I’ll level with you, readers: I’ve been taking it easy for the last few weeks, enjoying the end of the year and starting to get recharged for 2024. Not much baseball is going on, spring training is still quite a bit away, and we haven’t even had many exciting signings or trades to break the doldrums. It’s only natural, given that kind of backdrop, to let your mind wander.

One of the things I found myself wondering about was how Tyler O’Neill would like playing in Fenway Park. On the one hand, it seems like a match made in heaven; O’Neill is a righty hitter who puts the ball in the air, and Fenway is a perfect park for hitters who can pepper the monster out in left field. On the other hand, O’Neill’s power is absolutely gargantuan; if you hit the ball 400 feet, how far away the left field wall is doesn’t matter much. Heck, the wall might turn some smashed homers into doubles or even singles; it’s just so dang tall.

Statcast data bears that worry out. In 2023, O’Neill only hit nine homers. That’s bad enough, but here’s the kicker: per Baseball Savant, he would have only hit six homers if he played the entire season in Fenway. That’s actually tied for the stadium that would have allowed the fewest homers – Camden Yards and its new left-field cutout is the other laggard. Some of that is because O’Neill doesn’t hit dead pull shots all that often, and some of it is because no matter how crushed this baseball was, it didn’t get high enough off the ground. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Joe Mauer isn’t the only number one pick on this year’s ballot. In 2000, one year before the Twins took Mauer with the first pick, the Marlins used the top pick to select Adrián González out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California. He would turn out to be one of the more successful number one picks, making five All-Star teams, winning four Gold Gloves, and receiving MVP votes in eight different seasons in his 15-year major league career spent with the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Mets. He never played a major league game for the Marlins, however, and was traded five times, including twice at the center of his era’s biggest blockbusters. Along with his two older brothers, he also continued the legacy of his father, David González Sr., by representing Mexico in international competition.

Adrián Sabin González was born on May 8, 1982 in San Diego, California, the youngest of three sons of David and Alba González. His father had been a star first baseman in his own right for the Mexican National Team, and when the family lived in San Diego, he commuted daily across the border to Tijuana, Mexico, where he owned a successful air conditioning business. All three of the couple’s sons were born in the United States and all three would play baseball. The oldest, David Jr., was a shortstop who made it as far as college baseball but injured his arm and never played professionally. The middle son, Edgar (b. 1978), had a 15-year professional career himself (2000-15), including two seasons as Adrián’s teammate in San Diego. Read the rest of this entry »

With nearly every trade, you can expect fans of one side or the other to come away wondering where their GM went wrong. You can probably hear the complaints in your head, because you’ve almost certainly made them at one point or another yourself. We gave up those guys? For this one? Was there something else in it for us? What was he thinking?!?

It’s much rarer for both sides to have that reaction, because usually conventional wisdom tilts one way or the other. But the Braves and Red Sox might have accomplished it this past week:

BREAKING: The Atlanta Braves are acquiring seven-time All-Star Chris Sale in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, sources tell ESPN. Well-regarded infield prospect Vaughn Grissom is the return to Boston, which will send money with Sale, who waived his no-trade clause to join Atlanta

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 30, 2023

So in honor of sports talk radio and breathless questions about what could possibly be going through people’s heads, let’s examine both sides through the same lens. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

Bartolo Colon could throw strikes. At the outset of his 21-year major league career, Colon blew 100-mph fastballs by hitters, and within a couple years showed off top-of-the-rotation form. Over a decade and more than half a dozen teams later, following a controversial arm surgery, Colon’s ability to locate his sinker to both sides of the plate with precision gained him greater renown. In one 2012 start, he threw 38 consecutive strikes.

Indeed, it was the second act of his career — or was it the third, or even the fourth? — during which Colon became an unlikely cult favorite. The Dominican-born righty had listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds while in the minors, but his biggest contract extension had a weight clause centered at 225 pounds. After suffering a torn rotator cuff at the tail end of his Cy Young Award-winning 2005 season, he spent nearly half a decade knocking around before undergoing experimental injections of fat and stem cells into his shoulder and elbow, and by the time he reemerged in his late 30s, he was officially listed at 285 pounds. His everyman build made him more relatable, but it camouflaged an exceptional athleticism. “Big Sexy” — the nickname given to him by teammate Noah Syndergaard, and later the title of his 2020 autobiography — could field his position with enough flair to execute a behind-the-back throw. He could high-kick like a Rockette, and do splits like a ballerina. “One of the stereotypes of Bartolo is because he has an atypical body type for a pitcher, he is not in shape,” said Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro in 2004. “But this guy is amazingly strong. He’s like [former Houston Oiler running back] Earl Campbell from the waist down. He is a strong, strong man, and that core strength is what it’s all about.” Read the rest of this entry »

