This Week in SABR: September 25, 2026
Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, September 25, 2026.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.
Submit your presentation abstract for 2027 SABR Analytics Conference
Free Rapsodo course with SABR Analytics Certification purchase
Register now for the 2026 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
Subscribe to the Fall 2026 print edition of Baseball Research Journal
2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award finalists
Member Benefit Spotlight: Research Resources Portal
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Submit your presentation abstract for 2027 SABR Analytics Conference
SABR is excited to announce the call for research presentations, presented by Teamworks Intelligence, for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held on March 12–14, 2027, in Phoenix, Arizona. The SABR Analytics Conference brings together the leading minds in baseball analytics to discuss and debate topics relevant to the quantitative analysis of the game of baseball, including aspects of innovation and technology.
Abstracts of proposed research presentations should be no more than 500 words in length, and must include the abstract’s title, review of previous work on the subject, a summary of the research methodology and preliminary and/or final results, and the expected contribution to the field of baseball analytics offered by this work. Please send all abstracts to this e-mail address: analytics-presentations@sabr.org. Please clearly indicate whether you are submitting for the general track or for the student track of presentations. General-track presenters will be responsible for submitting a full research paper after their abstracts are evaluated, while student-track presenters will submit a sample PowerPoint presentation file.
The submission deadline for all 2027 SABR Analytics Conference presentation abstracts is 11:59 p.m. MST on Wednesday, November 25, 2026.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Limited time offer: Free Rapsodo course with SABR Analytics Certification purchase
It’s time to take your skills to the next level with two of the most trusted names in baseball analytics! SABR is excited to partner with Rapsodo, a leading innovator in baseball technology and data analysis, on a special limited time offer:
That’s $395 in added value with the purchase of any SABR Analytics Certification course.
Online and video based, SABR Analytics Certification and Rapsodo courses combine to help learners elevate their baseball data knowledge alongside skills relating to the technical tools used in player development operations.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Register now for the 2026 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
Join us for the eighth annual SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference, which will be held virtually on October 9–11, 2026. All baseball fans are welcome to attend!
- Click here to register for the 2026 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference
- Schedule: Click here for the full schedule of panels and presentations. Zoom sessions will be held from 6:30-7:45 p.m. on Friday, October 9; 10:00 a.m.-8:20 p.m. on Saturday, October 10, and 11:00 a.m.-3:15 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. (All times listed are in the Eastern Time Zone.)
This year’s conference — co-sponsored by SABR and the International Women’s Baseball Center and hosted by Rockford University — is a virtual Zoom event. The conference will feature research presentations, panels, pylon unveiling, presentation of the Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award, and more.
Visit SABR.org/women-in-baseball-conference for complete details.
Subscribe to the Fall 2026 print edition of the SABR Baseball Research Journal
All SABR members exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically twice a year. The Fall 2026 issue will be sent out in early November. 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
Subscribe before October 1 in order to receive the Fall 2026 issue in the mail
(If you have any questions about your subscription, please email brjsubscribe@sabr.org.)
Make sure you are signed into your SABR account to receive your discount. For our international members, please note the separate international orders option for those living outside of the United States. With your subscription, you will receive a paperback copy of the BRJ as well as an electronic version delivered to your email inbox. You will be charged semi-annually for this subscription, once for each edition of BRJ.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Announcing finalists for 2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by SABR’s Women in Baseball Committee. Each of these finalists has made important contributions promoting the participation of women in baseball, on the field and off.
