What kind of hitter did the Milwaukee Brewers get when they acquired Owen Miller from the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday in exchange for a player to be named later or cash? Statistically speaking, the answer is someone who put up uninspiring numbers in his first full big-league season. The infielder, who recently turned 26 years old, logged a .287 wOBA and an 85 wRC+ in 472 plate appearances. After starting strong — he had a 1.043 OPS on May 8, and had delivered a number of clutch hits — Miller provided only a modicum of value with the bat.

In terms of his overall development as a hitter, Miller has evolved — intent-wise more than production-wise to this point — from the player who Eric Longenhagen described prior to the 2021 season. Ranking him No. 14 on that year’s Cleveland Top Prospects list, our lead prospect analyst wrote that the former third-round pick out of Illinois State University had a “minimalistic swing [that] enables him to make high rates of contact, while the strength in Miller’s hands generates doubles power.”

Miller stroked 26 doubles this past season, but only six home runs, and he had 93 strikeouts to go with 32 walks. By and large, he remains a work-in-progress — albeit one who can provide value with his versatility while continuing to work on his offensive skills.

The newest Brewer talked hitting in an interview that took place a handful of months into the season, only to be placed on the back burner until now.

———

David Laurila: How would you describe yourself as a hitter?

Owen Miller: “I’ve kind of changed, I would say. When I was younger — coming up in college, and in the minors — I was very contact-oriented, with a very line drive approach. I was handsy, trying to manipulate my barrel. Then, over the quarantine period when we had time to work on things… I understood that there are things that elite hitters do as far as using their bodies more, and I started to make some swing changes off of that. Not really swing changes, per se, but rather adjustments. Read the rest of this entry »

Catching is the most taxing position in baseball. Day in and day out, it grinds on the players who attempt it. Catchers almost never play a full season, because it’s just plain harder to catch two days in a row than play the field on those days. Mathematically, that means fewer stars, because catchers have fewer plate appearances to excel in. That warps the market for free-agent catchers; in a given year, there might be only one or two full-time starters available at the position.

If you’re a team looking for a catcher, that puts you in a bind. This year’s market is a great example; I can name plenty of teams that “needed a catcher” coming into this offseason, but there were only two at the top of the market, and that’s if you count Sean Murphy, whom the A’s traded to Atlanta on Monday. Short of that, Willson Contreras was at the top by himself, and the Cardinals signed him earlier this month. That means the other teams who “needed a catcher” had to look a tier down. Speaking of which: the Twins signed Christian Vázquez to a three-year deal worth $30 million. Not long after, the Guardians signed Mike Zunino to a one-year deal for $6 million. Read the rest of this entry »

Gaylord Perry presented some kind of mathematical paradox to the mind of this young fan. If baseball had outlawed the spitball some 60 years earlier, how could this admittedly gray-haired guy in his early 40s have been grandfathered in? Yet there was Perry, throwing — or at least appearing to throw — wet or otherwise loaded baseballs with impunity, preceding each pitch with a detailed routine in which he’d rub his brow, both sides of the underbill of his cap, then the brim, then the side, then the brim again before delivering. Sometimes it was a decoy for the fact that he was hiding the foreign substance on his wrist, his neck, or somewhere on his uniform.

Master of the “spitball”. Made players angry, including Reggie Jackson was fuming. #RIPGaylordPerry pic.twitter.com/uH9PQAaqxx

— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) December 1, 2022

The math didn’t work, but the wet ones, or at least the belief that he was throwing them, did. In my early years of watching baseball, the rubber-armed, rule-bending rogue brought vivid color (not just the Padres’ infamous brown-and-yellow) to the more black-and-white corners of the game’s history, planting the evocative names of bygone spitballers such as Burleigh Grimes and Urban Shocker in my mind while earning his own spot in the annals. In 1978, the year I began closely following the game, Perry became the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues and just the third pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts, after Walter Johnson and Bob Gibson. On May 6, 1982, while a member of the Seattle Mariners, he became the 15th pitcher to reach 300 wins, the first in 19 years and the first of six from his cohort to reach that milestone; that season also brought the only time he was ejected for throwing an illegal pitch. On August 13, 1983, about six weeks from the end of his 22-year major league career, he became the third pitcher of that group, after Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton, to surpass Johnson’s previously unassailable record of 3,508 strikeouts. Read the rest of this entry »

No team hates hitting for power as much as the Cleveland Guardians.

