It’s become a practice of the present author in recent years to begin in February a painstaking search for the new ballcap that will express his entire being. It’s also become a practice in recent years to parlay that search into web content so that the author might “remain” “employed.”

Two years ago, this pursuit yielded a Winston-Salem Spirits cap from 1994 with a weird red sun and melancholy eagle on it. Last year, I had the fortune of procuring a handsome Diablos Rojos cap from the actual team store at Parque Fray Nano in Mexico City. In each case, I have documented the relevant search for the benefit of posterity — even if posterity has failed to show any real interest in my work.

In any case, what follows marks the beginning of this year’s search.

To wit:

Absolut Vintage Strapback Cap (Link)
Style: Strapback
Time Left: 8 days, 2 hours
Cost: US $9.00 (Buy It Now)

Have you ever wanted to give the impression that you were a devotee of 80s sitcom Moonlighting without actually having to watch all 68 episodes of it? Have you ever wondered what a baseball uniform designed by Patrick Nagel might look like? This cap goes some way to addressing both of those concerns.

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Short updates about over 1100 players are now on the player pages! As part of our new approach to membership, the player caps are free. Each player cap attempts to put the player in context by talking about recent career events and their outlook for the coming season — mostly with a fantasy slant. No matter your interest, however, you’ll find some nuggets in there, including Blake Murphy on Adam Rosales, Matt Klaassen on Alcides Escobar, Craig Edwards on Logan Schafer, and David Wiers on Chase Utley.

Thanks very much to our writers, listed below! They each worked hard to bring you insight.

The fantasy research pieces that used to be part of FG+ are now running over at The Hardball Times, with pieces about the following topics. Also free!

Thanks very much for your readership. I hope you enjoy these as you prepare for the upcoming season.

Our writers:
Adam McFadden
Alex Chamberlain
August Fagerstrom
Ben Duronio
Ben Pasinkoff
Blake Murphy
Brad Johnson
Bradley Woodrum
Brandon Warne
Brett Talley
Carson Cistulli
Chad Young
Chris Mitchell
Colin Zarzycki
Craig Edwards
Darren Scheinbein
David Temple
David Wiers
Dustin Nosler
Dylan Higgins
Eno Sarris
Jeff Zimmerman
Karl de Vries
Matt Klaassen
Michael Barr
Mike Podhorzer
Owen Watson
Paul Sporer
Paul Swydan
Scott Spratt
Scott Strandberg
Zach Sanders

The Brewers continued the rebuilding process on Friday dealing power-hitting outfielder Khris Davis to the Athletics in exchange for prospects. Here’s what my fancy computer math thinks of the prospects who are now property of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Jacob Nottingham, C, 6.8 WAR (Profile)

Nottingham was a former sixth-round pick who broke out in a big way in A-Ball last year. After an underwhelming two years in a Rookie Ball, he slashed .309/.364/.493 in 122 games between the Houston and Oakland organizations. He had a wee bit of trouble making contact as evidenced by his 20% strikeout rate. But he made up for it by hitting for loads of power.

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For those of you who are interested in learning a little bit about the history of FanGraphs and our operations, Barry Svrluga wrote a great piece in the Washington Post about how it all got started.

Position: Miami Marlins Baseball Analytics Intern

Location: Miami

Description:

The Baseball Analytics Intern will assist Baseball Operations decision-making through the analysis and research of baseball information. The specific day-to-day responsibilities of this position will vary depending on the baseball calendar, but it requires a general knowledge of how to use objective data to answer baseball-related questions, with a strong preference for a candidate possessing an established foundation of statistical and database management skills.

Responsibilities:

• Perform advanced statistical analysis on large datasets in order to assist in the decision-making of the Baseball Operations department.
• Expand upon existing analytical strategy by improving existing resources and creating new databases, models, and reports.
• Perform ad-hoc research projects as requested and present those results in a concise, straightforward manner.
• Monitor publically available baseball research.
• Provide administrative support and complete general intern duties as requested.

Qualifications:

• Understanding of and passion for the game of baseball.
• Ability to communicate baseball analytics concepts to individuals with diverse baseball backgrounds.
• Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to self-direct.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays during the season.
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant practical experience required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite required.
• Familiarity with current state of freely available baseball research required.
• Knowledge of ball tracking data (e.g. Pitch F/X, TrackMan, etc.) strongly preferred.
• Experience with relational databases and SQL strongly preferred.
• Experience with R statistical software package strongly preferred.
• Experience with at least one scripting language (e.g. Perl, Python, Ruby) a plus.

