Additional Detroit Tigers job openings (Multiple Analyst Positions) are available here.

Product Manager

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a Product Manager, Baseball Operations. This role will be responsible for owning the product roadmap for internal baseball systems. This position will report to the Director, Software Engineering, Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deliver products and features that drive baseball decisions
• Work with baseball stakeholders to understand and document user needs
• Work with software engineering team to implement software solutions
• Prioritize the roadmap for proprietary software systems
• Maximize product value

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 3+ years of software product experience (Product Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst, or similar title)
• Track record of delivering product value
• Ability to turn user stories into actionable technical requirements
• Ability to coordinate between technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organization and planning skills
• Ability to take initiative and make decisions
• Understanding of the complete software development lifecycle
• Passion for baseball and robust understanding of current baseball research

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• General familiarity with data, databases, data analytics, data science, and data modeling – SQL experience preferred
• Background in software development, understanding of technical design considerations and tradeoffs
• Experience creating feature mock-ups or wireframes
• Familiarity with issue tracking systems and workflows
• Experience with software testing or quality assurance
• Experience with technical project management and agile methodologies
• Experience in sports or supporting sports personnel – softball or baseball preferred

Working Conditions:

• Office environment
• Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

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

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

UI/UX Engineer

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a UI/UX Engineer, Baseball Operations. This role will be responsible for optimizing the user experience for internal baseball applications. This position will report to the Director, Software Engineering, Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Implement consistent, easy-to-use interfaces for internal software systems
• Maximize user productivity using modern web design concepts
• Design web applications that work well for various users, in various scenarios, on various devices
• Conduct user behavior research and create usability metrics to help inform product decisions
• Communicate complex data concepts with intuitive, aesthetic designs

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 2+ years of UI/UX experience on interactive web applications
• Demonstrated ability to implement web front ends in HTML/CSS/JavaScript
• Understanding of user interface design principles with ability to implement those principles in real-world applications
• Experience with responsive web design for multiple form factors and layouts, including mobile devices
• Creative problem-solving ability in an agile team environment
• Ability to own user experience, make decisions, and write clear documentation for both technical and non-technical users
• Ability to collect usability metrics and use data to drive decision-making
• Ability to balance design considerations for a wide range of users with different needs, workflows, and configurations
• Passion for baseball and robust understanding of current baseball research

Preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Experience working with modern JavaScript frameworks such as React or Angular
• Familiarity with data and statistics, especially visualization libraries such as D3
• Experience working on a cross-functional software development team using standard tools for source control, issue tracking, documentation, etc.
• Experience with databases and data concepts, especially SQL
• Ability to create reusable components or libraries and maintain style guidelines
• Familiarity with design tools for rapid prototyping
• Familiarity with public baseball websites, terminology, statistics, and visualizations
• Experience in sports and/or working with sports data, especially softball or baseball

Working Conditions:

• Office environment
• Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

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

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

em>The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Detroit Tigers.

Additional Detroit Tigers job openings (Product Manager, UI/UX Engineer) are available here.

Principal Quantitative Analyst

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a full-time Principal Quantitative Analyst in the Baseball Operations Department. This role will be responsible for performing analyses and conducting research within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Director, Baseball Research & Development.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Develop and productionize Bayesian models to support Baseball Operations decision-making.
2. Assist with the integration of baseball analysis into our proprietary tools and applications.
3. Provide technical guidance to Analysts and Analytics Associates.
4. Complete ad hoc data queries and effectively present analysis through the use of written reports and data visualizations.
5. Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging techniques, technologies, models and algorithms.
6. Other projects as directed by Baseball Operations leadership team.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Ph.D. in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field or equivalent professional experience (3-5 years).
2. Experience applying Bayesian statistical techniques (e.g. Bayesian hierarchical models) to real-world problems.
3. Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of baseball-specific data and sabermetric analysis.
4. Relevant work experience with statistical software (R, STATA, SPSS, SAS, or similar) and scripting languages such as Python.
5. Expertise with SQL and relational databases is required.
6. Experience with cloud computing preferred.
7. Self-starter.
8. Team player.
9. Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as dictated by the baseball calendar.

