Some teams have an instantly identifiable “type.” You know what I’m talking about: the Cardinals and scrappy-but-under-tooled infielders, the Cubs with pitchers who don’t crack 90 mph, and the Rays with platoon-ish hitters who would be stretched as everyday players. Today, the Rays got their man again — Jordan Luplow, who is exactly the kind of hitter that always seems to be lurking on Tampa Bay’s bench, waiting to ruin some poor lefty reliever’s day.

The Rays are heavier on lefties than they’d probably like this year; Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, and Brett Phillips have all gotten plenty of run in the outfield, and only Meadows is someone I’d like to run out there against same-handed pitching. In all, Kiermaier and Phillips have 152 plate appearances against lefties, where they’ve put up a combined 27 wRC+. Not great, Bob.

In 334 career plate appearances against lefties, Luplow is hitting .251/.371/.556, good for a 143 wRC+. You can’t take platoon splits at face value with such a small sample, but he truly looks like a lefty masher; he walks nearly twice as often against lefties as compared to righties, strikes out less, and hits for a ton of power, with an enviable 11.5% barrel rate against southpaws (7.9% against righties). He also smashes four-seam fastballs, and there are lefty fastballs worth smashing in the AL playoff chase. Read the rest of this entry »

Join me tomorrow at 1:30 PM ET/10:30 AM PT for my latest Prospect Film Session in which I screen, discuss, and analyze my recently shot prospect video live on the FanGraphs Twitch channel. This episode, we’ll be looking at my trip to the Futures Game, recent travel to the Mid-Atlantic, and the Arizona Complex League.

We’ll watch a number of very famous prospects and also study some guys who viewers will be wholly unfamiliar with, emerging from the obscurity of the desert backfields. The show can be found live on the FanGraphs homepage as well as on Twitch. Join me tomorrow for a quiet, lo-fi stream with focus on largely unedited footage.

Job Title: Software Developer, Baseball Systems

Department: Baseball Operations: Research & Development – Baseball Systems
Reports To: Director, Engineering – Baseball Systems
Location: Chicago, IL

Role:
The Chicago Cubs Baseball Systems Department is seeking to fill a Baseball Systems Software Developer position. This role will focus on the development and maintenance of the Chicago Cubs baseball information system data warehouse, including creating web interfaces and web tools for the user interface; building automated ETL processes which feed it; maintaining back-end databases; and troubleshooting data sources issues as needed. This role will collaborate with software developers and data analysts in their use of the Cubs’ data warehouse and coordinate plans for database growth and will also review and recommend new technologies for use by Baseball Operations department. Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains two positions.

Position: Baseball Operations Analyst

Location: Chicago, IL

Description:
The Chicago White Sox seek a passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated individual with a desire to work in Baseball Operations. The position will focus primarily on the numerical methods that drive Baseball Analytics, however there will be additional exposure to all facets of baseball operations. This position will report to the Director of Baseball Analytics. Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Research and Development Internship

Location: Coplay, PA

Position Overview:
Sports Info Solutions is looking for candidates to fill a paid internship in their R&D Department. They will work either remotely or out of the SIS office near Allentown, PA, and will assist their R&D team, supporting football and baseball research for publications and future products. Past R&D interns have continued to become full-time members of the SIS staff or have moved on to internships and full-time jobs with professional sports teams. Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Baseball Research and Analytics Coordinator

Job Location: Nashville, TN

The Role

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Baseball is looking for a hard-working, organized individual with the unique ability to transform complex statistical information into captivating presentations. This role varies from creative to analytical. The ideal candidate will have previous experience with baseball research and a desire to build a career in this space.

Responsibilities

• Create and design complex data presentations with an understanding of layout, typography and visual hierarchy
• Contribute to a variety of research, analytical, and statistical needs
• Update and accurately maintain Excel databases
• Contribute to the salary arbitration process by producing compelling slides
• Organize, track, and execute agency paperwork
• Proactively and effectively communicate with the Analytics Team; share work early and often and seek out constructive feedback

Read the rest of this entry »

Draft madness continues! Join me today for rounds two and three of the 2021 MLB Draft as I track the picks live and take your questions in the Twitch chat. There are still plenty of great players remaining, and we’ll discuss them as they come off the board, evaluate overall team drafts and strategies, and talk about who could be rising and falling on Day Two.

The stream will start at 9:50 AM PT/12:50 PM ET, both on our Twitch channel as well as the FanGraphs homepage. I look forward to seeing you there.

Join me this afternoon at 1:00 PM PT/4:00 PM ET for the first Friday edition of The RosterResource Show, live on the FanGraphs homepage or over on our Twitch channel.

The show has aired weekly on Wednesdays over the past few months and has included segments on both the majors and minors. In order to focus more on major league rosters and recent transactions, I’ll now be hosting multiple shows per week, with the minor league coverage airing on the Wednesday show and the major league content reserved for the Friday afternoon program.

Come chat on Twitch as I discuss the latest roster developments around the league while browsing through our RosterResource content. Along with the planned segments, such as Closer News, Trade Talk, Transaction History, there could also be live updates as roster moves are announced. Read the rest of this entry »

Baseball Systems Operator – Tracking Technology

Location: Atlanta, GA
Contract: Hourly, Casual
Salary: $25
Start Date: Immediate

About the Role
This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of sports technology by joining Hawk-Eye’s team working with MLB. You will be based in the company’s US Head Office in Atlanta, GA and will be responsible for delivering the company’s services in baseball. You will liaise with on-site staff pre-game to ensure that Hawk-Eye technology is set up correctly and ready for the game; then you will monitor those systems throughout the game, providing assistance to colleagues and clients. Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains two analyst positions, one of which requires written and verbal fluency in Spanish.

Position: Baseball Research Analyst – Full-Time

Location: Newport Beach, CA

Description:
The Boras Corporation has an immediate opening for a creative, well-organized team player with a genuine interest in a career in baseball. You will be working in an office-based setting with others responsible for handling a variety of research, statistical and analytical needs. The ideal candidate will have personal experience in a team-sports environment combined with ability to present complex information in a visual presentation. Read the rest of this entry »