Episode 997

With four teams remaining in the postseason, this week we put our fan hats on before meeting a talented new FanGraphs contributor.

• In the first segment, resident Phillies fan Michael Baumann is joined by site Padres fan Jason Martinez to discuss the NLCS. Jason was at the first two games in San Diego, while Michael will be at each of the next three in Philly; neither expected their team to get this far. We hear about Jason working as a field timing coordinator, Michael being more scared of Manny Machado than Juan Soto, the experience of facing (and watching) Blake Snell, their shared adoration for Jorge Alfaro and Jake Cronenworth, and Jason almost having to help Ralph Sampson to break up a stadium fight. [2:56]
• After that, Dan Szymborski welcomes Davy Andrews for his podcast debut. Davy recently joined the site as a contributor. We hear how he found himself at FanGraphs before learning more about his musical projects. The duo also discuss Jose Altuve’s recent struggles and future Hall of Fame chances, the playoffs being a bit of a crapshoot, what the Dodgers should do in the offseason, being fun uncles, and their strong opinions about baking and cookies. [45:07]

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With a massive first-pitch home run off Aaron Nola on Wednesday afternoon, Josh Bell broke an 0-for-14 slump. He went 3-for-4 in Game 2 of the NLCS, adding an RBI single in the fourth and another base hit in the seventh to go along with his second-inning home run. It was a major improvement over his performance in the first game of the series, when he went hitless in four at-bats and struck out swinging with two runners on to end the ballgame.

When Bell is hot, he can be a terrific offensive performer, and a lineup built around him, Juan Soto and Manny Machado has the potential to be one of the most powerful in baseball. That’s exactly what A.J. Preller was counting on when he pulled off the biggest summer blockbuster in recent memory. When Bell goes cold, however, he’s dead weight in the middle of the lineup.

Just take a look at his wRC+ by month:

More of his success came with the Nationals, but Bell did have a couple of strong stretches in San Diego. From August 20 to September 10, he hit for a 152 wRC+, and did so again from October 1 through the end of the season. The Padres went 14–9 during those two stretches, and Bell led the squad with 0.84 Win Probability Added. In the rest of their games post-deadline, the team went 17–18, and Bell’s -1.55 WPA ranked dead last. When their DH was hitting, the Friars had a more complete offense, and when he wasn’t, he dragged the team down with him. That trend has continued into the postseason; in Padres wins, he is batting .294/.294/.647 with three runs and four RBI (17 PA), and in losses, he’s hitting .100/.182/.100 with no runs or runs batted in (11 PA). Read the rest of this entry »

One of the storylines of this postseason has been the amount of rest — or lack thereof — each team is getting due to the new expanded playoff schedule. While the first round bye generated plenty of gripes from fans of the top teams in the National League, the Astros and Yankees had no such trouble advancing despite sitting out the Wild Card round. The American League teams even had an extra day off during the Division Series, but a couple of rain delays created scheduling chaos for the Yankees and Guardians. The Yankees entered the Championship Series having played three straight days over the weekend; they traveled from New York to Cleveland without the benefit of a travel day in the middle of that stretch. Then the second rainout of that series forced them to play on Tuesday, the day before the ALCS was scheduled to begin.

It’s understandable, then, that the Yankees began the third round of the playoffs looking a little weary. Their batters wound up striking out 17 times, while the contact-heavy approach of their pitchers led to their staff notching just two strikeouts. The Astros, on the other hand, hadn’t played since their 18-inning thriller in Seattle and had the benefit of kick off the series with their rotation stacked exactly the way they wanted. With New York’s fourth best starter lined up against Justin Verlander, the odds were never going to be in the Yankees’ favor, even if they had been well rested.