Roughly a league-average offense overall, the Guardians ranked near the bottom — and absolute rock bottom among offenses that were worth a damn — in home runs and ISO. You’d hope that such a team would also be particularly good at putting the ball in play, and you’d be right; Cleveland had the highest team contact rate and lowest strikeout rate in baseball. José Ramírez has been the Guardians’ franchise player for several years, and by 2022 the team had basically been built in his image: short guys with high contact rates.

Three Cleveland hitters — Ramírez, Steven Kwan, and Myles Straw — finished in the top 13 in strikeout rate among qualified hitters and were among the 21 hardest hitters to strike out. The team leader in strikeouts was Andrés Giménez, a 5-foot-11 middle infielder who hit .297 with a strikeout rate of just 20.1%. For comparison, the Braves, who won 101 games and scored the third-most runs in baseball, had nine hitters with 300 or more plate appearances last year; every single one of them had a higher strikeout rate than Giménez did.

This is the last team in baseball you’d expect to sink big money into a 260-pound first baseman with a 37-homer season in his recent past, particularly considering the franchise’s famous frugality. Cleveland ran a payroll of just $69 million last year, after all. But Josh Bell isn’t your garden variety big fella. If he were, the Guardians would not have signed him to a two-year, $33 million contract, as Jon Heyman reported Tuesday afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »

Fellow, Amateur Scouting

Department: Amateur Scouting
Employment Type: Full – Time
FLSA Classification: Exempt

Primary Purpose:
The Guardians Fellowship program is designed to accelerate the pace of development and impact for people interested in working for our organization. Fellowship roles are focused on solving complex challenges and developing new approaches, tools, and techniques to meaningfully drive the organization forward.

The Cleveland Guardians are seeking Fellows to join their Amateur Scouting department. Each Fellow will work collaboratively with the amateur scouting staff. Fellows will operate as an extension of the front office staff and be a resource for scouts and Baseball Operations. Fellows will be expected to manage the collection of multiple data streams on amateur players to prepare the organization for acquisition opportunities.

The ideal candidate will be curious, creative, open-minded, and excited to work in a collaborative and rapidly changing environment. The candidate will be able to clearly communicate with others, build trusting relationships, and execute the organization’s vision through passion, resourcefulness, curiosity, and strategic thinking. They will take the initiative to perform research that advances the Guardians’ procedures and philosophies, especially related to the Major League Baseball draft.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Understand and apply organizational philosophies to all phases of the scouting and information-gathering processes.
• Assist scouting staff with the organization and execution of the scouting process through robust data collection.
• Assist scouting staff with various administrative and information-gathering tasks, such as database management
• Operate bat/ball tracking technology and other sports science technology.
• Manage video collection process from all player assessment opportunities, including but not limited to games, workouts, and events.
• Manage the corresponding data and video submission process.
• Provide holistic player assessments.
• Assist scouting staff with player workouts.

Requirements:
The Cleveland Guardians are committed to developing and maintaining an environment that embraces all forms of diversity to enrich our core values, enhance our competitive position, strengthen our impact within our community, and foster a greater sense of belonging for our employees. In this spirit, we know studies have shown that people from historically underserved groups – including women, people of color, people from working-class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and understand that candidates may bring certain skills and experiences to the role that are not listed within this job description, but that would add tremendous value to our organization. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

• Bachelor’s degree or prior professional experience
• Demonstrated passion for at least one of scouting, baseball analytics, sports science, hitting or pitching analysis and/or biomechanics, strength and conditioning, motor learning, or other baseball or softball related field.

Preferred Experience:

While we are looking for candidates who bring a variety of skill sets, successful fellows possessed some of the following skills:

• Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics and publicly available research.
• Demonstrated experience with a database language such as SQL.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Ability to communicate in Spanish is a plus but not necessary.

