Between 2014 and 2017, Brian Dozier took more major league plate appearances (2,807) than any other player, posting a .348 wOBA and hitting 127 home runs in the process. That performance was good for 18.9 WAR, which was the 11th-best mark posted by any hitter during that period and behind only José Altuve among second basemen. Last fall, he won a championship with the Washington Nationals. This weekend, he reportedly signed a minor league deal with the Padres.

That sequence probably overstates the degree to which Dozier’s stock has fallen. After a catastrophic 2018, his time with the Nationals was a modest success. He brought his offensive performance back to just about league average (99 wRC+), largely on the back of improved selectivity at the plate, and lifted his defense from “atrocious” (in 2018) to “mostly unimpressive” (his career norm). That all added up to 1.7 WAR and a share of a title. In most years, it might also have turned into a major league contract (you predicted a two-year deal worth $18 million). Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Product Manager, Baseball Systems

Reports To: Director of Baseball Analytics

Department: Baseball Operations

Position Summary:
The San Francisco Giants are seeking a Product Manager, Baseball Systems to join the Baseball Operations department. This individual will be part of the Baseball Operations R&D team and interface closely with all members of the Baseball Operations and Software Engineering teams. This position will be responsible for managing the development of internal baseball systems by driving business requirements, managing timelines, and overseeing the delivery of data and applications. The ideal candidate will possess product management experience, understanding of modern UI/UX design principles, a technical background with past software engineering experience, and the ability to communicate effectively with baseball staffers. Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains two positions.

Position: Software Engineer

Location: Detroit, MI

Job Summary:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a Software Engineer. This role will be responsible for development and maintenance of software projects within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Sr. Software Engineer, Baseball Operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform general development and maintenance tasks for the upkeep of internally developed software products.
• Use modern software techniques and best practices in all parts of the software life cycle.
• Support the integration of baseball analysis into the Tigers’ proprietary tools and applications.
• Assist with the design and development of new software products.
• Other projects as directed by the Baseball Operations leadership team.

Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Data Analyst

Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Description:
Trackman Baseball is seeking an experienced and proficient Data Analyst with an interest in monitoring, analyzing, presenting, and communicating system performance of TrackMan’s stadium tracking systems. The Data Analyst will be part of TrackMan’s Data Quality and Support team based in Scottsdale, AZ and work collaboratively with the global organization to ensure Trackman’s global network of hundreds of stadium systems are operating within specification and exceeding Trackman customers’ expectations.

The Data Quality team and Data Analyst are responsible for the process, methods, tools, and activities related to analyzing and assessing the data quality of TrackMan’s baseball stadium tracking systems. The Data Analyst will support efforts in specifying requirements and managing the tools used to proactively monitor and assess system performance, and work closely with engineering in building and supporting such tools. The Data Analyst will both regularly leverage automated tools and conduct a more detailed and thorough analysis of system performance and lead internal efforts to resolve any system performance issues. As a key member of the Data Quality and Support team, the Data Analyst will take ownership of any issues, drive resolution, and communicate situation and resolution to both internal stakeholders and baseball customers.

The Data Analyst will be knowledgeable of Trackman customers’ use of TrackMan baseball data and drive continuous improvement to the process and tools used in supporting the business. In addition to oversight of daily monitoring and quality checks, the Data Analyst will leverage leading data and statistical analysis methods to quickly conduct ad hoc and specialized analysis on both customer and internal driven questions and issues, and demonstrate sound analysis and strong presentation of findings. Read the rest of this entry »

The ZiPS projections for the 2020 season are now live for your perusal and condemnation. The 2021 and 2022 projections are also up, or at least imminent by the time you read this.

The same caveats from the team projections apply. There is a lot more detail at this link which will hopefully address many of your questions on why the projections exist and what they attempt to do.

ZiPS is not a playing time projector, by design. While the ZiPS projections are rejiggered in many contexts to conform with the depth chart playing time, the computer itself doesn’t have any insight into specific roster decisions as that’s not something computer projections have much to offer there. On a generalized level, ZiPS can — and does — know that older players get injured and that play below a specific threshold will typically result in lost playing time, but there are a lot of things it doesn’t know and can’t know. How will the Cincinnati Reds shuffle their outfield? How much rope does Jurickson Profar have if he again has a shockingly low BABIP in a year the Padres hope to become contenders? How threatening is Wilmer Flores to Mauricio Dubón’s playing time? Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Analyst, Research & Development

The Lotte Giants, a Busan, South Korea-based member of the KBO League since its inaugural season in 1982, are searching for an Analyst in their Research & Development Department.

Job Description:

The R&D Analyst will report to the Director of Research & Development. The role will involve data collection, organization, and distribution across all levels of baseball within the organization. The R&D Analyst will interface daily with people across many departments, including Baseball Operations, Scouting, Player Development, and Major League Operations.