After allowing 10 hits and six runs in his Game 1 Division Series start, Verlander was looking to bounce back in just his second playoff start since 2019. Despite posting career-bests in ERA and FIP during the regular season — likely earning him his third Cy Young award — some of his peripherals weren’t as strong as you might expect. His strikeout rate was the lowest it’s been since 2017, the same year he was traded to Houston from Detroit. Instead of blowing batters away with his fantastic fastball and deadly breaking stuff, he used pinpoint command to curtail nearly all hard contact against him. Read the rest of this entry »

With the ALDS finally finished, I’m continuing my annual series grading each manager’s playoff decision-making. As always, I’m focusing on the lineup and pitching decisions that each manager made in the course of their series. I’m honing in on process rather than results, and taking into account the limitations of each roster.

That might mean not docking Dusty Baker, in a future edition of these report cards, for failing to bring in a lefty specialist; he doesn’t have any. It might mean taking it easy on teams with limited platoon or pinch hitting options. It doesn’t mean that you get a pass for not doing anything, though; just because a manager’s resources are limited doesn’t mean they should automatically sit on their hands. Of course, sometimes doing nothing is good, too. Leaving your excellent starter in or skipping pinch hitting when it only confers a marginal advantage can both be smart moves.

What qualifies me to issue these grades? Well, nothing really. They’re just the opinions of someone who spends a lot of time thinking about baseball. I’m sure teams are doing their own evaluations, and they probably have a better handle on the exact individual matchups, but the point is this: these decisions matter, and while the team- and consensus-building aspects of a manager’s job are far more important over a 162-game season, little edges can be decisive in a short series. A run could send you home or catapult you to glory, as these two managers will demonstrate. A note: both ALDS losers played in the three-game Wild Card round, and I’ll cover all of their decisions, starting with the most recent series. Read the rest of this entry »

Developer Trainee, Baseball Systems

Location: Atlanta, GA
Status: Part time

Description:
The Atlanta Braves are looking to fill the position of Baseball Systems Developer Trainee. The Baseball Systems Developer Trainee position emphasizes software and web development as it relates to the Baseball Operations department. The Developer’s main responsibilities will be to build and enhance proprietary applications for displaying baseball information and visualizations, maintaining existing information management systems, and developing additional productivity tools to aid in Baseball Operations decision making. Candidates must have experience with application and/or web development, with interest in baseball and sports analytics research as a strong plus. The position will report to Assistant General Manager, Research and Development.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in developing and maintaining proprietary software used within the Baseball Operations department.
• Work with department stakeholders to develop, deploy and test applications within IT best practice parameters.
• Build relationships, communicate effectively, and gather feedback from Baseball Operations staff to build new platforms and improve existing systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Past or expected BA or BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field of study or equivalent work experience.
• Software development experience in one or more programming languages: Java, .NET, Python, JavaScript, C#, C/C++.
• Experience with database technologies and SQL. Microsoft SQL Server experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with using version control such as git.
• Ability to learn new technologies, including new coding languages.
• Strong work ethic, initiative, and the ability to solve technical problems.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends as dictated by the Major League season.
• Must complete a successful background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of current baseball statistics and analytics used in player evaluation a plus
• Experience with data visualization a plus.
• Solid fundamentals with HTML/CSS.
• Web development experience, especially with JavaScript (Node.js, Vue.js, React), or Python (Flask)
• Experience with big data techniques
• Exposure to Agile software development methodology. Kanban or Scrumban experience a plus.
• Familiarity with cloud developer tools
• iOS and/or Android app development
• Demonstrated software development work product.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Trainee, Research & Development

Location: Atlanta, GA
Status: Part time

Description:
The R&D Analyst Trainee position will assist Baseball Operations decision-making through the analysis and research of baseball information. The day-to-day responsibilities of this position will revolve around using data analysis to provide insight into player evaluation, performance projection, roster construction, and all other facets of baseball operations decision making, with an emphasis on different areas of baseball operations depending on the baseball calendar and needs of the department. Ideal candidates will have a strong, demonstrated ability to answer wide-ranging research questions using data-driven methods. The position will report to Assistant General Manager, Research and Development.

