There are a lot of great statistics in baseball these days. They measure everything! Swing path tilt? Contact point against center of mass? Exit velocity? Hard-hit rate on opposite field line drives? You can get a report on any of those things at the wave of a few fingers. Expected wOBA? Barrel rate? There are acronyms and stat blends and projection aggregates for days. It’s analysis paralysis; the hard part isn’t finding stats to describe hitters, but figuring out which ones not to use.

I don’t have a foolproof method for seeing through all the noise for you. But I do have a fun experiment in how to work with statistics in such an overwhelming environment. I want to suggest a method that I call, These Things Are Good. Basically, it boils down to this: Come up with some statistics that you think are good without pre-determining which players you’re looking for, measure how good the entire league is at your statistics in question, and see what shakes out.

How should we do this in practice? I started by saying that I think pulling the ball when you hit it in the air is good. That gives me the first statistic I care about: air pull rate. I turned that into standard deviations for every player in baseball so that we could compare apples to apples across multiple statistics, then started looking for who the standouts were across all categories.

Air pull rate is nice, but it’s certainly not the only statistic that I’m interested in. Next, I wanted guys who hit the ball hard when they put it in the air. After all, exit velocity matters far more when batters can elevate. I did the same thing and put that in z-score terms via standard deviations. If you’re wondering what kinds of hitters these two categories identify, Kyle Schwarber, Griffin Conine, and Junior Caminero are the top three. Read the rest of this entry »

In this trade deadline season where everyone’s within reach of a playoff spot, the Marlins were one of several teams that attempted to chart a middle path. Sure, we’ll sell off some of our best players — including, in Liam Hicks and Lake Bachar, some guys with plenty of team control left — but we’ll add in other trades and try to backfill those roles.

Miami’s big major league add was 26-year-old reliever Victor Vodnik, late of the Colorado Rockies. That sounds like damning with faint praise, and it is: Vodnik has a 5.25 ERA in 36 innings this season, and at the time of the trade, he was fifth among Rockies relievers in gmLI, which is the average leverage index when he enters the game. In other words, the Rockies don’t think Vodnik is a high-leverage reliever, or at least they hadn’t been using him that way.

Vodnik cost the Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who was the less successful half of the Trevor Rogers trade, and pitching prospect Aiden May. Read the rest of this entry »

Plan A for Chicago’s starting rotation went out the window all the way back on April 4 when Cade Horton went down with a forearm strain. After he’d finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2025, the Cubs were counting on him as a key contributor in 2026. Instead, his season ended after just two starts. Then on April 6, Matthew Boyd hit the IL with a bicep strain. Fortunately, he was only sidelined for two weeks, but by May 6 he was out of commission again, this time with a meniscus tear that took him out until June 25. Offseason rotation addition Edward Cabrera has also logged multiple IL stints this year — first, a blister that sidelined him from May 24 to June 5, then a hamstring strain that has had him on the shelf since June 24. Strained hamstrings aren’t contagious, but if they were, Cabrera would’ve caught his from Jameson Taillon, who was out with the same injury from June 9 to July 20 and then designated for assignment a week following his return due to poor performance. Given the myriad of injured starters, by early May the Cubs were forced to move Ben Brown from his long-relief role in the bullpen back to the starting rotation. He made eight starts before landing on the IL with a neck strain.

After placing both Cabrera and Brown on the IL on June 24, the Cubs started their deadline shopping a little early, trading with the Mets for left-handed starter David Peterson on June 25. Peterson has not pitched well this season, posting a 5.52 ERA and a 4.11 FIP over 101 innings, but aside from one clunker against the Cardinals, his results have been much better with the Cubs. Over his last four starts, he’s pitched to a 1.52 ERA, albeit with a 4.20 FIP. Nevertheless, Peterson does not single-handedly fix the Cubs’ rotation, nor does Kevin Gausman, whom they acquired from the Blue Jays on Sunday. No, and even with Cabrera pitching in his first Triple-A rehab game last Friday (1 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), it’s always a good idea to go ahead and add one more guy. Maybe even two.