Standard Requirements:

• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive manner to the scouting community, players, coaches, and the general public.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English effectively across all mediums.
• This position will require travel to games, workouts, and events across the country.
• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationships with members in all departments of the organization.
• Ability to act according to organizational values in pursuit of excellence at all times.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and have a demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to walk, sit, or stand for an entire shift.
• Ability to work extended days and hours, including holidays and weekends.
• Ability to move throughout all areas and levels of a ballpark.
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment.
• Occasional physical activity such as lifting and carrying equipment up to 25 lbs.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Cleveland Guardians.

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 »

Nolan Jones might be ready to break out in Colorado, and turning 4 o’clock into 7 o’clock is how he would go about doing it. His time in Cleveland over — the Rockies acquired the rangy 6-foot-4 outfielder from the Guardians earlier this week in exchange for Juan Brito — Jones heads west with a swing that is, by his own admission, compact in the cage and too long in the batter’s box. Striking an effective balance between the two is an ongoing goal and a key to his future success.

“I’ve got really long levers, so I’m trying to simplify my moves and make them more efficient,” Jones told me earlier this summer. “Like anybody else, my moves become bigger in the game, and when your limbs are long, a two-inch move in the cage can become a six-inch move. My swings in the cage are those toned-down moves. I’m trying to be shorter to where, when they get bigger in the game, they’re right where I want them to be.”

Reaching his potential has been a frustrating endeavor for the 24-year-old. Selected in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Philadelphia’s Holy Ghost Preparatory School, Jones has ranked as Cleveland’s top prospect multiple times, and he was No. 51 in our Top 100 as recently as the spring of 2021. What has largely held him back is a penchant to swing-and-miss, a trait that accompanied him to the big leagues this season. Along with a .244/.309/.372 slash line over 94 plate appearances, the rookie had a 33% strikeout rate and a worst-on-the-club 71.6% Z-contact rate. Given the Guardians’ preference for hitters who can consistently put the ball in play, Jones no longer fitting into their plans comes as no surprise. Read the rest of this entry »

Minor League Pitching Coach

Primary Purpose
The Cleveland Guardians are currently seeking a Minor League pitching coach to join the Player Development Department. The ideal candidate will possess a passion for player and personal growth, experience integrating multiple information sources to create and implement pitching plans, and a thorough understanding of skill acquisition principles. Excellent applicants will demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and a drive to learn new concepts to problem solve. First and foremost, we are looking for great people!

We are committed to creating an equitable interview process that recognizes the unique identities of all applicants and allows candidates to bring their best selves forward. If you are more comfortable with submitting your materials (ie. resume, other documents) in Spanish, please feel free to do so. In order to facilitate the review of applications, we encourage you to apply by 11/18. However, we will still be accepting applications after that date until the position is filled.

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that some historically marginalized groups – including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – may feel less likely to apply, even though they are qualified, unless they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we encourage you to reach out if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

• Integrate objective information into a detailed and comprehensive player development plan. 
• Create effective training environments based off individual player plans. 
• Collaborate with other Physical domains to effectively plan, implement and monitor a holistic player development plan. 
• Utilize internal tools, resources, and analytics to assess and adjust player plans. 
• Communicate development plans and progress with players and Player Development staff and Front Office throughout the year.
• Assist field staff with normal daily operations when necessary. 

Requirements

• Minimum of two years related experience and/or training required. Previous experience with a Major or Minor League Baseball organization or collegiate baseball program is a plus.
• Candidate is willing to potentially work at our development complex in Arizona year round. 
• Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of people and backgrounds.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English proficiently in all communications.
• Interest in personal and professional development with a desire to be involved in internal continuing education opportunities. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office and Outlook. 

Preferred Experience
We are looking for a variety of skill sets. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be who we are looking for to join our team.

• Fluency in Spanish is a plus but not required.
• Proficiency in SQL is a plus but not required.
• Experience working with Trackman, Edgertronic cameras, biomechanics data, and workload monitoring data. 
• Strength & conditioning experience is a plus but not required.

Standard Requirements

• All applicants for employment with the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) will need to comply with the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy as a condition of employment.  Potential candidates for employment will be notified of the requirements of this policy prior to the start of employment.
• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationship with members of the Front Office.
• Ability to act according to the organizational values and service excellence at all times. 
• Ability to work with multicultural populations and have a commitment to fairness and equality. 
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment. 

