The following article is part of a series concerning the 2025 Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot, covering long-retired players, managers, executives, and umpires whose candidacies will be voted upon on December 8. It is adapted from a chapter in The Cooperstown Casebook, published in 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books. For an introduction to the ballot, see here, and for an introduction to JAWS, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

“Dick Allen forced Philadelphia baseball and its fans to come to terms with the racism that existed in this city in the ’60s and ’70s. He may not have done it with the self-discipline or tact of Jackie Robinson, but he exemplified the emerging independence of major league baseball players as well as growing black consciousness.”⁠ — William Kashatus, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 2, 1996

At first glance, Dick Allen might be viewed as the Gary Sheffield or Albert Belle of his day, a heavy hitter seemingly engaged in a constant battle with the world around him, generating controversy at every stop of his 15-year career. It’s unfair and reductive to lump Allen in with those two players, however, for they all faced different obstacles and bore different scars from the wounds they suffered early in their careers.

In Allen’s case, those wounds predated his 1963 arrival in the majors with a team that was far behind the integration curve, and a city that was in no better shape. In Philadelphia and beyond, he was a polarizing presence, covered by a media contingent so unable or unwilling to relate to him that writers often refused to call him by the name of his choosing: Dick Allen, not Richie. Read the rest of this entry »

When I talked to him at last year’s GM meetings, J.J. Picollo told me that an offseason priority was to add “guys with experience” to a Kansas City Royals roster that was long on promising young talent but short on veteran presence. Picollo did just that — Seth Lugo, Hunter Renfroe, Will Smith, and Michael Wacha were among those brought on board — and while the additions only told part of the story, the end result was a best seller. One year after winning just 56 games, the 2024 Royals went 86-76 and played October baseball for the first time in a decade.

What does the AL Central club’s Executive Vice President/General Manager see as the top priority going into next season?

“We need to be a little more dynamic offensively, and by that I mean we need to get on base at a higher rate than we did this year,” Picollo told me earlier this week in San Antonio. “We’re trying to target players we can lengthen out our lineup with, whether it’s someone at the top, in the middle, or toward the back end. Our identity is more pitching and defense, base running, and situational hitting, so how can we add some guys that can complement what we already have that will allow us to score more runs?”

The Royals crossed the plate 735 times in 2024, the sixth-highest total in the American League. Their .306 on-base percentage was ninth-highest, while their .403 slugging percentage and their 170 home runs ranked sixth and tenth respectively. As power obviously helps provide more runs, I asked Picollo if OBP is indeed the priority. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of a series concerning the 2025 Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot, covering long-retired players, managers, executives, and umpires whose candidacies will be voted upon on December 8. First written for FanGraphs in 2019, it has been updated with additional research. For an introduction to the ballot, see here, and for an introduction to JAWS, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Seattle Mariners had the most starter innings in the majors this year and fell short of the playoffs. Conversely, Detroit Tigers had the fewest starter innings and reached the postseason. For their part, the Kansas City Royals, who had the second-most starter innings, did play October baseball, while the San Francisco Giants, who had the second-lowest total, did not. And then there were the Milwaukee Brewers. Much like the Tigers, the Brewers made the postseason despite getting a low number of innings from their starters — they ranked fifth from the bottom — in part because several of their relievers had outstanding seasons.

What does that all mean? Moreover, what might it mean going forward?

In search of answers, I spoke with the general mangers and/or presidents of baseball operations of the five aforementioned teams at this week’s GM Meetings in San Antonio, Texas. For the execs whose clubs had a low number of starter innings, I was interested in how few innings they felt they could get next year and return (or advance) to the postseason. For those whose clubs topped the starter innings rankings, my inquiries were more about their philosophy and preferences in the seasons to come.

———

Justin Hollander, Seattle Mariners

“I don’t think there is such a thing as too many [starter innings],” said Hollander, whose club had 942 2/3 starter innings this season. “We are very cognizant of pitcher health and of making sure we’re putting them in positions to succeed. I think we did about as well as you can with that. In a perfect world, you would never have a stressful inning as a pitcher; that’s not realistic. But surrounding our starters with an impact bullpen, which we’ve done over the years, gives the manager and the pitching coaches the freedom and confidence to let the starter go to the point where they feel like they’ve done everything they can to win the game.