Working Conditions:

1. Office environment
2. Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

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

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Analyst

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a full-time Analyst in the Baseball Operations Department. This role will be responsible for performing analyses and conducting research within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Director, Baseball Research & Development.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform advanced quantitative analysis to support Baseball Operations decision-making, including predictive modeling and player projection systems.
• Complete ad hoc data queries and effectively present analysis using written reports and data visualizations.
• Assist with the integration of baseball analysis into our proprietary tools and applications.
• Contribute to baseball decision-making by generating ideas for player acquisition, roster construction and in-game strategies.
• Support the current data warehousing process within Baseball Operations.
• Monitor, identify and recommend new or emerging techniques, technologies, models, and algorithms.
• Other projects as directed by Baseball Operations leadership team.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated expert-level knowledge of baseball-specific data, modern statistical techniques, and sabermetric analysis.
• Expertise with SQL and relational databases is required.
• Relevant work experience with statistical software (R, STATA, SPSS, SAS, or similar) and scripting languages such as Python.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate difficult and complex concepts to colleagues possessing a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
• Degree or equivalent experience in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related quantitative field.
• Self-starter.
• Team player.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends and holidays as dictated by the baseball calendar.

Working Conditions:

• Office environment
• Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

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

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

Biomechanist

Location: Detroit, MI
Department: Performance Science, Baseball Operations

Job Summary:
This role will assist with the delivery of performance science solutions within Baseball Operations. The biomechanist will be responsible for translating biomechanical data into applied, actionable outcomes to be used by staffs to optimize performance. This role will work closely with Baseball Analytics, Player Development, Strength and Conditioning, Sports Medicine and Coaching staffs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collect, analyze, and report on data from various performance science sources, including in-game biomechanical data.
• Maintain data quality and integrity for all biomechanical data.
• Collaborate with coaching staffs and external consultants to design and develop metrics and reports aimed at maximizing player performance.
• Work closely with the Director, Performance Science to develop and disseminate information from performance science initiatives.
• Assist with data management, organization, and integration into the organization’s databases and athlete management system.
• Assist with implementation and maintenance of existing performance science initiatives across the organization, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Assist with the design, development, testing and support of new performance science initiatives.
• Effectively collaborate and communicate with player development, coaching, sports medicine, strength and conditioning and front office staff.
• Review research and technology updates relevant to baseball performance.
• Perform exploratory performance science research projects and analysis as directed.
• Assist with the maintenance, calibration, and upkeep of performance science related equipment.
• Other duties as directed by Director, Performance Science

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• A graduate level degree or 3+ years of experience in biomechanics or performance science is required.
• Demonstrated experience with the following technologies preferred: Force plates, IMUs, and motion capture.
• Demonstrated experience with modeling and analyzing 3D motion capture data required.
• Research or applied experience in professional sport strongly preferred.
• Experience using an athlete management system.
• The ideal candidate must have excellent computer skills. Proficiency in R highly desirable.
• The ideal candidate must have excellent communication skills. Candidate must be able to convey complex performance science findings to relevant staffs.
• The ideal candidate must have excellent attention to detail.
• The ideal candidate must have excellent organizational skills.
• Previous experience working with professional athletes and coaches a plus.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
• The candidate must be available full-time.
• Willing and able to relocate to the Lakeland, FL area or Detroit metro area.

Working Conditions:

• Office environment
• Evening, weekend, and holiday hours required

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

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Detroit Tigers.

Riley Greene was 18 years old and only three months removed from being drafted fifth-overall when he was first featured here at FanGraphs in September 2019. Harking back to our earlier conversation, I asked the Detroit Tigers rookie outfielder what he knows now that he didn’t know then.

“When I first started, I didn’t really think about much,”replied Greene, who celebrated his 22nd birthday four days ago. “I kind of just went up there, and was free-swinging almost. I was a young kid who didn’t really know anything. Since then, I’ve come up with a routine and am more educated on what I need to do at the plate. I have a plan. Whether it works or not is up the baseball gods.”

The extent to which the baseball gods have been on his side is relative. Greene isn’t exactly setting the world on fire — he has a 100 wRC+ and five home runs in 400 plate appearances — but again, he’s been old enough to take a legal drink for barely over a year. He also came into the season with just 198 professional games under his belt, only 55 at the Triple-A level. His potential far exceeds his present.