Note: Applicants for full-time, full-season trainee, and summer intern (May-August) will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Perform advanced statistical analysis on large datasets in order to assist in the decision making of the Baseball Operations department
• Develop and maintain models, software, reports, or any other information system developed during research
• Perform ad-hoc research projects as requested and present results in a concise manner

Required Qualifications:

• Strong foundation in the application of statistical concepts to baseball data, including familiarity with current state of baseball research
• Experience with (or clear ability to learn) SQL and relational databases
• Experience with statistical modeling software (Python or R preferred) and advanced statistical and machine learning techniques
• Ability to communicate technical findings to individuals with diverse baseball backgrounds (ability to create effective data visualizations is a plus)
• Ability to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends as dictated by the Major League season
• Must complete a successful background check

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated statistical research in the sports analytics field
• Web development experience, especially with JavaScript (Node.js, Vue.js), or Python (Flask)
• Ability to and desire to learn other programming languages as needed
• Familiarity with big data techniques
• Exposure to cloud-based technology

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The Diamond Fellowship

Location: Atlanta, GA

Job Description:
An Atlanta Braves baseball operations fellowship set to provide around-the-horn opportunities in administration, operations, player development and scouting.

Position description includes but is not limited to:

• Support the Director, Baseball Administration with necessary tasks throughout the year including, but not limited to:
• Execution of contracts & compliance requests
• Familiarity with the major League roster and associated transactions
• Administration and logistics of the Baseball Operations Department
• Organize and maintain the player boards for the general manager and assistant general manager
• Provide written and verbal assessments on major and minor league players
• Potential exposure to the entirety of Baseball Operations including Amateur Scouting, Player Development, Major League Operations & Administration
• Assigned projects and research
• Program set to launch in January and will include minimal travel (i.e., Spring Training)

General Requirements:

• Knowledgeable in Microsoft Office and Basic coding knowledge in SQL or Python
• Must be detail oriented with excellent verbal and written communication experience
• Foundation in the application of statistical concepts to baseball data and the translation of data into actionable baseball recommendations
• Demonstrated track record in role as a self-starter
• Experience producing a reliable work product under adverse circumstances
• An effective listener-knowledge of how to discern the information needs of Baseball Operations
• Experience working with people of a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs
• Be able to work extensive hours as dictated by the major league season schedule (including weekends and holidays throughout the season)
• Must be able to work in a team atmosphere and handle multiple projects at one time
• Bachelor’s degree in related field preferred
• Must complete a background check

Preferred qualifications:

• Additional programming experience with at least one scripting language is a plus
• Experience operating video technology

The Atlanta Braves organization is an equal opportunity employer.

• Like many companies, we realize that some members of historically underrepresented groups, for example women, may not have had the same opportunities as others in baseball operations supporting professional baseball organizations. We are seeking to utilize programs such as The Diamond as a way to increase diversity in our recruitment pipeline. While The Diamond can be sought by anyone who meets the qualifications of the programs, we especially encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented communities, including but not limited to women, Black or African American people, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Hispanics (or Latinos), Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
• Applicants who identify with a historically underrepresented group, including but not limited to Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous/Native American, Persons of Color, or Women, are encouraged to apply.

To Apply:
Interested applicants should send their resumes to:TheDiamond@braves.com

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Atlanta Braves.

White Sox Baseball Operations Data Engineer

Location: Chicago, IL or Glendale, AZ

Description
The Chicago White Sox seek an experienced Data Engineer to join their baseball operations group. The data engineer will be responsible for building, maintaining, and documenting data pipelines while ensuring availability and accuracy of external and internal data sets. This position will report to the Director of Baseball Analytics.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the software development and analytics teams through research, design, and architectural efforts to build World-class decision support systems.
• Design, manage, and optimize on-premise and cloud database resources.
• Build and monitor ETL pipelines to ingest and clean external data sources while also facilitating the development and availability of internal metrics.