“Our starters take a ton of pride in going deep into the game. We don’t want to artificially limit them, or script out what that’s going to look like. Watching and evaluating the game as it goes on — when is the right time? — is something that our staff has done a great job of.”

The days of a Mickey Lolich going 300-plus innings, like he did multiple times in the 1970s with the Tigers, are long gone and unlikely to be repeated. Even so, are today’s top-end innings standards — Logan Gilbert’s 208 2/3 was this year’s highest total — at all detrimental to a pitcher’s long-term health and effectiveness?

“In the 2024 baseball universe, our starters are pretty optimized,” opined Hollander. “And I think there is a distinction between optimized and maxed out. We’re not looking to max out and get every possible pitch out of our starters, we’re looking to optimize the performance of our team. We don’t ask them to do more than that, because then you might be risking maximizing to the detriment of the team.

Despite “an impact bullpen,” giving more innings to relievers hasn’t been a consideration for the Mariners.

“We’ve never talked about that,” Hollander told me. “Obviously, there is a rest component, and there may be a time when someone hasn’t pitched in a few days so it’s kind of a must-pitch day for them if there is a spot to get them in the game. I think we had a great balance this year between pitcher usage and pitcher rest. But I don’t think we ever factored in the idea of wanting to take a starter out to put someone in from the bullpen if it wasn’t time to take the starter out. Our starters are among the highest-impact starters in baseball. We want to do everything we can to put them in position to succeed for as many innings as they have to give us.”

———

Scott Harris, Detroit Tigers

Citing both his team’s 753 starter innings, a number that owes something to a spate of injuries, as well as the volatility of reliever performances year to year, I asked Harris, “What is the fewest you can get next year and return to the postseason?”

“I think the line between starter and reliever is blurring,” Harris replied. “If you watched the Tigers in the second half, we didn’t have traditional starters that started our games; we had a pitcher come in and replicate a starter’s workload. The philosophy behind that is, we felt like we could get better matchups without putting an extra strain on our bullpen. And we didn’t actually put an extra strain on our bullpen. So, I don’t think it will be hard to replicate what we did last year if we choose to pursue that nontraditional pitching strategy of a reliever starting a game, then a starter-type pitching the bulk innings, and then relievers coming in at the end of a game. Read the rest of this entry »

Director, Baseball Systems

Location: Citi Field – Queens, New York
Status: Full time

Summary:
The New York Mets are seeking a Director, Baseball Systems to lead the product engineering team responsible for developing software for Baseball Operations. The Director, Baseball Systems will work closely with stakeholders across Baseball Operations, develop a deep understanding of the needs of a diverse set of stakeholders (e.g., players, scouts, field staff, front office personnel), and oversee the execution of a software development roadmap to enable better decision making, improve workflows, and present video, data, and other information in an intuitive format for users across Baseball Operations. The ideal candidate is an engineering and product leader with extensive experience as a full-stack software engineer with prior experience working in either an elite sports environment or for a technology company serving elite sports clients. Prior experience working in elite sports is preferred, but not required.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Partner with senior leadership to shape the product roadmap for the Baseball Systems Department and own its execution

• Lead and manage a product engineering team that possesses capabilities required to deliver best-in-class software applications for Baseball Operations

• Understand product needs of a diverse set of end users and drive the Baseball Systems team to nimbly and efficiently execute against priorities

• Ensure a maintainable codebase and software applications are both secure and reliable 

• Partner with Data Engineering and Baseball Technology & Video teams to ensure data and video capture and delivery meets the needs of end users

• Partner with Performance Technology team on the development of software to serve sports science, biomechanics, and athlete management use cases

• Take on engineering work as bandwidth allows

• Manage the department’s budget and make investment recommendations to senior leadership

• Build and maintain a department culture that is evidence informed, open and willing to debate, and in seeking continued growth (both from one another and from external sources)

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in computer science or a related field

• 8+ years relevant professional experience, including experience managing a technical team

• Strong experience across the technology stack, including cloud (GCS, AWS, etc.), SQL, JavaScript (including Node.js, React), API frameworks (including REST, GraphQL), HTML and CSS (including popular frameworks like Tailwind)

• Experience in mobile development (Objective-C, Java) is a plus

• Experience working in collaboration with data engineers, analysts, designers, and third-party engineers

• Experience working in collaboration with non-technical personnel

• Experience with DevOps and Agile methodologies and modern development tools

• Experience with UX/UI design preferred

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to work cooperatively with others, and to take control of large-scale projects with limited oversight

• Strong working knowledge of baseball including modern baseball performance data preferred

The above information is intended to describe the general nature, type, and level of work to be performed. The information is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for this position. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The individual selected may perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

The New York Mets recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and value the unique qualities individuals of various backgrounds and experiences can offer to the Organization. Our continued success depends heavily on the quality of our workforce. The Organization is committed to providing employees with the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Salary Range: $210,000 – $250,000

For technical reasons, we strongly advise to not use an .edu email address when applying. Thank you very much.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the New York Mets.

