Please note, this posting contains two positions.

Position: Baseball Research and Development Analyst

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Summary:
The Analyst – Baseball Research & Development will deliver research and tools to improve decision making across Baseball Operations. The position requires a person who has intellectual curiosity, is a self-starter and can communicate technical and analytical concepts effectively to non-technical people. Being passionate about using data, analysis and technology to improve decision making processes is also a key differentiator. Residence in Milwaukee is required.

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

• Evaluate existing data sources and build predictive or explanatory models to aid in a variety of player acquisition, player development and gameplay decisions.
• Investigate emerging data sources and identify potential for predictive value and actionable insights to improve decision making.
• Develop visualizations and other mechanisms for disseminating analytical results to the front office, player development staff, and other baseball employees – including consideration for less technically and analytically inclined consumers.
• Continually survey latest analytical methods and advancements in baseball and sports research to apply cutting-edge methods and data to problems.
• Understand current decision processes and information systems and offer enhancements and improvements.
• Answer ad-hoc requests for reports, visualizations and research projects.

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

• Understanding of statistics and modeling techniques, including probability, linear regression and logistic regression.
• Proficiency with an analytical programming language required, R or Python preferred.
• Proficiency with SQL and SQL databases required, Microsoft SQL or PostgreSQL preferred.

Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A.) or equivalent experience is required. Advanced degree or current pursuit of advanced degree is desirable.

Other Skills and Abilities:
The individual must be capable of working extended hours such as overtime, nights, and weekends, when necessary. Occasional travel to affiliates or conferences may be required.

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

Position: Baseball Research and Development Intern

Location: Milwaukee, WI

Summary:
The Intern – Baseball Research & Development will design and execute a strategic research project with the assistance of experienced mentors. The internship program is designed to give the candidate real-world experience in a Baseball Research & Development department, including exposure to development processes and best practices. Residence in Milwaukee is required.

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

• Work closely with R&D mentor to define and outline a meaningful project.
• Design approach to address chosen topics leveraging existing and new data sources to build predictive or explanatory models.
• Develop and propose project solutions using various coding languages and/or database queries that adhere to coding best practices.
• Collaborate with other interns, R&D team members and other front office staff on various projects and initiatives.
• Participate in code reviews with members of the R&D staff as part of a robust development process.

Create reports, visualizations and other documentation explaining the project.

• Present project results to members of the Baseball Operations Department.
• Answer ad-hoc requests for reports, visualizations and research projects.

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

• Understanding of statistics and modeling techniques, including probability, linear regression and logistic regression.
• Demonstrated experience with applied research required. Can be through a previous job role, schoolwork, or independent research and does not need to be baseball-related.
• Proficiency with an analytical programming language required, R or Python preferred.
• Proficiency with SQL and SQL databases required, Microsoft SQL or PostgreSQL preferred.
• Deep knowledge of baseball rules, gameplay and player acquisition approaches.

Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A.) or current pursuit of Bachelor’s degree in a technical or scientific field, or equivalent experience is required. Advanced degree or current pursuit of advanced degree is desirable.

Other Skills and Abilities:
The individual must be capable of working extended hours such as overtime, nights, and weekends, when necessary. Travel to affiliates may be possible.

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

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

The Astros beat the Yankees 8-3 last night, moving within a win of their second World Series berth in three years, but the night didn’t have to turn out that way. The victory was comprehensive — Houston out-homered the Yankees, had more non-homer hits, struck out less than half as often, and committed three fewer errors. Five runs is an odd lead, but it’s also the first truly safe lead in baseball. The Astros could have spotted the Yankees a grand slam before the game and still come out ahead.

But baseball doesn’t really work that way. If the Yankees had started the game ahead 4-0, things would have gone differently. Batters wouldn’t have gotten the same pitches, different Yankees relievers would have thrown, A.J. Hinch would have been forced to manage differently; the things that happened last night weren’t deterministic, destined to play out in the same order regardless of circumstance.

So with that in mind, let’s look at a few places where the Yankees could have changed history. They might have lost anyway, and they might have won — but they had their chances to do something, and simply didn’t make the most of them.

Gary Sánchez Bats in the First
Gary Sánchez bats seventh for the Yankees, so when he appears in the first inning, something has gone very right. Not only that, but he came up with the bases loaded; Zack Greinke looked shaky, with three walks on the night already, and Sánchez had a chance to deliver a decisive blow early. Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains two positions.

Position: Analyst, Baseball Research & Development

Location: Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL

Summary:
The Washington Nationals are seeking a data analyst to join their Baseball Research & Development team. The role will focus on using the tools of data science to derive insights from baseball datasets to support decision making related to player evaluation, player development, roster construction, and in-game strategy. The analyst will work on projects both independently and collaboratively with other baseball R&D analysts and developers. Candidates should be passionate about both baseball and data analysis.