Thus, in the hours before the trade deadline on Monday, the Cubs linked up with the Mets once more, this time agreeing to send infield prospect Jefferson Rojas to New York in exchange for right-handed starting pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor. But that’s not all, as Chicago also acquired right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn from the Angels in exchange for catcher/DH Moisés Ballestero and right-handed pitcher Mason McGwire. To cap it off, the Cubs sealed a swap with the Marlins in which they sent infielder Jonathon Long and pitcher Jace Beck to Miami for pitcher lefty Braxton Garrett. Read the rest of this entry »

I know, I know. I, too, wish the Tampa Bay Rays had traded for Tarik Skubal. But they didn’t, and it’s not in their nature if we’re being honest. The Rays aren’t the type to trade for one big hammer. They prefer to one-red-paperclip it, and that’s exactly what they’ve done this deadline. First, they traded for Freddy Peralta. Now, they’ve added some sorely needed offensive help by acquiring Liam Hicks from the Marlins in exchange for prospects Jacob Kisting, Adrian Santana, and Brayden Taylor, as Jeff Passan first reported.

The Tampa Bay side of this equation is pretty simple. Their catching duo of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes hasn’t been good enough. Fortes has been reasonable as the righty half of a platoon, but Feduccia has scuffled to an 82 wRC+ even getting good platoon matchups. Catcher probably wasn’t the weakest part of their lineup – frankly, there are a lot of holes to patch here – but it was definitely an area of need. If the Rays are going to keep a hold on the AL East, they’ll have to score more runs in addition to continuing to pitch well, and playing a good hitter at catcher is a good way to start.

Hicks was a late bloomer who didn’t debut until last year at age 26, but he has a long track record of plus offense from behind the plate. He hit throughout his minor league tenure but never received a call-up because of questions about his defense. The Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft in December 2024, plugged him in as the big half of a platoon, and let him cook. His defense was predictably weak – so weak that he ended up rotating between catcher, first base, and DH – but the bat played right away. Read the rest of this entry »

Director of Baseball Applications

Company Overview
At the Miami Marlins, we make waves — on and off the field.

We’re built for sustainable success thanks to our commitment to be great teammates, bold innovators, and thinking long-term. These three pillars guide us in championing a winning culture across the organization. The work we do doesn’t just impact our team — it reaches fans and communities across South Florida.

Position Summary
As the Director of Baseball Applications, you will oversee the strategy, development, maintenance, and optimization of applications and infrastructure that power the entire Baseball Operations department. This role requires managing software development efforts, ensuring seamless integration of baseball technologies, and driving innovation in baseball applications. You will collaborate with stakeholders across Baseball Operations to enhance decision-making through cutting-edge tools and systems. Strong leadership, technical expertise, and strategic thinking are essential for success in this position.

Essential Functions

• Lead the strategy, design, and implementation of applications that support baseball operations, research & development, scouting, and player development.
• Oversee the architecture and development of web-based and mobile applications used across Baseball Operations.
• Manage a team of product managers, product designers, and engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and technical excellence.
• Work closely with analysts, coaches, and front-office personnel to identify and fulfill software needs.
• Oversee best practices for software development, deployment, and version control.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, evaluating and integrating emerging technologies to improve baseball applications.
• Develop organizational goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness and usability of baseball applications.
• Manage project timelines, resources, and budgets to align with organizational goals.

Our Values

We Are Great Teammates

• Supports and encourages colleagues.
• Provides and receives feedback without judgement or ego.
• Holds one another to a high standard.
• Provides help and encouragement proactively.
• Assumes positive intentions from others. 
• Looks for ways to help make their teammates better.

We Are Innovators

• Embraces a growth mindset.
• Challenges conventional wisdom.
• Unafraid to fail.
• Pushes boundaries and doesn’t accept impossible.
• Asks why and asks why not.