I’m using a new format for our postseason managerial report cards this year. In the past, I went through every game from every manager, whether they played 22 games en route to winning the World Series or got swept out of the Wild Card round. To be honest, I hated writing those brief blurbs. No one is all that interested in the manager who ran out the same lineup twice, or saw his starters get trounced and used his best relievers anyway because the series is so short. This year, I’m sticking to the highlights, and grading only the managers who survived until at least their League Championship series. I already covered Stephen Vogt, Carlos Mendoza, and Aaron Boone. Today, I’m looking at Dave Roberts.

My goal is to evaluate each manager in terms of process, not results. If you bring in your best pitcher to face their best hitter with the series on the line, that’s a good decision regardless of the outcome. Try a triple steal with the bases loaded only to have the other team make four throwing errors to score three runs? I’m probably going to call that a blunder even though it worked out. Managers do plenty of other things — getting team buy-in behind closed doors for new strategies or unconventional bullpen usage is a skill I find particularly valuable — but as I have no insight into how that’s accomplished or how each manager differs, I can’t exactly assign grades for it.

I’m also purposefully avoiding vague qualitative concerns like “trusting your veterans because they’ve been there before.” Playoff coverage lovingly focuses on clutch plays by proven performers, but Luke Weaver and Brent Honeywell were also important contributors this October. Forget trusting your veterans; the playoffs are about trusting your best players. Mookie Betts is important because he’s great, not because he already had two rings. There’s nothing inherently good about having been around a long time; when I’m evaluating decisions, “but he’s a veteran” just doesn’t enter my thought process. Let’s get to it. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, the Angels aren’t waiting around, are they? In the week immediately following the World Series, the Halos have completed the only trade so far this offseason involving players going in each direction. They’ve also acquired Scott Kingery from the Phillies for cash considerations and executed a waiver claim on Oakland’s Ryan Noda, both low-risk acquisitions with the potential to fill a niche at the big league level.

The Triple-A first base depth chart for the Angels right now lists Noda alongside Niko Kavadas and Sonny DiChiara, which is a bumper crop of cube-shaped college sluggers if ever there were one. Someone find out what Tim Elko is up to and give him a call so the Angels can have the full set. But I digress.

Amidst all that other activity, Perry Minasian and Co. have made this offseason’s most notable free agent signing to date: right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks, late of the Chicago Cubs. Hendricks was the second major league free agent to sign so far this offseason, after Dylan Covey’s one-year deal with the Mets, and he’s a bigger name by far. A two-time Cy Young vote-getter and a cornerstone of the successful Cubs teams of the late 2010s, Hendricks joins the Angels on a one-year, $2.5 million deal. Read the rest of this entry »

Gino Groover is one of the most promising prospects in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. He is also one of the most intriguing. When profiling him for our D-backs list back in May, Eric Longenhagen wrote that the 22-year-old third baseman “was among the 2023 draft’s more volatile and exciting prospects.” Bullish on his potential, our lead prospect analyst added that “2024 might be a breakout season” for the right-handed-hitting North Carolina State University product.

Fate intervened. As Eric explained, Groover ended up having surgery to repair a displaced radius fracture suffered in a collision with a baserunner at first base, this after just four games with High-A Hillsboro. He missed three months, did a rehab stint in the Arizona Complex League, then rejoined the Hops on July 19.

He hit well upon his return. The former second rounder logged a 129 wRC+ over 175 plate appearances with the Northwest League club, and he followed that up with a 178 wRC+ over 55 plate appearances with Double-A Amarillo. Counting his eight games in the ACL, Groover finished the season with a .281/.367/.484 slash line, 10 home runs, and a 133 wRC+. And two other numbers merit mention: His strikeout rate was 13.6%, while his walk rate was 11.4%.

