Editor’s note: This posting originally appeared on October 8. The Rangers are still accepting applications.

Position: Player Development Data Apprentice

The Texas Rangers are seeking multiple apprentices in Player Development. Each Apprentice will work full-time with one of the Rangers’ minor league affiliates and report to the Systems Integration Coordinator. Apprentices will operate as an extension of the coaching staff and be a resource for both players and coaches. Apprentices are expected to manage the collection and application of data and technology at their respective affiliate. Apprentices will gain experience across multiple areas of Baseball Operations.

Job Responsibilities

Technology Operation:

• Set up and operate bat/ball tracking technology and baseball technology.
• Assist with high frame rate video captures of hitters and pitchers.
• Manage data and collection process and assist with interpretation and upload.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that, as a result of back spasms, left-handed veteran Clayton Kershaw will not make his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLCS; rookie Tony Gonsolin will take his place on the mound opposite Braves rookie Ian Anderson.

The 32-year-old three-time Cy Young Award winner has battled back problems since 2016, hitting the Injured List with a back-related ailment on four separate occasions, the most recent of which was just earlier this season, when Kershaw was similarly scratched from his Opening Day start just hours before first pitch. He didn’t make his first appearance of the season until August 2, but did not miss a start after that.

Clearly, the hope for the Dodgers is that Kershaw will make a faster recovery this time, ideally in time to make a start later this series. Last year, the Washington Nationals were dealt a similar blow when Max Scherzer needed to be scratched after waking up before his scheduled World Series Game 5 start with severe neck spasms; Scherzer was able to start Game 7 three days later.

Kershaw looked sharp in his first two postseason starts, allowing just three runs across 14 innings against the Brewers and Padres, striking out 19 and walking just one. Those came after a regular season in which the left-hander looked the best he had in years, turning in a 2.16 ERA and 3.31 FIP in 58.1 innings with his best strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.75) since 2016. Read the rest of this entry »

Job Title: Baseball Research Fellow

Department: Baseball Operations
Reports To: Director, Baseball Research
Start Date: Start dates are flexible between January and August 2021
Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until October 30, 2020

Position Summary: The Twins are looking for data scientists with a passion for baseball and baseball analysis. New research fellows will work with a variety of data sources to generate insight and have the ability to impact front office decision making, player development, and domestic and international scouting. This position is paid.

Responsibilities:

• Develop tools and analysis to support baseball operations.
• Build and evaluate statistical models.
• Collaborate with data scientists, player development staff, coaches and coordinators and other members of baseball operations.

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Yesterday, we received a reader request asking if we could include postseason games on our team pitcher usage pages:

https://twitter.com/Junts/status/1313897147188871168

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After a successful initial run — during which I managed not to break FanGraphs beyond repair — the ZiPS playoff probabilities have returned for the 2020 postseason. Again, they are not a replacement for the site’s existing playoff odds, which combine ZiPS and Steamer, but rather serve as a supplemental option with a slightly different methodology. These projections are arrived at similarly to how ZiPS does its roster strength projections during the regular season, only with roster constructions that reflect the very different ways players are used during the playoffs:

These odds will be updated continually as we get closer to first pitch in each round and each game’s starters become clear. Projections for the Division Series that will be played between the various Wild Card Series’ winners will populate after those series have concluded. For the moment, you’ll see their tabs grayed out. In addition to game-by-game projections, you’ll also find series odds, which will update as each series progresses. Read the rest of this entry »

Job Title: R&D Analyst

Department: Baseball Operations
Reports To: Director, Analytics
Status: Full-time, Nonexempt
Dates: Start date is flexible, but the team’s preference is for candidates that can start by February 1, 2021.

Primary Objective: The Mariners are seeking individuals with a background in statistical analysis for a full-time role on the Research and Development team. This position will work alongside other baseball analysts on a variety of projects, with the ability to impact scouting, player development, and front office decision-making.