Compensation:
This position is compensated.

To Apply:
Interested applicants can email their materials to marlinsinternships@gmail.com.

Position: Toronto Blue Jays Manager of Baseball Analytics

Location: Toronto

Description:

The primary focus of this position will be to learn how decisions are made in all areas of Baseball Operations, develop a familiarity with those processes and then develop tools and conduct research to incorporate data into the decision making process.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct empirical research related to baseball strategy and player evaluation, with an understanding and context of how findings would apply to more effective decision making and increased operational effectiveness.
• Communicate departmental findings to key decision-makers within all departments of Baseball Operations.
• Collaborate with the front office, coaches and scouts to develop best practices for analyzing and displaying baseball data, including the creation of reports, charts, graphics, and other tools to deliver information to end users. Results of this work should help those within the organization to better understand, consider and apply the use of information and data to their decisions and operation on a daily basis.
• Design, test, implement and maintain advanced baseball metrics and predictive models using statistical tools and analysis in order to contribute to planning, strategy and personnel decisions.
• Work to integrate new information into existing Baseball Operations processes and develop and maintain data quality assurance processes to ensure database integrity.
• Ensure that Baseball Operations staff is fully informed of current baseball research and analysis including statistical techniques that are best-suited for particular baseball problems.
• Complete ad-hoc database queries and analysis as dictated by circumstances.
• Recommend new data sources for purchase and/or new techniques to gather proprietary data.
• Assist with hiring and managing in the Baseball Analytics Department.

Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals including members of the front office, scouts, and field staff.
• Passion for baseball and excellent reasoning, problem-solving, creative thinking, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully design and execute baseball research projects.
• Proficiency with SQL and relational databases is required.
• Experience with at least one of R, Python, Perl, Ruby, C++ and/or other programming or mathematical languages is required.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office is required.
• Strong understanding of current baseball research.
• Baseball playing background is preferred, although not required.
• Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, economics, engineering, operations research, or related quantitative field from a top university preferred.
• 3-5 years of related work experience or advanced degree is preferred.
• Ability to read, speak and comprehend English effectively.
• Basic understanding of organizational structure, goals, and mission.
• Represent the Blue Jays in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• The ability to work with multicultural populations and a commitment to fairness and equality.
• Ability to work evening, weekend and holiday hours.
• Willing and able to relocate to Toronto.

To Apply:
Interested applicants must do the following:

• Complete this online application.
• Send an email to BaseballResumes@bluejays.com with your resume and the answer to the following two questions:

1. Why do you want to work in baseball?
2. Describe a time when you used your analytic and research skills to solve a problem, either in baseball or in business.

I’ve made an interactive visualization tool for earned run average (ERA) and fielding independent pitching (FIP) across Major League Baseball. You’ve seen this visualization before in many of Owen Watson’s articles throughout last season. Owen used this to suggest which pitching staffs might have overachieved their peripheral stats. This visualization lets us see the discrepancies between ERA and FIP among all of the MLB teams or even among different players.

Below is an example of a graph are you able to create with the tool:

You can toggle between teams and players. Players are organized by team and you are able to set the minimum number of innings pitched for the player to be on the graph. There are two places you’ll see these graphs. The primary location will be the tool’s page on FanGraphs; this is where the full tool is available. Then the graph itself can be embedded into our blog (plus Community Research) or anyone else’s blog using an iframe element.

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Position: New York Mets Analyst, Baseball Research & Development

Location: New York

Description:
The New York Mets are seeking a Data Analyst to work its Research and Development team. The employee will analyze baseball data in order to build and maintain predictive models that support the decision-making processes within Baseball Operations. The Analyst will report to the Manager, Baseball Research and Development.