Last Sunday’s column included my opining that Joey Votto should retire rather than sign with a team other than the Cincinnati Reds, thus making him a one-franchise player. My friend Sam — a bona fide baseball nerd — read the column and proceeded to share an interesting thought when I ran into him at the coffee shop we both frequent. Being of the belief that players sticking with one team is a good thing — I think most fans would concur — Sam wonders if tweaking the Competitive Balance Tax in a manner that would incentivize teams’ ability to re-sign their free agents might be possible. For instance, if player X were to sign a one-year $20M contract with a new team, the entire amount would factor into the team’s payroll. Conversely, if Player X re-signed with his old team, a lesser amount ($10M?) would count toward it.

Sam didn’t mention Mookie Betts, but he may well have had him in mind. With their superstar outfielder one year away from free agency, and the CBT an acknowledged factor, the Red Sox traded Betts, along with David Price, to the Dodgers, thereby slashing over $40M from their forthcoming 2020 payroll. The deal put them a reported $18M below the threshold. Whether or not Betts would have opted to re-sign with Boston is another question, but the CBT clearly played a role in his departure.

Ben Clemens brought up basketball’s “Bird Rights” as a parallel when I asked for his thoughts on Sam’s idea. As my colleague pointed out, NBA teams get to exempt hometown stars from the salary cap in some situations. Of course, MLB doesn’t have a ceiling. Nor does it have a floor, which further complicates the issue. Read the rest of this entry »

Craig Breslow is restructuring the Red Sox pitching program. Hired in October to replace Chaim Bloom as Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer, the 43-year-old erstwhile reliever is doing so in multiple ways, and that includes having effectively cloned himself with a Twin. Earlier this month, Boston’s new top executive lured Justin Willard away from Minnesota to be the team’s Director of Pitching — the same role Breslow held in Chicago when he worked to revamp the Cubs’ pitching development process just a few years ago.

That Breslow’s approach is largely data-driven and comes with an adherence to bat-missing qualities is a big reason why Willard was brought on board. Much like the Yale graduate who hired him, Willard — a former college hurler with an MBA from Radford University — is both well-versed in analytics and an advocate of arsenals rife with plus raw stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

As befits a player who spent 21 seasons in the majors and ranks 15th all-time in games played, Adrián Beltré really had two careers. In the first one, he was the prodigy who didn’t quite live up to expectations. Signed (illegally) by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic at age 15, he reached the majors at 19, became a free agent at 25 after one of the greatest walk years of all time, and disappointed at his next stop in Seattle. Through his age-30 season, he hadn’t made a single All-Star team, and he’d played in just one postseason series.

In his second career, which began with a brief stop in Boston before a longer stay in Texas, Beltré was a well-decorated and even beloved superstar. His elite defense carried over, and he emerged as a prolific slugger with exceptional contact skills, a team leader, and a fan favorite who won five Gold Gloves and made four All-Star teams while helping the Rangers to four playoff appearances and a pennant. He became the first Dominican-born player to reach the 3,000-hit milestone, as well as the career leader in hits among players born outside the United States, a surefire Hall of Famer in waiting. Read the rest of this entry »

Direct Links (Please see full job postings below):

Sport Science Assistant – Seasonal
Sport Science Assistant – Dominican Republic
Associate Pro Scout

Sport Science Assistant – Seasonal

Location: Fort Myers, FL, United States

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:
The Sport Science Team at the Boston Red Sox endeavors to advance understanding and enhance performance through the implementation of evidence-based practice and innovation. This is achieved through an interdisciplinary approach, with a particular emphasis on key pillars of collaboration, research, education, and application.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Seasonal Sport Science Assistant serves as a member of the Performance Department within Red Sox Player Development. This position is designed to advance the understanding and identification of key performance factors and the development of systems that enhance athlete health and performance. Based in Fort Myers, this position supports the day-to-day operations of the Sport Science/Performance Team. The Seasonal Sport Science Assistant will work to support all the disciplines that make up the Performance Team (Data Scientists, S&C, PT, AT, Mental Performance, and Nutrition) to provide reliable support and drive an evidence-based approach to optimize performance.

As the Red Sox continue to build a team capable of being the standard in player and staff development, we are looking for candidates who are organized with uncompromising attention to detail, inquisitive, intellectually curious, data-driven, and open minded. Due to the nature of the role, the candidate must also possess strong interpersonal, communication, and teamwork/leadership skills.