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Minor League Hitting Coach

Primary Purpose
The Cleveland Guardians are currently seeking a Minor League hitting coach to join the Player Development Department. The ideal candidate will possess a passion for player and personal growth, experience integrating multiple information sources to create and implement development plans, and a thorough understanding of skill acquisition principles. Excellent applicants will demonstrate curiosity, creativity, and a drive to learn new concepts to problem solve. First and foremost, we are looking for great people!

We are committed to creating an equitable interview process that recognizes the unique identities of all applicants and allows candidates to bring their best selves forward. If you are more comfortable with submitting your materials (ie. resume, other documents) in Spanish, please feel free to do so. In order to facilitate the review of applications, we encourage you to apply by 11/18. However, we will still be accepting applications after that date until the position is filled.

If you meet some of the qualifications above, we encourage you to apply or to reach out for more information. We know that some historically marginalized groups – including people of color, women, people from working class backgrounds, and people who identify as LGBTQ – may feel less likely to apply, even though they are qualified, unless they meet every requirement for a job. Therefore, we encourage you to reach out if you have questions about the role or your qualifications. We are happy to help you feel ready to apply!

Essential Responsibilities and Duties

• Integrate objective information into a detailed and comprehensive player development plan. 
• Create effective training environments based off individual player plans. 
• Collaborate with other Physical domains to effectively plan, implement and monitor a holistic player development plan. 
• Utilize internal tools, resources, and analytics to assess and adjust player plans. 
• Communicate development plans and progress with players and Player Development staff and Front Office throughout the year.
• Assist field staff with normal daily operations when necessary. 

Requirements

• Minimum of two years related experience and/or training required. Previous experience with a professional baseball/softball organization or collegiate baseball/softball program is a plus.
• Candidate is willing to potentially work year-round at our development complex in Arizona. 
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people and backgrounds.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English proficiently in all communications.
• Interest in personal and professional development with a desire to be involved in internal continuing education opportunities. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office and Outlook. 

Preferred Experience
We are looking for a variety of skill sets. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be who we are looking for to join our team.

• Fluency in Spanish is a plus but not required.
• Proficiency in SQL is a plus but not required.
• Experience working with Trackman, Edgertronic cameras, biomechanics data, and workload monitoring data. 
• Strength & conditioning experience is a plus but not required.
• Experience with mental performance/sports psychology is a plus but not required.

Standard Requirements

• All applicants for employment with the Cleveland Indians (Guardians) will need to comply with the OSHA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy as a condition of employment.  Potential candidates for employment will be notified of the requirements of this policy prior to the start of employment.
• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationship with members of the Front Office.
• Ability to act according to the organizational values and service excellence at all times. 
• Ability to work with multicultural populations and have a commitment to fairness and equality. 
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment. 

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Cleveland Guardians.

The following article is part of my ongoing look at the candidates on the 2023 Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, use the tool above. An introduction to JAWS can be found here.

Albert Belle was baseball’s most notorious bad boy in the 1990s, and he developed into one of the game’s elite sluggers. He flat out terrorized pitchers — and was no picnic for many of those around him — for a decade before a degenerative hip condition forced his retirement at age 34. Even at the height of an offense-heavy era, his numbers are something to behold.

So, too, are stories of Belle’s temper. A 1996 Sports Illustrated cover story, “He Thrives on Anger” — a title taken from a quote by Cleveland clubhouse attendant Frank Mancini, one of Belle’s closest friends — detailed his throwing baseballs at a photographer, hurling epithets at a broadcaster, and chasing teenagers who had egged his house in his Ford Explorer. While Belle overcame early-career problems with alcohol to flourish in the majors, his actions once he did rarely cast his as a feel-good story. Had the behavior that incurred multiple fines and suspensions — not to mention a 1998 domestic battery complaint that was later dropped — occurred two decades later, he could have received even heavier punishment that might have altered his career path. Read the rest of this entry »

Cleveland Guardians Baseball Technology Fellowship

Primary Purpose:
The Cleveland Guardians Fellowship program is designed to accelerate the pace of development and impact for people interested in working for our organization. Fellowship roles are focused on solving complex challenges, which involve developing new approaches, tools, and techniques to meaningfully drive the organization forward. Fellows will be exposed to work across multiple departments and have access to and be encouraged to use a suite of internal, proprietary resources.