- Sarah Langs, Senior Manager, Research and Content at MLB.com, a beloved member of the baseball community, and a leading advocate for ALS research
- Jeneane “Lefty” Lesko, a pioneering figure in women’s baseball and All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher
- Maud Nelson, who played, managed, owned, and promoted women’s baseball in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
- Janet Marie Smith, Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers and an innovative ballparks designer for the past three decades
- Lisa Turbitt, professional baseball umpire who was the first woman to work home plate at an international competition
The winner of the 2026 award will be announced during the SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference on October 9–11, 2026.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Member Benefit Spotlight: Research Resources Portal
As a SABR member, you have vast resources and benefits at your disposal. With so much information at your fingertips, we realize it can be overwhelming to absorb it all! To highlight key benefits, read on for a SABR Member Benefit Spotlight, an email series that identifies and explains some of the most valuable features of your membership. We hope this allows you to take full advantage of all SABR has to offer. This issue shows you how to access the Research Resources page.
Earlier this year, we launched a newly designed and updated Research Resources page at SABR.org. You can find it by going directly to The Research Collection page or by using the “Research” dropdown menu at the top of any SABR.org page. If you’ve visited SABR.org recently, you might have noticed a promotional ad pop-up to help encourage other baseball fans to sign up for a monthly or annual membership. As a SABR member, you can click the gold “Login now” link in order to sign in and remove the pop-up for the rest of your browser session. You must log in with your SABR credentials in order to access these additional resources.
Click here to watch a short video outlining the Research Resources page and member login at SABR.org.
Get your SABR merch at our new online shop
SABR is excited to announce the launch of the new SABR Shop, an online store featuring SABR-branded apparel, home goods, prints, and more for baseball fans.
Among the featured items are exclusive prints showcasing cover art from the Baseball Research Journal, along with a growing collection of SABR merchandise celebrating the organization’s worldwide community. Baseball Research Journal posters feature every edition including the artwork of acclaimed artist and SABR member Gary Cieradkowski, with iconic depictions of Babe Ruth and Satchel Paige amongst other legends of the game. Apparel options include hats, shirts, sweatshirts, and pullovers in men’s, women’s, and unisex selections. New merchandise and designs will continue to be added in the coming months, offering fresh options for the SABR fan in your life.
Visit the SABR Shop today at sabr.shop.
SABR Board of Directors to host virtual Town Hall on October 22
SABR’s Board of Directors invites all members to join us for a virtual Town Hall meeting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
Board President Dan Levitt along with Vice President Allison Levin, Treasurer Pat Filippone, and Secretary Todd Lebowitz will present SABR’s new five-year strategic plan. Other members of the Board of Directors along with SABR CEO Scott Bush will also be available for questions afterward.
Call for papers: 2027 SABR Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference
All SABR members are invited and encouraged to submit a Research Presentation Proposal Abstract on any topic of 19th-century baseball for the 2027 Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 18th annual Ivor-Campbell Conference is scheduled for April 16-17, 2027.
The deadline for proposal Abstracts is October 31, 2026. Your abstract must be between 250-500 words for a 20- to 25-minute presentation focused primarily on events taking place prior to 1901. Please include name, title, and contact information and send your proposal as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to Peter Mancuso.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Register now for 2026 SABR Northern New Jersey 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium
SABR’s Nineteenth Century Research Committee will host the Northern New Jersey 19th Century Interdisciplinary Symposium as a special virtual event on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The focus of this symposium will be on the rich early baseball and related history of the region, which extends from the New York state border south through Monmouth and Mercer counties.
- Registration for all SABR members is now open; click here to sign up. The cost is $15 per person. The one-day Zoom event will run from approximately 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time on November 14.
The symposium will be highlighted by a keynote address from Jonathan Mercantini, Associate Provost for Special Projects and Professor of History at Kean University. He is an appointed member of the New Jersey Historical Commission and a Trustee of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The welcome address will be given by John Thorn, the Official Historian of Major League Baseball and the co-founder of SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee.
Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.
Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.
1 new story published at SABR Biography Project
- Buck Showalter, by Thomas J. Brown Jr.
Visit SABR.org/bioproject to learn more about the SABR Biography Project or to get involved.