Requirements

• Degree in computer science, engineering, or similar field.
• Knowledge of SQL Server, MySQL, or similar relational database with the ability to write and optimize complex queries and stored procedures.
• Technical proficiency with Python.
• Experience with web development and scripting technologies such as Node and JavaScript.
• Experience working with large datasets in relational format and JSON.
• Experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Familiarity with advanced baseball metrics and research.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated high degree of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and discretion.
• Ability to work flexible hours and weekends.

Preferred Qualifications

• Object oriented development experience with Visual Studio and C#.
• Knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, and other containerization methodologies.
• Experience with parallelization of cloud compute resources with Spark or similar.
• Familiarity with the Machine Learning lifecycle, including experience with MLFlow or similar.

To Apply:
Please review the requirements above and send a resume/cover letter to ApplyAnalytics@chisox.com. Due to the large number of applications, you may not receive a response.

Player Development Affiliate Intern

Locations: Charlotte, NC — Birmingham, AL — Winston-Salem, NC — Kannapolis, NC — Glendale, AZ

Summary:
The Chicago White Sox are seeking multiple seasonal Player Development Affiliate Interns. This entry level opportunity will provide individuals with a wide range of experiences across professional baseball. These positions will primarily support Minor League coaching staffs at affiliate locations throughout the Minor League season. There will also be opportunity to work on various baseball operations projects depending on skillset.

Program Details:

• Associates will be compensated on an hourly basis and are eligible for over-time. Housing or a housing stiped will be provided.
• The position will take place at one of our 5 affiliate locations: Charlotte (AAA), Birmingham (AA), Winston-Salem (A+), Kannapolis (A), or Glendale (RK).
• All positions will start during Minor League Spring Training and end upon the conclusion of the Minor League season with the potential of extending into Instructional League.
• Candidates must be fully available for the duration of the internship (March 1 — September 30).
• Hours for this position may vary week to week; candidates must be available and prepared to work full time but irregular hours, including nights and weekends.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Directly support players and coaching staff with all day-to-day video and information needs
• Film and chart each game and any early work requests
• Compile advanced scouting reports to be utilized prior to each series
• Manage the setup and operation of all baseball technology
• Travel with the team on all road trips
• Aid in the execution of players development plans
• Complete independent projects as assigned by scouting/analytics/player development/front office staffs

Qualifications:

• Strong communication, organization skills, and eagerness to learn
• Strong knowledge pertaining to information technology including proficiency with all Microsoft Office software
• Knowledge of baseball technologies such as Hawkeye, Motion Capture, TrackMan, Rapsodo, Blast Motion, Motus, etc. is strongly encouraged
• Must have a valid driver’s license and ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, or holidays

Additional Skills:

• Prior coaching/playing experience
• Advanced understanding of hitting/pitching biomechanics
• Conversational Spanish
• Video editing skills
• Prior baseball/performance related research. Use of SQL/R/Python languages.

To Apply:
Please email PDJobs@chisox.com with the subject line “PD Affiliate Intern” and include your resume and references.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Chicago White Sox.

Stop for a minute. Take a breath. You’re great. Everything will be fine. If I were Blake Snell, that’s what I’d have been telling myself six batters into the second inning Wednesday. Snell came out firing, garnering empty swings and weak contact left and right. The first three batters of the inning produced two flares and a line drive single. After a steadying strikeout, though, this happened:

You can’t control the sun, but that one stings. That ball is as close to a sure out as you can get, and instead it fueled the Philadelphia rally. The next batter, Edmundo Sosa, flipped another flare to left to make it 3-0. Snell was pitching extremely well, and staring down three runs and two more runners on base. The game threatened to get out of hand quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

For the sixth consecutive season, the Astros are in the American League Championship Series, and for the third time in that span, they’ll face the Yankees for a chance to play in the World Series. They beat the Yankees in seven games in 2017 before advancing to defeat the Dodgers, victories now tainted by the subsequent revelations regarding their use of illegal electronic sign stealing (which, yes, included the postseason). Amid further allegations of sign-stealing, they beat the Yankees in six games in 2019 before losing to the Nationals in the World Series. Suffice it to say, this is not a friendly rivalry, though the Yankees have publicly downplayed its relevance as it pertains to this matchup.