The Washington Nationals are committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Build predictive models to answer baseball research questions and support organizational decision making.
• Collaborate on projects with other analysts in baseball R&D and other stakeholders in baseball operations.
• Perform analyses at the request of members of the baseball operations, player development, and advance scouting.
• Design and build informative data visualizations for use in automated reports or internal web applications.
• Write scripts for cleaning, processing, and summarizing datasets.
• Review public research in baseball, statistics, and machine learning.

Requirements:
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in statistics, computer science, machine learning or a related field.
• Experience with analyzing datasets and training statistical models using R or Python.
• Experience working with SQL databases.
• Authorized to work in the United States.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities necessary to perform essential functions:

• Independent worker with close attention to detail.
• Creative and analytical thinker.
• Ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively.
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills related to programming, statistical modeling, data visualization, and using software tools.
• Demonstrated passion for baseball and working in baseball operations.
• Working knowledge of sabermetric concepts.
• Uphold Core Values: Excellence, Performance, and Accountability. These core values set the tone in everything we do, help us succeed on and off the field, make a difference in the community and provide the best guest experience in sports. It is important that the person in the position commits themselves to these core values so that we can constantly move forward in the same direction – Together.

Physical/Environmental Requirements:

• Office: Working conditions are normal for an office environment. Work may require occasional weekend and/or evening work.
• Analysts are expected to attend at least half of the Nationals home games. Meals are provided to staff during the games.

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

Position: Data Engineer, Baseball Research & Development

Location: Washington, D.C.; West Palm Beach, FL; Remote

Summary:
The Washington Nationals are seeking a data engineer to join their Baseball Research & Development team. The role will focus on building solutions for importing, storing, and delivering datasets to support the work of data analysts and software developers in the baseball R&D group.

The Washington Nationals are committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain database systems to support the needs of data analysts, software developers, and front office staff.
• Oversee the import of baseball datasets from various sources and ensure data quality and integrity.
• Build solutions for integrating datasets from different sources.
• Explore new technologies or possible improvements to our data infrastructure.

Requirements:

• Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, information science, or related experiences.
• 3+ years of experience working with SQL database systems (MySQL, MariaDB, PostrgreSQL). Understanding of relational database schema design.
• Working knowledge of NoSQL database systems, such as MongoDB.
• Fluent in a scripting language such as bash, Python, or R.
• Experience working on Linux systems.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms, such as AWS.
• Authorized to work in the United States.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities necessary to perform essential functions:

• Independent worker with close attention to detail.
• Creative and analytical thinker.
• Ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively.
• Enthusiasm for learning new skills related to programming, databases, and using software tools.
• Uphold Core Values: Excellence, Performance, and Accountability. These core values set the tone in everything we do, help us succeed on and off the field, make a difference in the community and provide the best guest experience in sports. It is important that the person in the position commits themselves to these core values so that we can constantly move forward in the same direction – together.

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Washington Nationals.

Position: Development Coach (Full-Time/Seasonal)

Location: Cubs minor league affiliates

Role:
This role will work closely with Player Development, Research and Development, and the coaching staff at a minor-league affiliate. The role will focus on collecting data from technologies, and assisting the coaching staff in leveraging information to aid in player development. Successful candidates will have a strong interest in evidence-based coaching and development, the technical aptitude to acquire expertise with the technologies and the resulting data, and the communication skills to work effectively with player development personnel to improve development outcomes for players. This position is located at one of the Cubs affiliates (Des Moines, Iowa; Knoxville, TN; South Bend, IN; Myrtle Beach, FL; Eugene, OR; Mesa, AZ), and would require travel on all road trips during the season.

Responsibilities:

• Assist coaching staff with accessing information and video
• Setup, operate and maintain technologies at the affiliate
• Monitor data from technologies to ensure data quality
• Write reports summarizing trends in data for coaches, player development
• Assist coaching staff in making use of technologies, as guided by player development
• Travel with the team

Qualifications:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Aptitude for information technology
• Bachelor’s degree in an quantitative field preferred
• Experience with programming or scripting languages (e.g., C, Python, R, SQL) preferred
• Experience or strong interest in using baseball data to support coaching or skill development
• Knowledge of advanced baseball statistics preferred
• Fluency in Spanish preferred

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

Response Expectations:
Due to the overwhelming number of applications the Cubs receive, they unfortunately may not be able to respond in person to each applicant. However, the Cubs can assure you that you will receive an email confirmation when you apply as well as additional email notifications whether you are selected to move forward for the position or not. Please note, the Cubs keep all resumes on file and will contact you should they wish to schedule an interview with you.

