including Robin and Larry Yount and Rick Dempsey, along with research presentations by SABR members Danny Baris, Eric Berg, Barry Bloom, David Bohmer, Jason Cannon, Leslie Heaphy, Paul Hensler, David Krell, Jon Leonoudakis, Dan Levitt, Mark McGee, Mitchell Nathanson, Roberta Newman, Rodney Paul, Ron Rapoport, Yuriko Romer, Jonah Soos, Amanda Taylor, Jay Thomas, Evan Thompson, Steve Treder, and Charlie Vascellaro. To learn more, visit nineconference.com.
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 before April 1, 2024, to receive a printed edition of the Spring 2024 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.
Register now for the 2024 Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Cooperstown
Early registration is now open for SABR’s annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference, which will be held on June 6-9, 2024, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. All baseball fans are welcome to attend. Full and single-day registration is available for a discounted rate before May 24, along with a new virtual registration option.
In-person attendees will also have an opportunity to view the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s new exhibit, The Souls of the Game: Voices of Black Baseball.
- Schedule: Click here to view the 2024 Malloy Conference schedule.
- Information Packet: Click here to download the conference information packet (PDF)
- Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, learn more or apply for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2024 Malloy Conference. Deadline: April 5, 2024.
Visit SABR.org/malloy to learn more or to register.
Last call for nominations: 2024 SABR Board of Directors election
The SABR Nominating Committee is now seeking nominations for candidates for the 2024 Board of Directors elections. To be eligible for the Board of Directors, candidates must have been members of the Society for at least the preceding four years. Any candidate for an officer position must have at least one year of prior service on the Board during the preceding five-year period. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2024. The offices to be filled are:
- Vice President (2-year term)
- Secretary (3-year term)
- Director (3-year term)
- Director (3-year term)
Self-nominations are welcome. If you would like to nominate yourself or another candidate or suggest a question for the candidates, contact Nominating Committee chair Stew Thornley.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Deadline to submit new project proposals to SABR Editorial Board is April 1
SABR’s Editorial Board welcomes new project proposals from members to be considered for publication through the Digital Library, SABR.org, or any other multimedia formats. We strongly encourage new proposals that involve collaboration between SABR research committees and/or chapters, and web-based projects with an eye toward enhanced multimedia presentation.
- Click here to submit a SABR project proposal
Next deadline: April 1, 2024 (for publication in late 2025 or 2026)
SABR seeks to publish 2-4 web-based multimedia projects and 6-8 books per year. Book projects should be of a scope that can fit in a single volume, typically between 100,000 and 200,000 total words.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Writing opportunities for SABR members
We are seeking contributing authors for an upcoming SABR book project on found poetry of historic baseball announcers. The project is inspired by Tom Peyer and Hart Seely’s O Holy Cow: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto. Our hope is to include representation of all teams, with the final product consisting of about 200 poems.
Your task, in many ways, is simple: take a portion of a play-by-play broadcast and refashion the words, using line breaks, punctuation, capitalization, etc., into a poem. There are few hard and fast rules to found poetry; please feel free to bring your individual creativity to the table.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact book editor Eric Poulin. All SABR members are eligible to contribute to any upcoming SABR projects.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
7 new stories published at the SABR Games Project
- June 19, 1886: Chicago White Stockings snap Detroit Wolverines’ 18-game home winning streak, by Stephen V. Rice
- May 24, 1922: Ottawa Senators’ Fred Frankhouse tosses 14-inning complete-game win over Trois-Rivières, by Gary Belleville
- July 28, 1959: Billy Pierce shines on the mound and the plate; White Sox secure first place for keeps, by Jeff Allan Howard
- September 22, 1970: Orioles leave Tigers in the dark, win 100th game amid blackouts, by Kurt Blumenau
- September 28, 1997: Cardinals win in Ryne Sandberg’s last career game as McGwire hits 58th home run, by Andrew Heckroth
- March 25, 2008: Matsuzaka, Okajima book-end Opening Day win for Red Sox at the Tokyo Dome, by Bill Nowlin
- March 26, 2008: Oakland A’s even Japan Opening Series with a win over Red Sox, by Bill Nowlin
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
One-Win Wonders
Edited by Bill Nowlin
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:
- 2024 Henry Chadwick Award recipients announced
- Dick Perez selected as winner of 2024 Jefferson Burdick Award
- Check out SABR Day highlights, photos, and videos
- SABR’s Ballpark Figures to feature Stories of the Negro Leagues in 2024
- SABR announces partnership with Alzheimer’s Association
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
- SABR member Joe Castiglione honored with 2024 Ford C. Frick Award
- 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabe Ahn | New York, NY | John Incantalupo | Colts Neck, NJ | ||
| Chuck Bingaman | Sonoma, CA | Aaron Johnson | Portland, OR | ||
| MacKenna Borden | San Diego, CA | Graig Kreindler | Brooklyn, NY | ||
| Michael Dorsey | Johns Island, SC | Jacob Nistler | Bismarck, ND | ||
| Dylan Ewing | Brooklyn, NY | Joe Pritchett | Lancaster, PA | ||