We Think Long-Term

• Asks: what can I do today that will pay off a year from now. 
• Eschews instant gratification for bigger benefits in the future.
• Always trying to think three steps ahead.

Skill Requirements

• Extensive experience in full-stack software development, including modern web frameworks and mobile application development.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, React, TypeScript, or similar.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud) and modern application DevOps practices.
• Knowledge of database management systems, APIs, and microservices architecture.
• Experience leading software development teams and managing technical projects.
• Strong understanding of UI/UX design principles and application usability.
• Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and translate stakeholder needs into technical solutions.
• Passion for baseball and familiarity with baseball operations, analytics, and scouting systems is a plus.

Education & Experience Guidelines

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in software engineering, application development, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in a leadership or managerial role overseeing software teams.
• Proven experience in developing and maintaining large-scale applications in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience leading and building internal-facing applications is a plus.
• Prior experience in a Baseball front office is a plus.

Work Environment

• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Availability to travel occasionally for industry conferences or organizational needs.
• Ability to sit/stand for extended periods and work in an office environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

Job Questions

1. Describe a software product or platform that you led from concept through production. What was your role, who were the primary stakeholders, and what was the outcome? (250 words max.)

2. Briefly describe the technology stack your team has worked with over the past three years (e.g., cloud platforms, databases, programming languages, CI/CD, DevOps). Which areas were you personally responsible for leading? (250 words max.)

3. Why are you interested in leading the Baseball Applications team for the Miami Marlins? What unique perspective or experience would you bring to this role? (250 words max.)

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Miami Marlins.

For one day, the Marlins were probably going to make the playoffs. On July 8, after they’d shut out the Mariners, 2-0, our Playoff Odds gave the Fish a 51.5% chance of playing in October. It was the first time they’d crested 50% since 2023.

They had just swept the A’s in West Sacramento and were about to finish sweeping the Mariners at home. Crank, crank, crank, crank, crank went the roller coaster. With the final win against Seattle, the Marlins had won 16 out of 20, tied for the best 20-game span in franchise history. The six-game winning streak that closed that span put them 10 games above .500, at 52-42. Crank, crank, crank. They were tied with the Phillies for the second and third Wild Card spots. They were three full games ahead of the Cardinals in fourth place. Not only were the Marlins going to hold onto Sandy Alcantara at the deadline, wrote Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, but they were going to be buyers for the first time in Peter Bendix’s three years at the helm, “barring” — crank — “an utter” — crank — “collapse.” Then the Playoff Odds took a stomach-churning plunge. It was the opposite of the famous Sarah Langs Whee! It was an Eeew, and it was gross indeed.

The Marlins lost their next 12 games. Last night, after coming within an eyelash of unlucky 13, they finally broke the streak with a win. They blew a three-run lead to the Phillies in the sixth inning and went into the bottom of the ninth down two. But they came back to walk it off on a bases loaded single from Griffin Conine. Read the rest of this entry »

At last we reach the end of my annual series spotlighting the weakest positions on contending clubs. While still focusing upon teams that meet that loose definition of contenders (Playoff Odds of at least 10% when this series began), I’ve also incorporated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an additional perspective. Sometimes that may suggest that the team will clear the bar by a significant margin, but even so, I’ve included it here because the team’s performance is worth a look.

At the other positions in this series, I have used 0.6 WAR or less thus far — which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season — as my cutoff, but for the designated hitters, I’ve limited the list to the teams below zero, both to keep the length manageable and to account for the general spread of value. In the fifth full season of the universal DH, 0.2 WAR represents the current median, with 11 teams below zero, 12 between zero and 1.0, and just seven with 1.0 or more, with only five reaching 2.0. DHs as a group have hit .244/.325/.422 for a 106 wRC+ this season, down four points from last year’s final mark, the highest since the adoption of the universal DH.