3 new stories published at SABR Games Project
- October 7, 1927: Herb Pennock’s pitching shines, Yankees bats batter Pittsburgh in Game 3, by Andy Terrick
- September 24, 1957: After reaching base 16 times in a row, Ted Williams grounds out – and then hits game-deciding homer, by Bill Nowlin
- May 13, 2016: Matt Bush makes long-awaited major-league debut as Blue Jays defeat Rangers, 5-0, by Barrett Snyder
Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.
Cape Cod Baseball League: From College Stars to Big League Futures
Edited by Mike Richard 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:
- Voting begins next week for the SABR All-Time Modern Era Team (2001-2025)
- Find stories, photos, and highlights from SABR 54 in Cleveland
- Save the date! SABR 55 will be in Birmingham in 2027
- SABR Defensive Index rankings released through MLB games of August 9
- Marlene Vogelsang honored as 2026 SABR Founders’ Day Award recipient
- SABR Analytics Certification courses now available in Spanish
- Photos, highlights from Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference in Memphis
- 2026 executives, college baseball staffs added to SABR MLB Team Employee Database
- New Research Resources portal and member login launched
- Learn more about new SABR Institutional Memberships
- Hundreds of ProQuest US newspapers added to SABR Research Resources
- Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janet Biblewski | Toledo, OH | Marek Loub | Chomutov, CZE | ||
| Caldwell Bussey | Greenville, SC | Caitlin Mauser | Seattle, WA | ||
| Mico Coluccio | Latham, NY | David Mendez | Alexandria, VA | ||
| Matt Fox | Gulfport, FL | Edward O’Brien | Medford, MA | ||
| Eric Hillemann | St. Paul, MN | Chris Roush | Hillsborough, NC | ||
| Matt Kells | Parkton, MD | Thomas Sagehorn | Lake Barrington, IL | ||
| Richard Klein | Washington, DC | Joseph Sclafani | Cedar, MI | ||
| June Koffi | Brooklyn, NY | Brad Stoneberger | Scottsdale, AZ | ||
| Liam Krauss | Dallas, TX | Zack Tropea | Jackson, MI | ||
| Gregg Letourneau | Kalispell, MT |
- Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
- Video Replays: This week, we heard from award-winning filmmaker Ron Shelton; Russ Speiller and Dan Kwong (How We Played the Game: Baseball at Manzanar, 1942–1945); and John Tierney and Michael Kane (“Baseball Memorabilia Show & Tell”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.
Upcoming Virtual Meetings
- September 26: Jack Graney Cleveland Chapter meeting with Justin Mckinney (12:00 PM EDT)
- September 26: Bay Area/Sacramento Chapter joint meeting with Zak Ford, Bill Nowlin, and Tony Oliver (11:00 AM PDT)
- September 27: Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter meeting with Kat Williams (7:00 PM EDT)
- September 27: Minor League Committee meeting with William H. Brewster (8:00 PM EDT)
- September 27: Bob Davids (DC) Chapter meeting with David Raglin and Mark Pattison (8:00 PM EDT)
- September 28: Central Florida Chapter meeting with Zak Ford (7:00 PM EDT)
- September 28: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Dan Kahan (7:30 PM EDT)
- September 29: Bob Davids Chapter Analytics Club meeting with Mark Simon (7:00 PM EDT)
- September 30: Casey Stengel NYC Chapter meeting with Scott Reich (7:00 PM EDT)
- October 3: Bob Davids (DC) Chapter: Talkin’ Baseball with Zak Ford (9:00 AM EDT)
- October 3: Rice-Russell Nashville (TN) Chapter meeting with Larry Hayes, Tim Christ, and Marshall Garvey (10:00 AM CDT)
Upcoming In-Person Meetings
- September 29: Southern Michigan Chapter meeting (Lansing, MI)
- September 30: Field of Dreams Iowa Chapter meeting (5:00 PM CDT)
- October 3: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)
- October 3: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter: Rygelski Baseball Research Conference (St. Louis, MO)
To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.
- Jewish Baseball: Sign up for announcements from SABR’s newest research committee, focusing on Jewish contributions to the game of baseball
Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.