| Lucas Garcia | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Matthew Reyer | Portland, OR | ||
| Braden Gasser | Oshkosh, WI | Kenneth Romanowski | Ardmore, PA | ||
| Steven Gelb | San Diego, CA | Gary Roulo | Naperville, IL | ||
| Caleb Heneghan | Middleton, WI |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from Dennis Snelling (Johnny Evers; Lefty O’Doul); Paul Allen (Bright Lights, Black Stars); and Paul Browne (“Hustling Dan O’Leary”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- March 16: Hank Gowdy Columbus (OH) Chapter meeting (9:30 a.m. EDT)
- March 18: Bob Broeg St. Louis (MO) Chapter meeting (6:00 p.m. CDT)
- March 18: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with John Vorperian (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 18: Northern New England Chapter meeting with Marc Gold (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 18: Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter research committee meeting (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- March 18: Larry Dierker (TX) Chapter meeting with Matthew Rejmaniak (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- March 19: New SABR Member Experience Meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 20: Quarterly Chapter Leaders Meeting (8:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 21: Larry Doby (SC) Chapter meeting with Taylor Duncan (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 21: Connie Mack-Dick Allen (PA) Chapter meeting with Mike Gimbel (7:00 p.m. EDT)
- March 21: Ken Keltner Badger State (WI) Chapter meeting with Scott Doffek (7:00 p.m. CDT)
- March 21: Bay Area/Sacramento joint chapter meeting with Gary Mintz (7:00 p.m. PDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- March 16: Babe ‘n’ Bob Chapter Breakfast (Edgewater, MD)
- March 16: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter lunch (Chicago, IL)
- March 18: Banks-Bragan DFW Chapter meeting (Arlington, TX)
- March 19: Bob Davids Chapter Hot Stove Dinner (Silver Spring, MD)
- March 19: Gary Sarnoff: “The Stadium Tax Debate” (Kansas City, MO)
- March 23: Casey Stengel NYC Chapter meeting (New York, NY)
- March 24: Rogers Hornsby Chapter meeting (Austin, TX)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Baseball Landmarks: With the 2024 baseball season quickly approaching, it is time to make sure the active ballpark sites on the SABR Baseball Map have been updated. We are seeking volunteers to help make changes, additions, or corrections; click here to sign up and help.
- Biographical Research: February 2024 newsletter
- Nineteenth Century: All committee members are eligible to vote in the primary election for the 2024 Overlooked 19th Century Legend of the Year. Votes are due by March 18, 2024. To join the committee, click here.
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter: March 6 meeting recap (Tallahassee, FL)
- Juan Marichal Chapter: March 10 meeting recap (Santo Domingo, DOM)
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:
- Shakeia Taylor: How Toni Stone came to be featured in MLB: The Show ’24 (Chicago Tribune)
- Mike Petriello: Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford a rare rookie pair (MLB.com)
- Tyler Kepner: How Braves ace lefty Max Fried continues to win at a historic rate in the majors (The Athletic)
- Derek Rhoads/Rob Mains: Did the Pitch Clock Cause Pitcher Injuries? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jay Jaffe: The Yankees Are in a Precarious Spot After Losing Gerrit Cole (FanGraphs)
- Russell A. Carleton: They Grow Up So Fast (Baseball Prospectus)
- Alex Speier: Behind the scenes at the Red Sox training academy in the Dominican Republic (Boston Globe)
- Davy Andrews: It’s Time To Get Excited About Oneil Cruz and Elly De La Cruz (FanGraphs)
- Stephanie Apstein: Shohei Ohtani Strives to Be the Absolute Best … Even at Getting Some Shuteye (Sports Illustrated)
- Jayson Stark: Joey Votto’s journey begins anew with the Toronto Blue Jays: ‘I feel the fire’ (The Athletic)
- Ben Clemens: Examining Two-Strike Fastballs With Pitch Modeling (FanGraphs)
- Eno Sarris: What happens to MLB position players in their walk years? (The Athletic)
- Lindsey Adler: The Oakland A’s Have Plans for a New Home in Vegas. Now They Need a Plan to Get There. (Wall Street Journal)
- Mark Simon: Dancing With the Star (ACTA Sports)
- Zach Buchanan: ‘You’re Not Screwing Me on This One, Are You?’: Big League GMs Reflect on Their First Trades (FanGraphs)
- David Laurila: Player’s View: Consuming Baseball, Then and Now (FanGraphs)
- Grant Brisbee: The Giants have played it safe and likely improved, but still need that leap of faith move (The Athletic)
- Ryan Divish: Why Jorge Polanco could be just the right fit for the Mariners (Seattle Times)
- Derrick Goold: Tyler O’Neill felt ‘whirl’ of emotions when traded. Why surprise was not one (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Meghan Montemurro: Why the ‘A League of Their Own’ TV show continues to resonate with fans (Chicago Tribune)
- Esteban Rivera: Patrick Bailey Is a Unicorn Pitch Framer (FanGraphs)
- Amanda Lane Cumming: Internet Fandom and the Seattle Mariners (NW Baseball History)
- Michael Clair: Jeremy Guthrie wants to find baseball all around the world (MLB.com)
- Timothy Jackson: Defining a Rotation Horse (Baseball Prospectus)
- Ryan Fagan: Cincinnati Reds Have Blueprint for Success in Orioles (Opta Analyst)
- Manny Randhawa: Rockies connecting club’s past and present at Spring Training (MLB.com)
- Jarrett Seidler: Casually Cruel in the Name of Being Honest (Baseball Prospectus)
- Meghan Ward: Win Remmerswaal, the first European-trained Major Leaguer (MLB.com)
- David Kronheim: 2023 Minor League Baseball Attendance Analysis (NumberTamer.com)
- Ryan Whirty: Tragic lives in new Grave Marker Project efforts (Negro Leagues Up Close)
- Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Curtis Granderson (Baseball and BBQ)
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: March 15, 2024. Last Updated: March 15, 2024.