This position runs from January 2024 through the end of September 2024 and is based in Fort Myers, FL.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Athletes Testing & Tracking
• Assist in the execution of physical testing protocols while seeking more efficient, valid, and reliable methodologies.
• When necessary, travel to amateur scouting workouts to assist in physical testing of prospective draftees.
• Data Management & Analytics
• Assist in organization-wide data aggregation, manipulation, and report generation.
• Biomechanics Testing & Reporting
• Assist the Biomechanics Department with data capture and data aggregation in our FTM-based biomechanics lab.
• Delivery & Application of Performance Insights
• Assist in FTM-based daily workload tracking (GPS, Isometric Testing, etc.) and related data management.
• Research & Technology Implementation
• Assist in research projects and with the implementation of new Sport Science technologies.
• Sport Science Systems Administration
• Assist in managing administration of all Sport Science systems including Smartabase, Bridge, Vald Forcedecks, etc.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Assistant Coordinator, Sport Science.

CHARACTERISTICS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree in Sport Science, Exercise Science, Biomechanics, or related field is required; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Ability to work evening, weekend, and holiday hours is required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Experience with Smartabase is preferred.
• Other programming and database skills are a plus.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred.
• Requires infrequent travel to amateur scouting workouts hosted across the US.

At the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, we go beyond embracing diversity. We’re committed to living by our values, strengthening our community, and creating a workplace where people genuinely feel like they belong.

Too often, job seekers don’t apply to positions because they don’t meet every qualification. If you love this role and are great at what you do, we encourage you to apply. Your unique skills and experiences might just be what we’ve been looking for.

Prospective employees will receive consideration without discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, sex, age, national origin, handicap, disability, military/veteran status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or protected genetic information.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Sport Science Assistant – Dominican Republic

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:
The Sport Science Team at the Boston Red Sox endeavors to advance understanding and enhance performance through the implementation of evidence-based practice and innovation. This is achieved through an interdisciplinary approach, with a particular emphasis on key pillars of collaboration, research, education, and application.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Dominican Republic Sport Science Assistant serves as a member of the Sport Performance Team within Red Sox Player Development. This position is designed to advance the understanding and identification of key performance factors and the development of systems that enhance athlete health and performance. Based in our Academy near Santo Domingo, DR, this position serves as ‘on the ground’ support to the Academy athletes and coaches, as well as the Dominican-based International Scouting Department. Responsibilities and time will be split evenly between International PD and Scouting.

As the Red Sox continue to build a team capable of being the standard in player and staff development, we are looking for candidates who are organized with uncompromising attention to detail, inquisitive, intellectually curious, data-driven, and open minded. Due to the nature of the role, the candidate must also possess strong interpersonal, communication, and teamwork/leadership skills.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Athlete Management System Administration
• Assume a leading role in the administration of the Boston Red Sox Athlete Management System (AMS) and the integration of performance technology, including data collection and data entry, data cleaning and processing, and generating reports for various groups (e.g., players, sport performance team members, front office staff, scouting).
• Athlete Testing & Tracking
• Coordinate and lead physical testing protocols while seeking more efficient, valid, and reliable methodologies.
• Collaborate with International Scouting to lead physical testing and data collection initiatives at amateur workouts.
• Data Management & Analytics
• Assist in organization-wide data aggregation, manipulation, and report generation.
• Delivery & Application of Performance Insights
• Build relationships with and support other departments within Sport Performance, International Scouting, Field Staff, and players to understand needs and deliver insights.
• Education, Research, & Technology Implementation
• Develop documentation and educational materials to communicate Sport Science findings and best practices.
• Work with Sports Science Assistant Coordinator to seek out research opportunities that could positively affect the Red Sox and athlete performance. 
• Stay abreast of the latest research and innovations in the areas of sport science and sport performance.
• Other tasks as assigned by the Coordinator, Sport Science.

CHARACTERISTICS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree in sports science, exercise science, data science/analytics or a related field required; Master’s Degree preferred.  
• Experience working with a multi-disciplinary performance team in an elite/ professional sport environment is preferred.
• Experience working with Athlete Management Systems.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Spanish speaking is a requirement.
• Requires travel to amateur scouting workouts hosted across the Dominican Republic as well as limited travel to Fort Myers, FL.

At the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, we go beyond embracing diversity. We’re committed to living by our values, strengthening our community, and creating a workplace where people genuinely feel like they belong.

Too often, job seekers don’t apply to positions because they don’t meet every qualification. If you love this role and are great at what you do, we encourage you to apply. Your unique skills and experiences might just be what we’ve been looking for.

Prospective employees will receive consideration without discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, sex, age, national origin, handicap, disability, military/veteran status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or protected genetic information.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Associate Pro Scout

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW:
The Pro Scouting Department is responsible for evaluation, information and intelligence gathering, and decision-making input for players across all professional leagues, including: Major & Minor Leagues, Independent Leagues, and Professional Winter Leagues. The cornerstone of the department is the scouting and evaluation of players through both in-person and remote coverage. We collaborate consistently with the Baseball Analytics, Player Development, International Pro, and Personnel/Strategy groups to leverage organizational knowledge and help drive decisions on player acquisitions.