- Halsey Hall Chapter: October 2026 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
- Magnolia Chapter: Fall 2026 newsletter (Atlanta, GA)
- Rocky Mountain Chapter: September 2026 newsletter (Denver, CO)
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:
- Bill Shaikin: How Montreal can provide former Dodgers GM Dan Evans a second chance (Los Angeles Times)
- Mark Bowman: Braves celebrate Bill Lucas’ trailblazing legacy 50 years later (MLB.com)
- Daniel Brown: Baseball’s deaf pioneer gets a Hall of Fame push a century after changing game (The Athletic)
- Dan Szymborski: Are World Baseball Classic Players Actually Underperforming in 2026? (FanGraphs)
- J.J. Cooper: The MLB Strike Zone Got A Lot Smaller In 2026 (Baseball America)
- Michael Clair: Superstar Ayami Sato sends Queens to inaugural WPBL title (MLB.com)
- Kiri Oler: Queens Crowned Baseball Royalty, Beat Firebells in WPBL Championship (FanGraphs)
- Bradley Woodrum: Ayami Sato, The Queen of Baseball (Baseball Prospectus)
- Sarah Langs: 9 reasons why Jacob Misiorowski’s season has been one of a kind (MLB.com)
- Tom Kim: A Visual Primer to OpenCommand (Baseball Prospectus)
- Meghan Montemurro: ‘That’s my baseball dad’: The Chicago Cubs coach who helped Pete Crow-Armstrong become an MVP-caliber hitter (Chicago Tribune)
- Mark Simon: Where Do The Cubs Stand Among Teams in Defensive Runs Saved History? (Sports Info Solutions)
- Davy Andrews: Formerly Wan Steven Kwan Once Again Has Got It Going On (FanGraphs)
- Ben Lindbergh: Baseball’s Best Pitchers Aren’t Worth What They Used to Be (but Its Best Batters Are) (The Ringer)
- Rob Mains: Does the Postseason Guest List Need More Variety? (Baseball Prospectus)
- Jay Jaffe: The Red-Hot Elly De La Cruz (FanGraphs)
- Dan D’Addona: When Tigers legend Justin Verlander and I were rookies together (Holland Sentinel)
- Jim Margalus: Don Cooper was the last singular White Sox pitching coach (Sox Machine)
- Sam Gazdziak: Obituary: Joe Morgan (1930-2026) (RIP Baseball)
- Rob Arthur: This Wave Of Japanese Talent Is The Beginning Of A Pipeline (Baseball Prospectus)
- David Laurila: Ever Evolving, (the A’s) Max Muncy Remains In Search of His Groove (FanGraphs)
- John Valenti: When Long Island women played pro baseball (Newsday)
- Nate DeMio: The Last Game (The Memory Palace)
- Marjorie Maddox: A Man Named Branch: A Great-Grandniece Remembers Branch Rickey (Pittsburgh Quarterly)
- Paul Lukas: Is It Okay to Make a Uniform Change So Late in the Season? (Uni-Watch)
- Ryan Whirty: Bill Foster’s interlude in North Carolina (Negro Leagues Up Close)
- Jimmy Parker: Wabi-Sabi for Baseball Card Collectors (Beauty of a Game)
- Mark Kolier: The Utility Player Who Won a Batting Title (Almost Cooperstown)
- Roy Carlson: 1963 Topps Stickers Set: A Head Above Other Topps Disembodied Offerings (Sports Collectors Daily)
- Christian Trudeau: La ligue provinciale de baseball (Nightlife.ca)
- Susan Miyagi McCormac: Japan Dominates: The 2018 MLB All-Star Tour of Japan (SABR Asian Baseball)
- Andrew Orcutt: The Gould Find: Reuniting Hank Thompson’s 1955 Card, Statue, Photo, and Contract (SABR Baseball Cards)
- Andy Palomino: Games and Simulations Committee Research Project Update (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: September 25, 2026. Last Updated: September 25, 2026.