This position is not available as a remote position. The candidate must be able to relocate to Busan, South Korea.

Requirements:

• Experience with baseball-specific technologies. Examples of such technologies include, but are not limited to: Trackman, Rapsodo, high-speed cameras, and Blast Motion.
• Expertise in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Strong understanding of practical application of data in baseball.
• Experience with modern database technologies and SQL.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with R
• Experience with Python, especially with machine learning frameworks.

Pluses:

• Educational background in math, computer science, economics, statistics or related quantitative field.

To Apply:
If interested in this position, please email your resume and any pertinent work samples to lottegiantsjob@gmail.com.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Lotte Giants.

Baseball Operations Video Editor

Position Overview:
The New York Yankees Organization is accepting applications for a Baseball Operations Video Editor. The Video Editor will be responsible for the day to day creating, editing and delivering of high quality video to the greater Baseball Operations department within the organization. The Video Editor will use computer editing software programs, video switching devices, digital video effects programs and other tools to piece together video components.

Roles/Responsibilities:

• Operate computer editing systems and equipment used for video media and effects for the creation of Baseball Operations videos
• Establish a clear understanding of the storyline and purpose of the video’s creation
• Improve video and sound quality of files/clips using various video software
• Edit videos for Baseball Operations to include preselected music, interviews, sound clips and other important aspects of the project
• Discover and implement new editing technologies and industry’s best practices to maximize efficiency
• Collaborate on video projects with various members of different departments (Major League Coaching Staff, Player Development, Pro Scouting, etc.) within the organization
• Organize workload, manage priorities, meet deadlines and work well within a fast paced, multi-tasking environment, especially within the baseball season
• Quality check videos and deliverables to ensure all assets meet standards, appropriate specs and are ready for upload and archive
• Troubleshoot and identify technical issues as they arise
• Maintain, archive, and expand digital library of video clips for future use

Read the rest of this entry »

Please note, this posting contains three positions.

Quality Assurance Engineer

Position Overview:
The New York Yankees organization is accepting applications for a Quality Assurance Engineer as part of their Baseball Systems department. Applicant should have experience working in QA/Testing roles, have strong understanding of different testing types (Functional Testing, Regression Testing, Compatibility Testing), have experience with automating testing frameworks, and knowledge of industry best practices around DevOps and Test Automation.

Roles/Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain automated test suites, libraries and utilities using various automated testing platforms.
• Be involved in all stages of the software development lifecycle to frame testing and validation plans, as well as understand functionality, coverage, and risks.
• Work closely with developers to create test cases, test product functionality, and investigate product failures.
• Perform final validation of customer requirements against finished products.
• Investigate potential data quality issues, determine root causes, and work with data engineers to address them.
• Design internal and external-facing reports to communicate system health.
• Maintain issue logs and manage bug reports.
• Develop and enforce quality assurance standards throughout product teams.

Read the rest of this entry »

The long-awaited Mookie Betts trade came to pass Tuesday evening, with the 2018 American League MVP heading to Chavez Ravine in a three-way trade that folded the Minnesota Twins into the mix. A free agent at the end of the 2020 season, Betts adds even more heft to a Dodgers team that won 106 games in 2019.

Also heading to the Dodgers is David Price, who went 7-5 with a 4.28 ERA and a 3.62 FIP in 22 starts for the Red Sox in 2019, accumulating 2.3 WAR in 107.1 innings. It’s a bit unusual to see a player of Price’s reputation essentially become a salary dump in a larger trade, but his recent injury history made the $96 million owed to him over the next three years a daunting prospect for Boston to pick up. While the Dodgers no doubt expect to see real contributions from Price, they likely see the money owed to him as a significant chunk of what they’re “trading” for Betts.

The Dodgers were determined to not give up any of their elite prospects in a Betts trade and that’s exactly what they managed to do. Alex Verdugo took a giant step forward in 2019 and hit .294/.342/.475, good for 2.2 WAR for Los Angeles. With Betts and Cody Bellinger in the outfield, A.J. Pollock under contract, and the team still retaining Chris Taylor and Kiké Hernandez (Joc Pederson is leaving in a separate trade), a very good argument can be made that Verdugo was simply more expendable than Gavin Lux or Dustin May. Read the rest of this entry »

Job Title: Professional Scout

Department: Professional Scouting
Reports To: Manager, Player Personnel (in addition to VP, Scouting)
Status: Full-time

Dates: Must be available to start by March 15th, 2020. Relocation to Phoenix, Arizona is desirable but not required.

Primary Objective: Support the professional scouting department in all facets of player evaluation.

Essential Functions:

• Provide written evaluations on players, with coverage to be assigned by management.
• Support the professional scouting department with video research and ad hoc special assignments, including Prospect Lists and Players of Interest.
• Assist amateur and international scouting departments on an as-needed basis.

Read the rest of this entry »