Grover is currently making up for missed development time in the Arizona Fall League, where he is slashing .370/.444/.389 over 63 plate appearances for the Salt River Rafters. He talked hitting prior to a game in mid-October.

———

David Laurila: How would you define yourself as a hitter? Also, do you feel that you’ve established an identity at this early stage of your career?

Gino Groover: “I mean, I think everybody is different, but finding yourself as a hitter — what your strengths are, and playing to your strengths — is something you don’t really want to deviate away from. I’ve always had a hit-first profile, letting my power come later as I’ve gotten bigger, stronger, and a little older.

“I have my approach, and, especially at this level, you can’t be afraid to be wrong sometimes. You obviously can’t go up there and expect to hit everything, so you don’t want to deviate from your approach. If you do, you’ll get caught in between and won’t hit either heaters or offspeed. So, whatever my approach is, I stick to it. Sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m wrong, and we go from there, playing it by ear with whatever I’m seeing.” Read the rest of this entry »

Lead Analyst – Data Science

Location: Denver, CO
Status: Full-Time

ABOUT US:
The Colorado Rockies are a professional Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. The mission of the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club is to embody the principles and practices of a championship organization in both the sport and business of baseball. In the rich tradition that has made baseball America’s national pastime, we are committed to conducting our business with integrity, service, quality, and trust. We are committed to leveraging data and cutting-edge analytics to drive team success and enhance player performance. Our research and technology team is dedicated to using advanced statistical methods and machine learning to gain actionable insights that support strategic decision-making across all aspects of the team. We seek a talented Data Scientist to join our team and contribute to our mission of excellence.

POSITION SUMMARY:
We seek a highly skilled and experienced Lead Analyst to join our Colorado Rockies Baseball Club team. Enjoy tackling challenging problems, using interesting data, collaborating with smart people, and directly impacting what happens on the baseball field and in our business. This may be the opportunity for you! People in this role will use statistical and machine-learning techniques to understand and quantify the game of baseball better. Analysts must also be able to communicate clearly with members of departments across baseball operations, including technical and non-technical audiences. You will work alongside the rest of the R&D, data engineering, and IT groups, interacting with coaches, scouts, and executives from across the organization. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work in a fast-paced sports environment and contribute to the success of our organization.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Data Analysis: Design, build, test, and deploy statistical and machine learning models to support all facets of baseball operations, including scouting, player development, and the major league team. Analyze large and complex data on player performance, game statistics, and team metrics. Utilize statistical methods and machine learning techniques to uncover trends and patterns.
• Model Development: Develop and refine predictive models to forecast player performance, game outcomes, and other key metrics. Continuously improve models based on new data and feedback.
• Insight Generation: Translate data analysis into actionable insights and recommendations for coaching staff, management, and other stakeholders. Create detailed reports and visualizations to communicate findings effectively.
• Tool Development: Design and implement data tools and dashboards to support real-time decision-making and performance tracking. Ensure tools are user-friendly and meet the needs of various stakeholders. Use data to visualize model outputs and important baseball concepts. Designed and built informative data visualizations for automated reports or internal web applications.
• Research: Stay current with advancements in data science, machine learning, and sports analytics. Apply innovative techniques and methodologies to enhance the team’s analytical capabilities. Research specific areas of the game using statistical modeling. Build and maintain these models and take ownership of their results.
• Collaboration: Develop a deep understanding of the existing body of the R&D team’s research, code base, and database. Take on some responsibility for improving and maintaining existing projects. Perform ad hoc analyses on questions that come to Baseball R&D from across the organization.
• Data Management: Ensure accurate and efficient data collection, storage, and management. Maintain data integrity and address any data quality issues.
• Presentation: Prepare and deliver presentations to summarize findings and recommendations. Tailor presentations to different audiences, including technical and non-technical stakeholders.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Education: Master’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field. Certification programs are not considered equivalent.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in data science, statistical analysis, or a related role, preferably within a sports or performance environment.
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R for data analysis and modeling.
  • Experience with data analysis tools and libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, TensorFlow).
  • Programming skills in a language such as R or Python to work efficiently at scale with large data sets.
  • Strong knowledge of statistical methods and machine learning algorithms.
  • Familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
  • Demonstrated research experience in a sports context (baseball is a plus).
  • Experience with a database language such as SQL.
  • Experience working with spatiotemporal data.
  • Experience working with high-dimensional time series data.
  • Experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or Torch.
  • Experience with Bayesian statistics and languages such as Stan.
  • Enthusiasm for learning new skills related to programming, statistical modeling, and data visualization.
  • Experience with Generative AI techniques such as GANs, VAEs, or other generative models is preferred.