Responsibilities:

• Research, develop, and test predictive models to support Baseball Operations (ie, player evaluation, roster construction, player development, in-game decision making).
• Assist development team to create and integrate new analysis and tools into existing Baseball Operations application.
• Collaborate with members of Research and Development team to maintain long term information and systems architecture for Baseball Operations.
• Write scripts which support data collection, automation, and report generation.
• Interface with Baseball Operations leadership on player evaluation, in-game strategy, and transactions by presenting the results of analysis in a clear, understandable fashion using a variety of methods.
• Keep Baseball Operations staff abreast of cutting edge statistical techniques.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in Statistics, Data Science, Operations research, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related quantitative field.
• Demonstrated experience with statistical tools and packages, such as R, STATA, Julia, SPSS, or SAS.
• Familiarity with SQL query design and optimization.
• Strong understanding of baseball specific datasets (ie, Pitch Fx, Trackman, Statcast) & knowledge of current baseball research.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to a non-technical audience.

To Apply:
Interested applicants should apply here by Sunday, February 7th.

Position: TrackMan Cape Cod Data & Operations Intern

Location: Cape Cod

Description:
At TrackMan Baseball we measure stuff – the speed, spin and movement of pitched and hit baseballs.

We do this using proprietary 3D Doppler radar hardware and software. The majority of Major League teams use our products and services for player development and evaluation. We also work with collegiate, Japanese and Korean teams, premier amateur baseball organizations, broadcasters and equipment manufacturers.

Our business is growing fast. By the start of next season we will have a network of radars installed in more than 100 stadiums on three continents, and dozens of remote systems traveling the US.

We are looking for a TrackMan Data & Operations Intern to be our hands and eyes on the ground at Cape Cod Baseball League games during the 2016 summer. The D&O Intern will be out in the field on a daily basis focused primarily on operating the TrackMan system and ensuring data quality measures are effectively in place at the point of capture. You will be an integral piece of ensuring the added TrackMan value to players, coaches, college teams, and Major League teams. This position runs from June 10th – August 13 and pays $25/game.

Responsibilities:

• For all scheduled CCBL games, operate the TrackMan system and ensure all data is being captured effectively, as well as validate the quality and accuracy of all captured data.
• Support the TrackMan data operations teams in ad-hoc data requests and evaluations.

Qualifications:

• Current college student or recent graduate with education focused on Sports Management, Statistics / Mathematics, Operations Management, or similar.
• Strong computer skills (will be using the TrackMan application regularly and may need to do basic system navigation / follow Help Desk step-by-step in case of issues).
• Strong knowledge of baseball rules (comfort in baseball culture a plus).
• Passion for the game of baseball.
• Experience in Project Management a plus.
• Basic database and/or analytics experience a plus.
• Ability to lift upwards of 50 lbs.

Compensation:
This position is compensated.

To Apply:
To apply, please send a resume to Kirby Young at kmy@trackman.dk. No phone calls please.

After spending most of the off-season telling anyone who would listen that they probably weren’t going to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets are reportedly on the verge of doing just that.

Cespedes deal with #Mets expected to be in three-year, $70M range with one-year opt-out.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2016

So full Cespedes deal with #Mets, per sources: Three years, $75M, full no-trade clause, opt-out after one year. Pending physical.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2016

It seems pretty clear that Cespedes is leaving money on the table to stay in New York, as the Nationals were reportedly willing to offer more than $100 million over five years. But Cespedes joins Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist in spurning the Nationals to sign elsewhere — and with Brandon Phillips unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause, one has to wonder about why so many players keep choosing to not go to Washington this winter — and will instead stay with the Mets, presumably taking over as their regular center fielder.

For the price, it’s tough to not like this for the Mets; they get a quality player to upgrade their line-up without a significant long-term commitment. Most likely, Cespedes will use his opt-out next winter, so this might end up being more of an extended rental for the Mets; next year’s free agent class is terrible, and it’s tough to think that he won’t be able to do better than roughly 2/$50M he’ll have left on his deal. But even with the opt-out, the low total cost makes this too good of a price to pass up for New York.

The question will be how well he can handle center field, however. The Mets did make the World Series with Cespedes playing between Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson, but that’s going to be one of the least effective defensive outfields in baseball in 2016. The hope for the Mets is that Cespedes hits well enough that you live with the defensive limitations, and with Juan Lagares around, they’ll have the option to put out a better defensive club on days when Conforto or Granderson sit.

Personally, I think the Mets probably would have been just fine with Lagares playing center field most days, but Cespedes is a better player, and this does make the Mets a bit better for 2016. Given the low cost and the high value of additional wins — and depth — to a team with a real shot of making it back to the World Series, this is a move that they probably had to make, even if Cespedes might be a bit of an adventure in center field.