We are seeking Fellows to join our Baseball Technology department. Each Fellow will work full-time with one of our minor league affiliates and report to the Baseball Technology, Player Development, and Baseball Operations departments. Fellows will be expected to manage the collection of multiple data streams and operate as a resource for both coaches and players. This position will include travel to away games.

The ideal candidate will be curious, creative, open-minded, and excited to work in a collaborative environment. The candidate will be able to clearly communicate with others, build strong relationships, and have the ability to present complex topics to a wide range of audiences. They will take the initiative to perform research in the areas of their choosing that advances the Guardians’ player development procedures and philosophies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Baseball Technology:

• Operate bat/ball tracking technology and other sports science technology.
• Manage pre-game, in-game, and post-game video process.
• Manage the corresponding data and video collection process and assist with interpretation & distribution.
• Assist the Information Systems team with Baseball Technology related troubleshooting and support.

Coaching Staff Support:

• Coordinate Advance Scouting Process with Minor League field staff.
• Assist affiliate staff with various administrative tasks (i.e. daily scheduling, team travel).
• Assist Minor League field staff with pre-game activities.

Baseball Development and Analysis:

• Collaborate with coaching staff, Player Development, and Baseball Operations to monitor player goals and player progress.
• Perform ad hoc research and analysis, both at the request of staff and independently.
• Communicate findings and insights to Minor League Coaches, Players, and Player Development and Baseball Operations Departments.

Requirements:
The Cleveland Guardians are committed to developing and maintaining an environment that embraces all forms of diversity to enrich our core values, enhance our competitive position, strengthen our impact within our community, and foster a greater sense of belonging for our employees.

In this spirit, we know studies have shown that people from historically underserved groups – including women and people of color – are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and understand that candidate may bring certain skills and experiences to the role that are not listed above, but that would add tremendous value to our organization. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

• Bachelor’s degree or Prior Professional Experience.
• Demonstrated passion for at least one of baseball technology, scouting, baseball analytics, sports science, hitting or pitching analysis and/or biomechanics, strength and conditioning, motor learning, or other baseball/softball related field.

Skills:

• Organization: Ability to create, maintain and execute a schedule with precision and agility.
• Work Ethic: A relentless drive to collect more and better information.
• Passion: Demonstrate a clear passion for the game, teammates, the organization, and learning.
• Resourcefulness: Utilize organizational resources to develop and understand organizational philosophies.
• Strategic Thinking: Employ a problem-solving mindset and strategic thinking.
• Time Management: Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaboration: Partner with staff and players and exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Experience:
While we are looking for a variety of diverse skill sets for this role, we know that past Fellows who have thrived in this role possessed certain skills that are best aligned to the game of baseball. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be better positioned to thrive in this role.

• Conversational Spanish or better a plus.
• Experience with video editing software (i.e. Adobe Premier) a plus.
• Experience with SQL and statistical software (i.e. R, Python, Stata, SAS) a plus.
• Experience in troubleshooting network, computer, and other device connectivity issues a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics and publicly available research.

Standard Requirements:

• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English effectively in all communications.
• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationship with members of the Front Office.
• Ability to act according to the organizational values and service excellence at all times.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and have a demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to walk, sit or stand for an entire shift.
• Ability to work extended days and hours, including holidays and weekends.
• Ability to move throughout all areas and levels of the Ballpark.
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment.
• Occasional physical activity such as lifting and carrying boxes up to 25 lbs.

About Us:
In Baseball Technology, our shared goal is to identify and develop diverse players and front office teammates who contribute to our mission. By working together effectively and collaboratively, we create a family atmosphere that supports learning as we strive for excellence in everything we do. We believe that we will achieve our goals by making evidence-based decisions and creating environments that support our people and empower them to learn.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Cleveland Guardians.