Both of the Astros’ ALCS victories over the Yankees came with A.J. Hinch at the helm, but Dusty Baker has taken over since. He’s trying to take them back to the World Series for the second season in a row — they lost to the Braves in six games last year — and secure the first championship of his 25-year career as a manager. The 73-year-old Baker would surpass 72-year-old Jack McKeon as the oldest manager to win a World Series, but first things first, the Astros have to get there. After winning an AL-high 106 games and securing home-field advantage for as long as they’re still playing, the Astros swept the Mariners in a Division Series much closer than its three-games-to-none outcome suggests, with the games decided by a total of four runs and the two bookend games won in Houston’s final half-inning; the finale extended to 18 innings and ended with a 1-0 score via Jeremy Peña‘s home run. Yordan Alvarez was the big star in the series, hitting a walk-off three-run homer in Game 1 to complete a comeback from a 7-3 deficit and then a two-run, go-ahead shot in Game 2; his seven RBIs accounted for more than half of Houston’s 13 runs. Alvarez (4-for-15), Alex Bregman (5-for-15 with a double and a homer) and Yuli Gurriel (6-for-15 with a homer) together accounted for 15 of the Astros’ 28 hits, masking Jose Altuve’s 0-for-16 performance. Meanwhile, a dominant Astros’ bullpen combined to allow just one run and nine hits in 20.1 innings, with a total of eight relievers combining to strike out 23 batters while walking only five.

Where the Astros swept their way into the ALCS, the 99-win Yankees not only had to go the distance against the Guardians but needed an extra day to do so because rain on Monday night forced the second postponement of the series. Stellar work from Gerrit Cole in his two starts, a strong start from Nestor Cortes on three days of rest, some very good work by a banged-up bullpen, and a 9-3 advantage in home runs — including three by newcomer Harrison Bader and two apiece by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — helped to elevate the Yankees past the upstart Guardians. They didn’t have much time to celebrate on Tuesday night; inside of an hour after the final out, the plastic sheets protecting the clubhouse from the spray of champagne were taken down so that the players could fly to Houston. Read the rest of this entry »

The Division Series between the Astros and Mariners only went three games, but it wasn’t short on drama. Overlooked amid the extra innings madness and the late game heroics was the performance of Jose Altuve. That might be for the best, as the Astros second baseman struggled mightily:

Going 0-for-16 with six strikeouts is, to use a technical term, real bad. What was going on? Let’s start with Altuve’s plate discipline:

Read the rest of this entry »

Well folks, that’s what we call a pitcher’s duel. I don’t think there’s a universal definition for the term, but Wikipedia tells me it’s when both starting pitchers allow very few runners to reach base. That seems about right! Zack Wheeler and Yu Darvish both came up big Tuesday night in San Diego, with each starter limiting the success of the opposing team’s hitters after each offense had put up an incredible performance in their respective Division Series. As the game progressed, both attacked their foes with a variety of pitches spread across the zone. Neither was predictable, and neither gave their manager much reason to remove them, but one made a few more mistakes in a few more at-bats than the other. Those mistakes ended up being the difference in the game.

To understand exactly what happened in those at-bats — specifically, why the batter was successful — it helps to know what happened with each pitch and what the pitcher-catcher tandem’s potential thought process was for each of them. John Smoltz always sprinkles in tidbits about pitch sequencing that are worth listening to when he broadcasts a game. It’s easier said than done, but a pitcher holding back some pieces of their repertoire until later in the game — or say, a hitter’s third at-bat — is a good way to maximize deception. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about that, it’s Darvish. Darvish’s never-ending pitch mix allows him to change how he attacks hitters as the game progresses. In his first battle against Bryce Harper, he opted for a three-pitch mix and attacked Harper in the zone. No nibbling the first time around:

Read the rest of this entry »