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The Associate Pro Scout position centers around at least one season of development and education in all aspects of professional scouting with the Boston Red Sox. The position will focus on three primary areas: player evaluation, integration & analysis of data/proprietary information through research projects/tasks, and video & data collection. The Associate Pro Scout will receive extensive training in Boston Red Sox scouting standards by attending regular education/feedback sessions, working closely with experienced staff, and getting exposure to all levels of professional baseball. They will collaborate with the Front Office to complete targeted research and maintain ongoing projects with a focus on player evaluation and acquisition. Additionally, they will assist in the capture of video and other data on a regular basis. Travel is required for this position with possible relocation to Arizona or Florida.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop player evaluation and report writing skills, following club procedures and guidelines.
• Attend and participate in regular feedback sessions with scouting leadership.
• Complete research and ongoing projects as assigned.
• Collect targeted video and other data as required.
• Travel to venues both domestic & international.

CHARACTERISTICS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Proficiency with modern database or statistical tools, such as SQL, R, or Python is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Experience with various video applications like TruMedia, BATS, Synergy, etc. is preferred.
• Experience in a baseball operation or experience conducting past baseball research is preferred.
• Ability to work evening, weekend, and possibly holiday hours (within confines of hours/week guidelines).
• Ability to travel.
• Strong communication & time management skills.
• Preferred: willingness to relocate to Arizona or Florida.

At the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Management, we go beyond embracing diversity. We’re committed to living by our values, strengthening our community, and creating a workplace where people genuinely feel like they belong.

Too often, job seekers don’t apply to positions because they don’t meet every qualification. If you love this role and are great at what you do, we encourage you to apply. Your unique skills and experiences might just be what we’ve been looking for.

Prospective employees will receive consideration without discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, sex, age, national origin, handicap, disability, military/veteran status, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or protected genetic information.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Boston Red Sox.

The following article is part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. For a detailed introduction to this year’s ballot, and other candidates in the series, use the tool above; an introduction to JAWS can be found here. For a tentative schedule and a chance to fill out a Hall of Fame ballot for our crowdsourcing project, see here. All WAR figures refer to the Baseball-Reference version unless otherwise indicated.

In my previous multi-candidate roundup, I paired two lefties who haven’t gotten much traction on Hall of Fame ballots thus far in Andy Pettitte and Mark Buehrle. As a means of completing my coverage of the major candidates before the December 31 voting deadline, it made sense to group them into a single overview and invite readers wishing to (re)familiarize themselves with the specifics of their cases to check out last year’s profiles. Today, I’m doing the same for a pair of elite hitters who would already be enshrined if not for their links to performance-enhancing drugs: Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez.

Like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both sluggers have transgressions that predate the introduction of drug testing and penalties in 2004. Via The New York Times (Ramirez) and Sports Illustrated (Rodriguez), both reportedly failed the supposedly anonymous 2003 survey test that determined whether such testing would be introduced. Had they not pressed their luck further, both might already be in Cooperstown alongside 2022 honoree David Ortiz, who reportedly failed the survey test, too. Alas, Ramirez was actually suspended twice, in 2009 and ’11; the latter ended his major league career, though he traveled the globe making comeback attempts. Rodriguez was suspended only once, but it was for the entire 2014 season due to his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal and his scorched-earth attempt to evade punishment.

Ramirez debuted with 23.8% on the 2017 ballot and only last year topped 30%. Rodriguez debuted with 34.3% in 2022 but barely inched up in ’23. Given that Bonds and Clemens topped out in the 65–66% range in 2022 and then were passed over by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee the following year, nobody should be holding their breaths for these two to get elected anytime soon. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, Marco Gonzales got traded twice in three days: First from Seattle to Atlanta in the Jarred Kelenic deal, then up the Denny Neagle Highway to Pittsburgh. No one has ever been more traded. You want to know how traded Gonzales is? The only other player he’s ever been traded for, Tyler O’Neill, just got traded too.

The St. Louis Cardinals, sitting on a surfeit of corner outfield types, have sent O’Neill to Boston for pitchers Nick Robertson and Victor Santos. This is not as exciting a trade as it would’ve been two years ago, when O’Neill was coming off a 5.5 WAR season, but it allows the Cardinals to turn a player they probably weren’t going to use into pitching depth. The Red Sox gain some temporary goodwill from the small subset of locals who’ll scan a headline and think that former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill has returned from the dead. Moreover, they’ve added some right-handed power to a pool of outfielders that could use some. Read the rest of this entry »