Essential Functions:

• Statistical modeling, analysis, and communication using a variety of data sources including Statcast, Hawkeye, and proprietary data sets
• Ad-hoc queries and quantitative research
• Collaboration with all departments within Baseball Operations

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Our 2021 Free Agent Tracker is now live! There are currently over 200 players on the list, and several more will be added during the weeks following the postseason as decisions are made on 2021 options and teams continue to clear space on their 40-man rosters. The tracker will be regularly updated throughout the offseason as qualifying offers are made, accepted, and rejected, and free agents find their new homes.

You can filter by status (signed/unsigned), previous team, and signing team, and export the data for your own analysis. You can also currently sort by a player’s handedness, age, and 2020 WAR. Shortly after the postseason ends, projected 2021 WAR will be available, as well will the results of our annual contract crowdsourcing project, which include median contract total, years, and average annual value.

Players with options are not included in the list. The options typically do not have to be exercised or declined until five days after the World Series ends. As options are declined, those players will be added. Some of the more notable players with at least a decent chance of having their options declined are Chris Archer, Jake Arrieta, Brett Gardner, Corey Kluber, and Carlos Santana. Both Nick Castellanos and J.D. Martinez can become free agents by opting out of their current deals, but neither appears likely to do so at this point. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, I noticed some odd prospects trending in FanGraphs’ player search bar and, as I often do, I Googled those players to see why that might be. It’s often due to a call-up, trade, or injury, but in this case I found that some young players like Luisangel Acuna were being searched on the site because their autographs are part of a new baseball card set that came out earlier in the week: Bowman Chrome 2020.

I don’t collect baseball cards anymore but I still frequent two local shops that sell board and trading card games (which I do play) in addition to sports cards. During a trip (with a scout, ironically) to one of them last year, I found the shop owner and a customer deep in discussion about the prospects in last year’s Bowman set, a conversation that included mention of how expensive Wander Franco’s cards had become, and how sought after Jasson Dominguez’s first card was likely to be in 2020. I asked, “What is it that’s driving card prices for some of the prospects who most people have never seen play and who a lot of casual fans have never heard of?” to which the customer responded, “Their stats.” Read the rest of this entry »

Want to forever remember John Sterling’s riff on your favorite baseball site’s name? Now you can! In our first collaboration with RotoWear, “I don’t know who FanGraph is” t-shirts are now available for sale.

I don't know who fangraph is pic.twitter.com/59VypfZNgQ

— John Sterling Calls (@JSterlingCalls) August 31, 2020

Not only does the shirt look great, but buying one will also help support the site! Order yours today!

After their huge seven-player swap on Sunday night, the Padres and Mariners returned to the same well and struck a smaller deal in the waning minutes before the trade deadline. Taylor Williams is headed to San Diego to join his former bullpen-mates Austin Adams and Dan Altavilla, while the Mariners receive a player to be named later — though the player has already reportedly been named: right-hander Matt Brash. The framework of the Williams deal was established during the negotiations for the bigger trade, but the trigger didn’t get pulled until just before the 4pm EST deadline.

Even though they had acquired Trevor Rosenthal, Adams, and Altavilla in the last few days, the Padres were still looking to improve their bullpen. The health of Adams’ knee is still a question mark and the inconsistent Altavilla is more of a work-in-progress than a sure-thing. In Williams, the Padres get a reliever who can contribute right away. He had been the Mariners de facto closer for much of this season and had shown some promise as a high leverage reliever. He had pushed his strikeout rate over 30% this season and lowered his FIP to 3.50. But he doesn’t come without a few warts. His command leaves a lot to be desired as he’s been prone to overthrowing in particularly stressful situations.

The biggest driver of Williams’ success this year has been an increased reliance on his wicked slider. He’s now throwing his breaking ball more than ever and it’s been extremely effective for him. Opposing batters are whiffing almost 50% of the time they offer at the pitch. What’s even more encouraging is he’s using it more often earlier in counts to steal called strikes while still burying it for whiffs with two strikes. Read the rest of this entry »