In some respects, Greene is much the same player Detroit drafted in the first round out of Oviedo, Florida’s Paul J. Hagerty High School. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in the 1950s, Hall of Fame slugger Ralph Kiner famously said that “singles hitters drive Fords and home run hitters drive Cadillacs.” Michael Massey’s grandmother may or may not have been familiar with the quote, but she did her best to send the 24-year-old Kansas City Royals rookie down the right road. I learned as much when I asked Massey about his first big-league blast, which came on August 18 against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

“What I thought of when I hit it was my nana,” said Massey, who grew up in the Chicago area and went on to play his college ball at the University of Illinois. “She passed away toward the end of last season — she was 93 — and growing up she’d always give me a hundred bucks for every home run I hit. She loved it when I hit home runs, and did that for every league I played in.”

Massey has never tallied up his earnings from over the years, although he does acknowledge that the benevolence was bountiful. Along with his homers in youth leagues, high school, and college, he left the yard 21 times in High-A last year.

His grandmother — his mother’s mother — escaped Illinois winters by vacationing in Florida, and eventually became a snowbird. That the Sunshine State became her “favorite place in the world” made Massey’s first MLB home run even more special. And the memories include much more than money. The family matriarch regularly played whiffle ball with him when he was growing up, and she wasn’t just a fan of her grandson. She loved baseball. Read the rest of this entry »

Episode 993

On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with a veteran major league manager before considering the latest Triple Crown chase.

• To kick things off, David Laurila welcomes A.J. Hinch, former catcher and current manager of the Detroit Tigers. Hinch recently passed Rogers Hornsby on the all-time managerial wins list, and he isn’t upset to hear the comparison. We learn what it is like to work with pitching coach Chris Fetter and vice president of player development Ryan Garko as they lead this group of young Tigers and try to prepare the team’s next competitive core. We also get insight into Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, Alex Faedo, Beau Brieske, Joey Wentz, Matt Manning, and more. And although this segment was recorded just before the Tigers announced their new president of baseball operations, we hear why Hinch wasn’t interested in the role and instead has his focus on the field. Hinch also shares his thoughts on how important it is for pitchers to get strikeouts, the fences moving at Comerica Park and elsewhere, bench coach George Lombard’s potential future in managing, and the rule changes that will limit defensive shifting starting in 2023. [4:40]
• In the second half, Ben Clemens is joined by Dan Szymborski to banter about the latest baseball happenings, highlighted by the possibility of a Triple Crown-winning hitter. Aaron Judge is within reach of the goal, and while Paul Goldschmidt is unlikely to nab it in the National League, he does find himself in an MVP race with teammate Nolan Arenado. Ben and Dan discuss the top-heavy Yankees and Cardinals, the rebuilding and still-intriguing Detroit Tigers, J.P. Feyreisen’s under-the-radar achievement, and why it is really difficult to believe reports out of front offices. Finally, Dan shares why he enjoys (playfully) misleading his friends and family, and why he has ended up with more snacks than he needs. [34:42]

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Audio after the jump. (Approximate 74 minute play time.)

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Jackson Jobe has a bright future. Currently first in our Detroit Tigers prospect rankings, the 20-year-old right-hander is coming off a first full professional season during which he logged a 3.94 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 77-and-a-third innings spent between Low-A Lakeland and High-A West Michigan. Drafted third overall last year out of Oklahoma City’s Heritage Hall High School, he pairs an array of plus offerings with elite athleticism. What’s more, according to our own Eric Longenhagen, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Jobe “would have been a Day Two pick as a position player.”

Jobe discussed his early-career development, as well as the pitches in his power arsenal, at the conclusion of the Midwest League season.

———

David Laurila: Along with pitching, you showed a lot of promise as a position player. At what point did it become clear that your future was on the mound?

Jackson Jobe: “I’ve always pitched a little bit. Growing up, I always had a good arm — obviously, you’ve got to have a good arm to play shortstop — but I want to say it was my junior year. My junior year spring was COVID, so I only got one outing before our whole season got banged. At that point, I just kept training. Then summer came around, and they were still doing some of the showcases.

“Perfect Game had a showcase — I want to say it was PG National — and I got invited there to play shortstop and pitch a few innings. I ended up throwing really well. It kind of just clicked, I guess. I threw harder than I’d ever done before. The slider was good. From that point forward, my phone was blowing up with agents and scouts. That was kind of the beginning for me as far as pitching goes.” Read the rest of this entry »

Ty Madden has established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the Detroit Tigers system. Drafted 32nd overall last year out of the University of Texas, the 22-year-old right-hander has a 2.92 ERA to go with 119 strikeouts and just 88 hits allowed in 114 innings between High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie. Moreover, he’s been especially impressive since earning an early-August promotion. Over his last four starts, Madden has fanned 29 Eastern League batters while surrendering just three runs in 22-and-a-third innings.