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

With the postponement of Wednesday’s scheduled ALCS Game 4, the de-juiced baseball remained a hot topic of discussion, particularly in New York, where the Yankees appeared to catch a game-changing bad break on Didi Gregorius‘ fifth-inning fly ball that instead of becoming a three-run homer that would have swung the lead in their favor, was caught at the warning track. Players and managers are talking about it, fans are talking about it, analysts are talking about it — here in New York City, even on the 10 pm local news. Like it or not, it’s an issue that won’t go away, in part because of MLB’s stubborn insistence that nothing has changed, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, as well as the reality that the league actually owns about 25% of Rawlings, the manufacturer of the baseball (the other 75% is owned by Seidler Equity Partners, founded by Peter Seidler, the leading investor of the Padres). While none of this invalidates what the players on the field are accomplishing, everybody is suddenly playing or watching a very different game than we’d grown accustomed to during the regular season.

On Saturday, our own Craig Edwards reported that Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said that his team’s analytical department had noted that fly balls are traveling four-and-a-half feet less far than normal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday that officials from two unnamed teams (quite possibly those of the Astros and Yankees, since Passan was reporting from New York) “concurred that whatever batch of balls has been used during October is not performing the way the ones in the regular-season did.”

The change concerns the drag on the baseball, which according to the work of Baseball Prospectus’ Rob Arthur has increased sharply relative to the regular season, strongly suggesting that different balls are being used. Arthur estimated that 50% more homers would have been hit if the regular season ball were being used. On Thursday, Arthur published a new piece showing that the postseason baseballs are also affecting pitchers, producing slightly less vertical break (by about 0.4 inches) on curveballs, and that “Sliders are cutting across the zone a little less; sinkers staying a little more buoyant… [The changes] all seem to hover on the border between just large enough that baseball’s tracking system can detect them and just small enough that a major-league hitter probably wouldn’t care.” Read the rest of this entry »

If Masahiro Tanaka has a signature pitch, it’s his slider. When he first came over from Japan in 2014, nearly half of his strikeouts came on the splitter despite throwing it only a quarter of the time. In his first three seasons in the majors, Tanaka threw his splitter more often than any other pitch and batters put up a feeble 37 wRC+ against it, while whiffing on the pitch 19% of the time. But in 2017, Tanaka used his slider more often than the splitter. In 2018, that trend continued; he got better results from his slider than he did with the splitter. This season the disparity in usage and effectiveness grew. Tanaka struggled with his splitter due to changes in the baseball, but even after re-configuring the splitter in July, his slider has remained his best pitch.

Against the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS, Tanaka got eight swings and misses. Every single whiff came on the slider. Here’s how Tanaka’s usage of his slider has compared to that of his splitter this season:

Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains multiple positions.

Position: Biomechanics Analyst

Description:
The Chicago Cubs are seeking a biomechanics analyst to join the Research and Development group in Baseball Operations. This role will primarily focus on the analysis of motion-capture biomechanical data. The analyst will work closely with the player development and the R&D team to develop methods and improve the effective understanding of biomechanics and how they relate to player performance and injury prevention.

Responsibilities:

• Research, develop and test methods and models based on kinematic and biomechanical data for the purpose of player evaluation and injury risk assessment
• Coordinate usage and collection of data in the Cubs’ hitting and pitching labs
• Effectively present analyses through the use of written reports and data visualization to disseminate insights to members of baseball operations
• Collaborate with physical trainers and physiologists to implement evidence-based recommendations in areas of throwing mechanics and injury rehabilitation
• Collaborate with coaches and player development personnel to implement evidence-based recommendations in areas of pitch and swing mechanics
• Work with web development team to integrate new statistical analyses, models and data visualizations into Cubs web applications
• Identify, diagnose and resolve data quality issues

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field such as applied math, engineering, statistics, physics, neuroscience, biomechanics, physiology
• Experience with SQL
• Experience with programming languages (e.g., C, Python, or R)
• Working knowledge of motion-capture technologies, force plates, and biomechanics as they relate to baseball
• Passion for working with new motion tracking technologies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

Position: Analyst, Research & Development

Description:
The Chicago Cubs are seeking analysts to join the Research and Development group in Baseball Operations. This role will focus on conducting core research to further the knowledge-base of the Chicago Cubs. The analyst will work closely with the entirety of the R&D department to develop methods to process data, improve the effective understanding and application of data, and disseminate analytic insights throughout the organization. Analysts may focus their efforts towards collaborating with the Amateur Scouting, International Scouting, or Player Development departments as strengths dictate.

