The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2023 Hall of Fame ballot. Originally written for the 2015 election at SI.com, it has been updated to reflect recent voting results as well as additional research. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Wherever Gary Sheffield went, he made noise, both with his bat and his voice. For the better part of two decades, he ranked among the game’s most dangerous hitters, a slugger with a keen batting eye and a penchant for contact that belied his quick, violent swing. For even longer than that, he was one of the game’s most outspoken players, unafraid to speak up when he felt he was being wronged and unwilling to endure a situation that wasn’t to his liking. He was a polarizing player, and hardly one for the faint of heart.

At the plate, Sheffield was viscerally impressive like few others. With his bat twitching back and forth like the tail of a tiger waiting to pounce, he was pure menace in the batter’s box. He won a batting title, launched over 500 home runs — he had 14 seasons with at least 20 and eight with at least 30 — and put many a third base coach in peril with some of the most terrifying foul balls anyone has ever seen. For as violent as his swing may have been, it was hardly wild; not until his late 30s did he strike out more than 80 times in a season, and in his prime, he walked far more often than he struck out. Read the rest of this entry »

Friday afternoon is traditionally the time when organizations dump unpleasant news. The week before the Winter Meetings, it’s also the time when organizations finally get rid of players they’ve been trying to trade. To that end, the Seattle Mariners have acquired second baseman Kolten Wong, along with $1.75 million in cash, from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for infielder Abraham Toro and outfielder Jesse Winker.

Huh. Interesting. Read the rest of this entry »

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to add talented people to their Baseball Research and Development department. The R&D team is involved in every aspect of the organization, including acquisition, player development and scouting and works closely with those departments to build processes and tools for decision making.

We’re looking for people who ask important questions and have the ability to start to answer them. We primarily use R and SQL, with some Python mixed in, but we’ll help you learn our tools if you’re more comfortable with a different set. Having existing knowledge of baseball and sabermetrics is helpful, but not required.

R&D team members generally work 40 to 45 hour weeks, although many choose to stay and attend home games during the season. There can be some weekend support and there are certain times of year (draft, trade deadline) where there may be additional needs. Some travel to spring training or minor league affiliates may be required for full-time positions.

We have the following openings available:

Senior Analyst (Application Link)

What you’d do:

The Senior Analyst owns the design and implementation of various predictive and explanatory models and processes used by other areas of the front office in making baseball decisions. They collaborate closely with departments like Player Personnel, Scouting, Player Development and High Performance to deeply understand their needs and drive innovative solutions.

What we’re looking for:

If you’re someone who has experience creating models with uncertain data and can translate the results into actionable information, you’re a good candidate for this position. You’re comfortable being given a problem or desired outcome and determining a path to get there. You’re inquisitive, excited to learn how different aspects of the organization work and want to help them improve. You have an advanced degree or a few years of work experience in a technical field.

Existing experience with scouting, performance science, strength training or sports medicine will be helpful, but is not required.

Residence in Milwaukee is strongly preferred, but we may consider remote possibilities for the right candidate. If you are remote, you’ll be expected to travel roughly one week a month to Milwaukee or our training complex in Arizona.

Hiring Process:

After you submit your application, it will be reviewed by one of the leaders of the R&D team. We’ll be looking mostly at your research experience – either for work or fun – along with your educational background and previous positions.

If you are selected to move forward, you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire (around 1 to 2 hours of work) to give us an idea of your statistical and baseball knowledge.

From there, you will have a few phone screens with members of the team.

The final step will be a series of discussions with members of the front office and review an in-depth take-home project (less than 10 hours of work) with the entire R&D department. This review mimics the team’s development process and should give you a feel for what it would be like to work with the group.

Analyst (Application Link)

What you’d do:

The Analyst contributes model components to core R&D processes, creates enhancements based on input from other departments, and answers specific questions from front office decision makers. They work collaboratively with the rest of the R&D department, often building depth in a specific baseball area, such as Scouting, Player Development or High Performance.

What we’re looking for:

If you have built predictive, statistical or mathematical models with some guidance and can convey your findings to non-technical audience, you could be a good fit for this role. You’re comfortable being given a direction and working independently with frequent check-ins with the team. You’re interested in the inner workings of a baseball organization and how R&D can support them. You have a bachelor’s degree or at least a year of work experience in a technical field.