It does appear that an increasing number of teams are investing more playing time in a single DH. From 2022 (the first full-length season with the universal DH) to ’25, the number of players reaching 450 plate appearances in the DH role increased from three to four to seven to nine; this year, they’re on pace for nine, as well. That said, all but one of the teams on this list are the ones that haven’t found that special someone to take the lion’s share of the plate appearances. Read the rest of this entry »

In years past, I’ve generally addressed the teams receiving less-than-acceptable production in one corner outfield spot or the other within the same post, but this year’s batch of right fielders is disproportionately large, mandating a separate entry that led me to combine the left and center field lists instead. There’s still some crossover between most teams’ pools of right fielders and the positions I covered in the previous post, with a couple teams from this group landing on both lists. As they look to upgrade, there’s some fluidity as well, with teams willing to test the defensive limitations of their outfielders in order to shoehorn better bats into the lineup.

While still focusing on clubs that meet the loose definition of contenders (a .500 record or Playoff Odds of at least 10%), and that have gotten about 0.6 WAR or less out of a position thus far (which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season), I’ve also incorporated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an additional perspective. Sometimes that may suggest that the team will clear the bar by a significant margin, but even so, I’ve included the club here because its performance is worth a look.

As noted previously, some of these situations are more dire than others, particularly within the context of the rest of a team’s roster. As always, I don’t expect every team here to go out and track down upgrades before the August 3 trade deadline, but these are ones to keep an eye on. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, it’s another Killers two-fer, covering the left side of the infield. While still focusing on teams that meet the loose definition of a contender (Playoff Odds of at least 10%, a criterion that 22 of the 30 teams meet) and that have gotten about 0.6 WAR or less out of a position thus far (which prorates to 1.0 WAR over a full season), I have also incorporated our Depth Charts’ rest-of-season WAR projections into the equation for an additional perspective. That may suggest that some of these teams will clear the bar by a significant margin, but even so, I’ve included them here because their performance at that spot merits a closer a look. All statistics are through July 12.

Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Fourth of July! To commemorate the United States’ Semiquincentennial, I’m going to run through some fun baseball stats that feature the number 250, and also ask a few trivia questions, which you can answer in the comments. As of Thursday morning, there is one player in MLB history with exactly 250 career home runs. He’s an active player for an NL West team. Can you name him? Seven players have recorded exactly 250 doubles in their career; only one of them is in the Hall of Fame. The six non-Hall of Famers are Ozzie Albies, Travis Hafner, Deivi Cruz, Bruce Bochte, Irish Meusel, and Jake Daubert. The Hall of Famer is a 19th century catcher. Who is it?

There are 25 members of the 250 Home Run/250 Stolen Base Club, nine of whom are Hall of Famers. Sorted by home runs, those nine are Willie Mays (660 HR, 339 SB), Andre Dawson (438, 314), Carlos Beltrán (435, 312), Rickey Henderson (297, 1,406), Craig Biggio (291, 414), Ryne Sandberg (282, 344), Joe Morgan (268, 689), Derek Jeter (260, 358), and Robin Yount (251, 271). Two others are active: José Ramírez (295, 311) and Jose Altuve (263, 326). Can you name the other 14 members of the 250/250 Club? Lastly, seven players have tallied at least 250 hits in a season. Six of them — Ichiro Suzuki (262 in 2004), George Sisler (257 in 1920), Bill Terry (254 in 1930), Al Simmons (253 in 1925), Chuck Klein (250 in 1930), and Rogers Hornsby (250 in 1922) — are Hall of Famers. Can you name the one non-Hall of Famer?

I’ll reveal the answers in next week’s mailbag. In this week’s edition, we’ll answer your questions on challenging the first pitch of a game, sustained runs of low playoff odds, a team of Frank Thomases and Luis Aparicios, and more. But first, I’d like to remind you that this mailbag is exclusive to FanGraphs Members. If you aren’t yet a Member and would like to keep reading, you can sign up for a Membership here. It’s the best way to both experience the site and support our staff, and it comes with a bunch of other great benefits. Also, if you’d like to ask a question for an upcoming mailbag, send me an email at mailbag@fangraphs.com. Read the rest of this entry »