Archive for Site News

We’ve Added a Handedness Filter to the Major League Leaderboards

Two weeks ago, we updated our Major League Leaderboards. We appreciated all the feedback and feature requests. One of those requests was to add a way to filter by the handedness of the player, and we’ve done just that!

The filter looks at whether the batter is right-handed, left-handed or a switch hitter, and filters on that value. It works the same for pitchers. We even have a switch pitcher filter, although it’s functional for just one player.

Similar to the position player filter, the handedness filter will not create a subset of data. For example, if you select switch-hitters, it will show you their stats from all their plate appearances, regardless of the side of the plate they batted from.

We still have the handedness splits in the “Split” menu, and these splits can be combined with the handedness filter. So you could look at all right-handed pitchers (Handedness Filter) while facing right-handed hitters (Split):

As always if you encounter any issues or bugs, please contact us at support@fangraphs.com.


We’ve Updated Our Major League Leaderboards Interface

We just updated the interface for our Major League Leaderboards, enhancing the user experience while retaining the core functionalities.

This updates includes the following refinements:

  • Streamlined Control Panel: We’ve reorganized and consolidated common items within the control panel, creating a more intuitive and efficient user interface.
  • Leagues Menu Enhancement: Our leagues menu now allows simultaneous filtering across multiple leagues.
  • Primary Position Filtering: We’ve taken special care to clarify our position filtering options. The “Primary Position,” exclusively for batters, is determined based on playing time. If a player spends 25% or more of their time at a specific position, they qualify for that position. This encompasses all plate appearances, regardless of the player’s position during the game.
  • Positional Splits: Our positional split feature, available for both batters and pitchers, has been refined for seamless usability. This plate appearance-level split function has been repositioned into a more accessible location, improving overall navigation and understandability.
  • Modal-Based Custom Reports: We’ve moved the custom reports functionality into user-friendly popup modals. This enhancement ensures a smoother experience when generating custom reports, eliminating the need to navigate to the bottom of the data grid.
  • Enhanced Performance: Our commitment to delivering an optimal experience extends to performance enhancements. Page loading times have been optimized for swifter access to data, contributing to a more efficient user journey.
  • More Consistent Control Options: We’ve made a decision not to hide unavailable options for different eras and categories. This ensures a more user-friendly interface by minimizing confusion stemming from disappearing choices.

Additionally, we’ve made some quality-of-life features exclusive to FanGraphs Membership:

  • CSV Report Downloads: The ability to download reports in CSV format, facilitating seamless data integration with external tools, will continue to be available only to members.
  • Custom Stat Headers: For enhanced report customization, members can create a data grid with as many stat headers they want. Non-members are now limited to 10 stat headers.
  • Custom Player List: This member-exclusive feature permits access to data for more than 10 players. Non-members are now limited to 10 stat headers.
  • Custom Report Saving: Saving the custom reports created from custom stat headers and custom player lists is now a member-exclusive feature.

Regardless of membership status, your older reports made on the previous leaderboards will remain accessible and compatible with the revamped interface. Additionally, for users with specific needs or dependencies on the legacy version, we’ve retained an older version of our leaderboards. You can find more information here. The legacy version of the leadersboards will be maintained until at least the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Thank you for being a part of this exciting evolution in our leaderboards experience. If you encounter any issues or bugs, please contact us at support@fangraphs.com. Your valued feedback and continued support drive us to deliver the best possible tools for your analytical needs.


Introducing RosterResource’s MiLB Power Rankings Leaderboard!

RosterResource’s MiLB Power Rankings were first developed in 2015 and have been displayed on the team depth charts ever since. Given that those depth charts feature a section called “Minor Leaguers You Should Know,” it was important that I come up with a formula that would allow me to identify the players having the best statistical seasons, with age and level integral factors.

Having the rankings visible on the depth charts has been a helpful feature, but I have often been asked by readers for a link to a non-existent leaderboard. If you’ve asked me about it, I’m sure I said something to the effect of, “We don’t have one right now. It’s at the top of my wish list. Hopefully in the near future.”

Well, I’m happy to announce that the day has finally arrived. RosterResource’s MiLB Power Rankings Leaderboard is here. And, thanks to Sean Dolinar and Keaton Arneson, it is spectacular.

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Saberseminar Is August 12-13 in Chicago!

Sabermetrics, Scouting, and the Science of Baseball is a charity conference that blends science, insider knowledge, and groundbreaking sabermetrics research. Attendees will hear over 20 research presentations about the science and statistics behind the game. Learn from MLB insiders like Chicago White Sox Pitching Coach Ethan Katz, Cubs Assistant GM Eshan Bokhari, and Brewers VP of Research and Innovation Dan Turkenkopf. The conference will be held August 12-13 at the Hermann Hall Conference Center at Illinois Tech in Chicago.