Existing experience with scouting, performance science, strength training or sports medicine will be helpful, but is not required.

Residence in Milwaukee is required for this role to start, but there is a possibility of remote work down the road.

Hiring Process:

After you submit your application, it will be reviewed by one of the leaders of the R&D team. We’ll be looking mostly at your research experience – either for work or fun – along with your educational background and previous positions.

If you are selected to move forward, you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire (around 1 to 2 hours of work) to give us an idea of your statistical and baseball knowledge.
From there, you will have a few phone screens with members of the team.

The final step will be a series of discussions with members of the front office and review an in-depth take-home project (less than 10 hours of work) with the entire R&D department. This review mimics the team’s development process and should give you a feel for what it would be like to work with the group.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hunter Renfroe was probably getting tired of Milwaukee anyway. After spending the first four years of his career in San Diego, he will join his fifth team in five years as the Brewers sent the 30-year-old outfielder to the Angels in exchange for pitchers Janson Junk, Elvis Peguero, and Adam Seminaris.

Starting with the Los Angeles side of the deal: the Angels know what they’re getting in Renfroe. He’s a bat-first corner outfielder who relies on power to make up for what he lacks in on-base ability. After a poor showing in 2020, he bounced back with a 113 wRC+ in ’21 and posted a nearly identical season in ’22, good for a 124 wRC+ in the tougher offensive environment. He hit 60 home runs between the two seasons and posted a .315 on base percentage in both. He’s projected to make $11.2 million in arbitration this year, then move on to yet another team in 2024 as a free agent.

Renfroe owns a career wRC+ of 136 against lefties versus 97 against righties and has often been viewed as a platoon candidate. He improved his wRC+ to 120 against righties in 2022, however, after putting up 101 wRC+ in 2021. And while his defense isn’t to OAA’s liking, DRS and UZR both tend to rate him right around average, and his excellent arm helps to make up for what he lacks in range. He’ll slot into the outfield next to Mike Trout and Taylor Ward. Steamer projects the trio for 10.3 WAR — a big improvement after Los Angeles got just 0.3 WAR from its left fielders last year, good for 27th in the league. Even though Steamer expects Renfroe to take a step back next year, his projection of 2.0 WAR would patch a significant hole. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Tuesday’s 40-man roster deadline led to the usual squall of transaction activity, with teams turning over portions of their rosters in an effort to make room for the incoming crop of young rookies. Often, teams with an overflow of viable big leaguers will try to get back what they can for some of those players via trade, but because we’re talking about guys straddling the line between major league viability and Triple-A, those trades tend not to be big enough to warrant an entire post.

Over the next few days, we’ll endeavor to cover and analyze the moves made by each team, division by division. Readers can view this as the start of list season, as the players covered in this miniseries tend to be prospects who will get big league time in the next year. We’ll spend more time discussing players who we think need scouting updates or who we haven’t written about in the past. If you want additional detail on some of the more famous names you find below, pop over to The Board for a more thorough report.

The Future Value grades littered throughout these posts may be different than those on the 2022 in-season prospect lists on The Board to reflect our updated opinions and may be subject to change during the offseason. New to our thinking on this subject and wondering what the FVs mean? Here’s a quick rundown. Note that because we’re talking about close-to-the-majors prospects across this entire exercise, the time and risk component is less present here and these FVs are what we think the players are right now. Read the rest of this entry »

Brewers Software Engineering Positions

What is Baseball Systems?

• Baseball Systems is the software backbone of Baseball Operations. We provide data and decision-making tools for analysts, coaches, and front office personnel to help win a World Series.
• Our department consists of a team of data engineers and a team of software engineers who work across all different aspects of Baseball Operations providing support and tools relevant to each group.
• We work directly with stakeholders in every department of Baseball Operations to ensure every project we work on drives value to the organization and helps us win more games on the field.
• We help drive technical innovation to find new ways to solve baseball problems

We are looking for someone who:

• loves baseball.
• has created web apps using HTML, CSS and Javascript frameworks
• has experience developing APIs in C# or other similar languages
• has worked with relational databases
• is familiar with Git version control software.