• Soft Skills:
  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to present complex data and insights clearly to various stakeholders.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with a team.
  • Comfortable working in a fast-paced sports environment and willing to adapt to changing priorities.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines in a busy environment.

WORKING CONDITIONS/WORK SCHEDULE:

• Work Environment: The position is primarily office-based at Coors Field.
• Work Hours: Standard full-time hours with the potential for extended hours during key periods, such as during the season or critical project deadlines.
• Travel: Minimal travel is required, though occasional travel to team facilities or events may be necessary.
• Team Dynamics: Collaborative environment involving regular interactions with coaching staff, analysts, and front office personnel.
• Physical Job Requirements:
  • Sitting/Desk Work: Most work involves sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Prolonged periods of sitting and working with data are typical.
  • Typing and Hand Dexterity: Frequent typing and use of a mouse or other input devices are necessary. Good hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are essential.
  • Visual Acuity: This requires the ability to review and interpret detailed data and visualizations, which necessitates good visual acuity and the ability to work with screens for extended periods.
  • Communication: Regular communication via email, video calls, and in-person meetings. Clear verbal and written communication skills are essential.
  • Stress Management: Ability to manage tight deadlines and multiple priorities while maintaining focus and accuracy. Capability to handle pressure during critical analysis periods or high-stakes projects.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

• Annual salary range of $125,000 – $145,000. This is a regular status, full-time position.
• As a candidate for this position, your salary and related elements of compensation will be contingent upon your work experience, education, job-related skills, and any other factors the Colorado Rockies consider relevant to the hiring decision for this position.
• In addition to the base salary, the Club believes in providing a very competitive and generous compensation and benefits package for its employees. Benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k) with employer match, generous vacation and holiday program, employee parking, employer provided game tickets to home games, onsite fitness classes and experiences, employee discounts on merchandise, and so much more! All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and the terms of official plan documents which may be modified or amended at any given time.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by November 18^th, 2024.
• The estimated time to complete the recruitment process will be by December 20^th, 2023. Please note this is just an estimate, and the application process and recruiting process may extend or close at any time.
• A note for Colorado Rockies employees:
• Please apply via the internal job board in UKG by following these prompts: MENU > MYSELF > VIEW OPPORTUNITIES > select the position > CONSENT > APPLY NOW
• If you cannot access UKG, please list your most recent Manager as an Employee Reference on your application. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:
Rockies baseball is for everyone! We pride ourselves on hiring, developing, and promoting talent as an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants and employees will receive consideration for employment or promotion without regard to race (including, but not limited to, traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and length and/or protective hairstyles), color, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, familial status, marital status, ancestry, age (40+), creed, religion, disability, veteran status, pregnancy/childbirth and related conditions, or any other category or activity protected by law. In addition, we will endeavor to provide reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified job applicants and employees with known physical or mental disabilities in compliance with the ADA. All employment and promotion decisions will be decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business needs.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Colorado Rockies.

It was the perfect exemplar of a Friday news dump, a quiet transaction between frequent trading partners. The Phillies and Angels swap players so often it’s sometimes hard to remember whether Brandon Marsh got traded for Logan O’Hoppe or George Klassen or Ron Gant. And while the Angels also made a splashy swap with the Braves the day before to acquire Jorge Soler, Philadelphia slipped another move in while nobody was looking: minor league infielder Scott Kingery to Los Angeles for cash considerations.

With all the fanfare of your buddy paying you back for buying Taco Bell on the way home the other night, an era is over.

Kingery could be a useful player for the Angels. He hit .268/.316/.488 in Triple-A last season, with 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases, playing mostly at shortstop with appearances at second, third, and in center field. The Phillies are pretty well set on the infield, but Kingery hasn’t appeared in the majors since June 8, 2022, when he went out to second base for a single defensive inning in a 10-0 blowout in Milwaukee. He hasn’t taken a major league at-bat since May 16, 2021, which is the last time he had anything like a regular roster role. Read the rest of this entry »