FanGraphs has been a supporter of Saberseminar for over 10 years and several members of our staff will be in attendance. And remember, it’s all for a great cause – 100% of the conference’s ticket proceeds directly support the Alliance to Cure Cavernous Malformation.

For tickets, details, and speaker information, please visit saberseminar.com.


Our Leaderboards Are Going To Change

We are currently in the process of updating our leaderboards interface. As part of this update, we have already released a quick leaderboard interface in our app, and we are now focusing on developing a modern, mobile-friendly web version of the complete leaderboards.

Just like when we made changes to our player pages, the upcoming modifications to the leaderboards will involve underlying HTML changes that could impact any data analysis tools you have built. To address this, we have created a legacy version of the page, which will remain accessible via a direct URL until the end of the 2023 season. Please note that normal navigation or parameter changes may not work as expected on the legacy page. Its purpose is to allow users to replace the URL in their tool and continue functioning until they have a chance to make any necessary adjustments. Read the rest of this entry »


FanGraphs App Update: We’ve Added Quick Leaderboards!

We are excited to introduce Quick Leaderboards – an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface for accessing our major league leaderboards. With this new addition, you can now easily explore and find leaders for various statistics through a list-based interface. Our goal is to provide a seamless experience that closely reflects the web version’s robust leaderboards within our app. Our future plans are to further develop leaderboards in the app to closely match the functionality of the web version.

To access the app and enjoy these new features, simply download it here:

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Pitch Timer and Other Rule Violations Leaderboards Are Now Available!

With the pitch clock and a slew of other rule changes now in effect in the majors, we’ve added a section to the leaderboards dedicated to tracking all manner of rule violations and their run values.

Some important notes:

– The violations include Pitcher Pitch Timer Violations, Catcher Pitch Timer Violations, Disengagement Violations, Defensive Shift Violations, Batter Pitch Timer Violations, and Batter Timeout Violations. Read the rest of this entry »


PitchingBot and Stuff+ Pitch Modeling Is Now on FanGraphs!

I’m happy to announce that we now have two pitch quality models, PitchingBot and Stuff+, available for your perusal on the FanGraphs Leaderboards.

PitchingBot is the brainchild of Cameron Grove. We worked with Cameron to be able to run and maintain his model in-house at FanGraphs; he has since joined an MLB front office. You can read all about PitchingBot in the FanGraphs Library here.

In short, PitchingBot takes inputs such as pitcher handedness, batter handedness, strike zone height, count, velocity, spin rate, movement, release point, extension, and location to determine the quality of a pitch, as well as its possible outcomes. Those outcomes are then aggregated and normalized on a 20-80 scouting scale, which is what is displayed on the leaderboards. Read the rest of this entry »


The 2023 Playoff Odds Are Now Available!

The FanGraphs 2023 Playoff Odds are now available on the site. As a reminder, here’s what each column represents in the current 12-team playoff structure:

  • Win Div: The probability the team wins their division.
  • Clinch Bye: The probability that the team wins their division and is one of the top two seeds in their league, thus earning a Wild Card Series bye.
  • Clinch Wild Card: The probability the team qualifies for the playoffs through a Wild Card berth.
  • Make Playoffs: The sum of Win Div + Clinch Wild Card, indicating the probability that the team qualifies for the playoff in any capacity.
  • Make LDS (Postseason section): The probability the team wins the Wild Card Series or earns a bye.

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Negro Leagues Data Is Now Available on FanGraphs!

We’re excited to announce that Negro Leagues data is now available on the FanGraphs player pages and leaderboards! In addition, Negro Leagues players now have FanGraphs player pages. All data is provided by The Seamheads Negro Leagues Database powered by Agate Type Research. Special thanks are due to Gary Ashwill and Kevin Johnson for their assistance as we incorporated the data into the site.

The seven Black baseball leagues included in our data mirror those at Baseball Reference and are consistent with the recommendations of SABR’s Negro Leagues Task Force and Major League Baseball’s announcement recognizing these leagues as being major leagues.

Negro Leagues Recognized as Major Leagues
League Abbreviation Years
Negro National League I NNL 1920-1931
Eastern Colored League ECL 1923-1928
American Negro League ANL 1929
East-West League EWL 1932
Negro Southern League NSL 1932
Negro National League II NN2 1933-1948
Negro American League NAL 1937-1948
SOURCE: Baseball Reference

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