It’s not required, but would be awesome if you:

• have experience with one of the popular front-end Javascript frameworks. We use Angular.
• have experience building visualizations, including in D3, Plotly, or other frameworks
• are familiar with the Software development lifecycle and JIRA or other issue tracking technologies
• have an interest in sabermetrics and statistical modeling.

What will you do each day?

• Design and develop new features or maintain existing features in our internal web applications.
• Squash bugs quickly.
• Collaborate with Baseball Operations staff to plan new features and ensure requirements are met.
• Develop walk-throughs for non-technical users to familiarize them with new features.
• Watch baseball.

Why work for the Brewers?

• Be a part of a mature development environment with tools that won’t get in your way, including full Atlassian suite of tools, mature CI/CD pipelines, code reviews, and robust pull requests.
• Work with specific product teams to directly solve stakeholder issues on key baseball problems.
• Exceptional benefits including:
• health, vision, and dental coverage at VERY competitive rates.
• an enhanced 401k where the company contributes even if you don’t!
• free tickets to baseball games for your friends and family
• Virtual development opportunities for continued growth
• Free gym membership for local staff
• You’ll be working with some of the most innovative people in all of baseball.
• You are a good teammate and like working with other driven and caring teammates.
• Your office is in a baseball stadium!

Our Interview Process

• A 15-20 minute phone call to get to know each other and discuss the position in more detail.
• A tech screen to give us some insight into how you work.
• A few small panel interviews (including lunch) to provide opportunities to get to know the team better. You will also meet other members of Baseball Operations you’d be collaborating with.

Please apply at these links

Software Engineer – Scouting: click here.

Software Engineer – High Performance: click here.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Intern – International Scouting Strategy (paid)

Summary: The Intern – International Scouting Strategy will be learning and assisting the Milwaukee Brewers player acquisition in the foreign amateur and professional spaces in an office-based role. This position will support the day-to-day functions of the International Scouting department and assist in the development of overall department strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned: Read the rest of this entry »

Intern – Baseball Research & Development (paid, multiple positions available)

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Summary  Will work with the Baseball R&D, Baseball Systems Departments, and the entire Baseball Operations Department to deliver research and tools to improve decision making. The position requires a person who has intellectual curiosity, is a self-starter and can communicate technical and analytical concepts effectively to non-technical people. Being passionate about using data, analysis, and technology to improve decision making processes is also a key differentiator.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

• Work with Baseball R&D and Baseball Operations to understand analytical needs and implement best practices for meeting those needs
• Investigate emerging data sources and identify potential for predictive value and actionable insights to improve decision making
• Develop visualizations and other mechanisms for disseminating analytical results to Baseball Operations, including consideration for less technically and analytically inclined consumers
• Continually survey latest analytical methods and advancements in baseball research to apply cutting edge methods and data to problems
• Understand current decision processes and information systems and offer enhancements and improvements
• Additional requests for reports, visualizations and research projects during the year

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Understanding of basic statistical modeling techniques, including, but not limited to, linear regression, logistic regressions, machine learning, etc.

• Proficiency with an analytical software platform required (for example R or Mathematica)

• Proficiency with SQL and SQL databases required
• Proficiency with data scripting language or ETL environment (Python, PERL, SSIS, etc.) desired

Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A.) or current pursuit of bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Operations Research, or related field from four-year college or university. Advanced degree or current pursuit of advanced degree in one of the areas mentioned above or a related field is desirable.

Work Hours 
Business hours are Monday – Friday 9 am – 5pm, however, additional hours may be required on weekends, evenings and some holidays.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Intern – Minor League Technology Operations (paid, multiple positions available)

Summary  Assist members of the baseball operations staff with all technology needs at Brewers minor league affiliates. This internship will run from early March through the end of September with the possibility of work into October.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

• Troubleshoot the team Hawkeye cameras when instructed by coordinator, tech ops..
• Log home game data via Hawkeye’s BSK software.
• Import game data into the BATS Video System accurately tracking pitch type, location, and result. Upload this data to the Brewers system so that remote and front office staff can review video.
• Complete special projects as assigned from Coordinator – Tech Operations and front office.
• Complete pro scouting reports on assigned players.
• Operate Edgertronic Camera and Trackman Portable system for each bullpen before games
• Communicate with Coordinator – Technology Operations regarding any technology troubleshooting issues.
• Partner with coaches to produce advance scouting reports that clearly and accurately report data on the upcoming opponents. Present this data to players when necessary.
• Operate approved technology including, but not limited to, Uplift, Blast, Trackman, Rapsodo, and HitTrax when necessary to track player on field work prior to games
• Implement organizational technology best practices and educate coaches and players on the process and benefits of technology use.