Earlier this summer, I asked Madden how much the organization’s analytics-driven pitching program has impacted his development.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot since coming to pro ball,” said Madden, who was still in High-A when we spoke. “Before, I knew a good amount of the information, but I didn’t really know what to do with it. The staff here has kind of taught me what these numbers mean — when they’re good versus when they’re bad — and there are also the analytics for hitters. Along with knowing your own stuff, there is the game plan and how to go against that particular lineup.” Read the rest of this entry »

On Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers fired general manager Al Avila. Mired in last place in the American League Central in what was supposed to be a resurgent season, the firing fit the mood around Detroit. This was meant to be the Tigers’ triumphant return to postseason contention, a culmination of seven years of stockpiling and honing. Instead, it’s been another lost season, adding to the gulf that separates today’s Tigers from the perennial World Series contenders of a decade ago.

It didn’t have to happen this way. Going into the year, we projected the Tigers as a 76-win team. That projection felt conservative; they won 77 games in 2021 and added Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodriguez to a promising core of young talent. Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Matt Manning all stood ready to anchor the rotation. Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene, two of the top prospects in all of baseball, would give the offense a boost. On the eve of the season, they added Austin Meadows. All of the arrows were pointing up.

Four months later, all of that optimism has disappeared. Báez is having one of his worst years as a professional. Rodriguez got hurt early in the year and then hit the restricted list while dealing with a personal matter. He last pitched in the majors on May 18; when he took the mound for Single-A Lakeland this past Saturday, it was his first game action since June 9. Meadows, the third piece of the team’s major league talent trifecta, has missed extended time with a laundry list of injuries, and playing hurt when available has resulted in sub-replacement-level production.

That alone would hurt the offense, but it gets worse. Torkelson, who came into the season as our fifth-ranked prospect overall, made the Opening Day roster. To put it mildly, things haven’t gone according to plan since. His .197/.282/.295 line led to a demotion to Triple-A, where he’s also scuffled. Greene broke his foot in spring training and hasn’t lit the world on fire since joining the big league club in June. Read the rest of this entry »

Detroit didn’t do much at the deadline. Trading Robbie Grossman to Atlanta in exchange for soon-to-turn 21-year-old pitching prospect Kris Anglin was the only move. Many expected more. A disgruntled fan base thought that Monday’s swap of an underachieving outfielder for a potential future asset would be the first of multiple deals for Al Avila’s underachieving team.

[Update/correction: The Tigers also traded reliever Michael Fulmer to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Sawyer Gipson-Long, a 24-year-old 2019 sixth-round pick who was pitching at the Double-A level.]

The extent to which the relative inactivity was an indictment of Avila is a matter of opinion. Rival executives almost assuredly weren’t knocking down the GM’s door with appealing offers, and making trades for the sake of making trades is eyewash. Placating fans by simply moving pieces around doesn’t move the needle in any meaningful direction.

With a record of 43-66 and baseball’s 24th-rated farm system, which direction the club is heading in is far less clear than it was a year ago. Much for that reason, it’s easy to see why many in Motown would like to see Avila kicked to the curb.

Not everything that has gone wrong — and a lot has certainly gone wrong — can be placed squarely on the Detroit GM’s shoulders. But while this year’s plethorae of injuries and disappointing performances were largely beyond his control, Avila is nonetheless the architect of what has been a sluggish rebuild. The idea that said rebuild is in need of a rebuild of its own may be a valid one.

Which brings us to the crux of the issue at hand: Who can right the ship? Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday was trade deadline day, and you know what that means: enough trades of marginal relievers to blot out the sun. Every team in the playoff race can look at its bullpen and find flaws, and so every one of them was in the market for a reliever who can come in for the fifth, sixth, or seventh inning and do a more reliable job of getting out alive than the team’s current bullpen complement. That’s just how baseball works; every year, a new crop of pop-up relievers posts great numbers, while the old crop enjoys middling success. It’s a brisk trade market, even if the returns are rarely overwhelming. Here’s another roundup of such trades. Read the rest of this entry »