Responsibilities:

• Research, develop, and test methods and models for the purpose of player assessment, development, and acquisition, as well as the optimization of in-game strategy
• Effectively present analyses through the use of written reports and data visualization methods to communicate relevant findings
• Work with web development team to integrate new statistical analyses, models, and data visualizations into Cubs web applications
• Incorporate new analysis into existing data processes to improve automated reporting
• Identify, diagnose, and resolve data quality issues
• Conduct in-depth evaluations of amateur and professional prospects
• Handle data and analysis requests from the coaching staff and other departments within Baseball Operations
• Examine and leverage data streams from new technologies that offer innovative data solutions

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an quantitative field such as statistics, engineering, applied math, physics, quantitative social sciences, computer science, operations research
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with SQL and at least one statistical programming language (e.g., C, Python, MATLAB, or R)
• Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics
• Familiarity with advanced statistical modeling techniques
• Relevant experience working in baseball preferred

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application that can be found here.

Response Expectations:
Due to the overwhelming number of applications the Cubs receive, they unfortunately may not be able to respond in person to each applicant. However, the Cubs can assure you that you will receive an email confirmation when you apply as well as additional email notifications whether you are selected to move forward for the position or not. Please note, the Cubs keep all resumes on file and will contact you should they wish to schedule an interview with you.

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

In 2017, The Ringer called Anthony Rendon baseball’s “unknown superstar.” A year later, at the conclusion of the 2018 season, Beyond the Box Score described Rendon as “constantly overlooked.” I’m pretty sure there’s a law somewhere that says that when you write about Rendon, you have to describe him using the word “underrated” or one like it. But rules were made to be broken, and this one has run its course. Rendon is too good to be underrated any more. He has a strong case as being the best third baseman in baseball — which is an incredibly deep field — and an even better case as one of the top 10 players in the game overall.

Let’s start with the top-line figures and then get into the mechanics. Here are baseball’s WAR leaders since 2013, when Rendon made his debut for the Nationals:

Read the rest of this entry »

The Yankees and Astros both won over 100 games in the regular season but nobody beats Mother Nature. When a rainstorm causes cool terms like “bomb cyclone” or “explosive cyclogenesis” to be bandied about, you know you’re not expecting a light drizzle. Yankee Stadium is currently dry, but with a system the size of the mid-Atlantic barreling up the coast, it didn’t make sense for MLB to pretend that tonight’s ALCS Game 4 was going to take place. Just look at the radar, courtesy of the National Weather Service:

Yikes. The rain provides the Yankees and Astros with an extra off-day now at the expense of losing an off-day between a possible Game 5 and Game 6. This isn’t a big deal for the hitters, but it will result in some revised pitching plans. In a five-game divisional series, teams can generally muddle through with a three-man rotation. Due to the 2-2-1 format, no team plays on three consecutive days, and while the Game 1 starter would have to pitch Game 4 on short rest, the Game 2 starter can pitch in a possible rubber match on normal rest. This extra rest gives teams the flexibility to either stretch their best three starters or, as the Nationals demonstrated, use starting pitchers in relief more aggressively.

But short of baseball going to some kind of impractical 2-2-1-1-1 format, that doesn’t quite work in a seven-game series. So unless you’re going to have your entire rotation do it 1930-style, you’ll need to use a fourth starter. That isn’t an ideal situation for either the Yankees or the Astros. From a pure projection standpoint, it’s actually doesn’t move the probabilities. The Astros get an immediate benefit in that they avoid a Bullpen vs. Bullpen Game 4; ZiPS takes bullpen depth into consideration and Yankees enjoy a significant projected edge in any such bullpen game. Before the rainout, ZiPS projected the Yankees to have a 56%-44% edge in a home bullpen duel, so it’s a nice game to delay if you’re Houston.

The problem you run into with this model is that the rainout doesn’t really add an extra day of rest, it simply moves it. Since there are only two days of rest for a Game 4 starter to pitch in Game 7 now, both teams end up repeating the dilemma of either using a fourth starter — particularly problematic for the Astros — or going with a bullpen game. Read the rest of this entry »

This could be the story of a kid with an awkward swing getting cut from his junior college ball team and never playing again, but it isn’t.

This could be the story of a rookie who debuted with the Angels by starting a slick double play, but never learned to hit, got sent back to the minors, and lived out the rest of his baseball days eating peanut butter and jelly and not hearing the phone ring.

But it’s not that either.

This could be the story of a young player who got spread too thin as his team experimented with playing him all over in the infield. “Things happen everyday in baseball,” Howie Kendrick told the L.A. Times in 2006. “One day I might be an outfielder. I’m open to moving anywhere.” And he did. He’s played 190 games in the outfield, so far.

This could be the story of a talented hitter trapped behind a middle infield logjam at the top of the Angels’ farm system. Or buried in their lineup under 700 pounds of struggling sluggers named Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Mark Trumbo.

Or a debatable starter who became the smiling face on the poster for “Batting Average Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story.” Or a veteran infielder relegated to the corners, sideswiped by strained hamstrings and a sore abdomen.

But it’s not any of things. Not entirely, anyway. Read the rest of this entry »