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Qualified applicants must be motivated, well-organized, detail-oriented, be able to work independently and on a deadline.
• Exceptional organization skills and the ability to relate well with individuals with diverse backgrounds is also required.
• A background in scouting is preferred, as well as experience in baseball operations

Education and/or Experience
Candidates must be currently enrolled or have recently graduated from an accredited college or university pursuing a degree or certification in a related field.

Computer Skills  
To perform the job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Internet Explorer. Additional preferred computer skills include proficiency in BATS (Baseball Analysis and Tracking System).

Language Skills 
Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization. Spanish speaking preferred.

Mathematical Skills 
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability 
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions, which may include heat, cold and various forms of precipitation. The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Work Hours 
Hours vary according to the game and event schedule.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Intern – Player Development Information

Location: US-AZ-Phoenix

Summary
The Intern – Player Development Information will focus on analyzing and disseminating various forms of player data and video for development purposes. This position will help support the department’s efforts both in preparing video and data visualization for player- and coach-facing delivery, as well as analyzing performance trends and communicating development opportunities for both internal and external players to PD leadership. Residence in Phoenix is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

• Support ad-hoc requests for reports, videos & visualizations, and research projects for player development.
• Create and deliver player feedback and optimization plans for minor leagues athletes, as well as select Major League coverage, as assigned.
• Per assigned player, research publicly available information (Twitter, external projections, online articles, etc.)
• Contribute to identifying data issues and testing application features in Milwaukee Brewers Baseball club systems.
• Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging technologies that could enhance baseball performance or processes.

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Proficiency with video editing (Adobe Premier or similar) software required
• Proficiency with data visualization (Tableau or similar), SQL and SQL databases strongly preferred
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word required
• Extensive experience with advanced statistical concepts, particularly those relevant to sabermetric player evaluation techniques
• Strong language skills required including ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with front office and field staff
• Must possess strong attention to detail and exhibit the capability to multi-task effectively

Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A.) or current pursuit of bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, or related field or equivalent professional experience. Advanced degree or current pursuit of advanced degree in one of the areas mentioned above or a related field is desirable

Computer Skills
To perform the job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Internet Explorer.

Language Skills
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills
Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.

Reasoning Ability
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to [25] pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions, which may include heat, cold and various forms of precipitation. The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Occasional travel to remote sites, including spring training sites, affiliate sites, conferences or other major league facilities may be required. Estimated travel time is less than 10%.

Travel Requirements
The employee must have the ability to operate a motor vehicle and to drive long distances to attend games. In addition, the employee is required to make selected trips by air and must be able to walk significant distances with luggage, board & deplane aircraft.

Work Hours
Business hours are Monday – Friday 9 am – 5pm, however, additional hours may be required on weekends, evenings and some holidays

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Milwaukee Brewers.

I don’t have any reason to suspect that Sandy Alcantara is a sadist or a misanthrope, but if he is, the next week will be quite entertaining.

Certainly the Marlins right-hander has caused no end of pain or suffering, inflicting failure and frustration upon National League hitters to a level unmatched this season. Alcantara’s strikeout and walk numbers haven’t been exceptional this year. Nevertheless he’s done the most important thing a pitcher can do — prevent runs — at a conspicuously high level; his 2.32 ERA is second among qualified NL starters. Combined with the staggering volume of his work (he leads the league with 220 2/3 innings pitched in a season when no one else has broken 200 yet), Alcantara is among the favorites for NL Cy Young.

That individual hardware would obviously be the biggest prize for a pitcher who’s done great work for a fourth-place club. But with two series left in the regular season, Alcantara could — if he so chooses — have a greater impact on the remaining pennant race than any other player. Read the rest of this entry »