For some time, the Rays have approached prospect valuation similarly to other small market clubs like Pittsburgh. The short version is that Tampa has valued their prospects more highly than almost any other club because their small payroll means cheap contributors are worth more because they have the least to spend. In recent years, they have also led the farm system rankings and had among the deepest 40-man rosters, causing them to trade valuable prospects like Nick Solak and
Jesús Sánchez due to these two pressures. This dynamic was also clearly at work in last week’s Matthew Liberatore trade.

Adding cheap, controllable major league talent to one of the best teams in baseball is key to the Rays both being better when their present competitive window is open and allowing the team to keep players who they’ve helped improve and create value, thus avoiding the same fate as they did with Avisaíl García. García signed a one-year make-good deal for 2019 for $3.5 million guaranteed; he then made good and got $20 million from the Brewers. Read the rest of this entry »

You might have noticed the URL structure for our player pages changed during the Winter Meetings. We are in the process of updating these pages, and that was our first step. We are planning on making more changes as the winter continues.

Some of these upcoming changes will alter the underlying HTML structure of the page, which could affect data analysis tools you might have built or use. We are creating a legacy version of the pages, so the player pages can be accessed from a direct URL (but not through normal navigation) in their current form for the near future.

To access the legacy version of the pages you will have to add -legacy to the old URL structure. So the statss.aspx becomes statss-legacy.aspx. This will circumvent the redirects to any updates we make to the pages. Below are a list of legacy player page URLs.

Notes

• This is different but related to the URL redirects we did during the Winter Meetings. Using the -legacy URL will circumvent the redirects.
• This isn’t designed to allow for normal browsing on these pages, so no site links will ever point to them. You can only access the legacy pages through the direct URL with the proper query string.
• Some of the controls on these pages might not work. The URL parameters will still work, though.
• We won’t add new features to the legacy pages.
• After we launch the new player pages, the legacy pages might not last forever, but they will give you time to transition to the new pages.

The Royals agreed to sign third baseman Maikel Franco to a one-year, $2.95 million contract with up to $1.05 million in incentives, according to reports on Thursday afternoon. Franco is expected to be the Royals’ everyday third baseman in 2020 and could remain in Kansas City through 2021, as he has a year of arbitration eligibility remaining.

Now 27, Franco was once one of the Phillies’ top prospects and among the top 100 prospects in baseball — Baseball America ranked him third in the system and 56th overall after the 2014 season. But he never reached his lofty potential in Philadelphia. He hit well out of the gate, posting a 129 wRC+ in 335 PA in 2015, but has been unable to repeat those results in the years since. He hit relatively well in 2018, producing both a 105 wRC+ and one of the best bat flips of the year:

Read the rest of this entry »

Position: Data Operations 2020 Internship

Location: Stamford, CT

Description:
Join TrackMan Baseball’s Data Operations team as a paid intern for the 2020 baseball season. You will have a vital role in a growing, fast-moving, entrepreneurial company that is breaking new ground in sports. In this position, you will primarily be responsible for reviewing and verifying TrackMan data from a significant number of major and minor league baseball, NCAA, and international stadiums during the 2020 baseball season. This internship will give you the opportunity to progress with the company.

The internship starts in early February and finishes at the conclusion of the major league baseball season. Interns are expected to work 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, and weekend availability is required. An hourly rate of $12.50 will be offered.

About TrackMan Inc.
TrackMan, Inc. is a US-based subsidiary of TrackMan A/S and is based in Stamford, CT, about 30 miles north of New York City. TrackMan A/S has developed a range of products for the golf market and is considered the gold standard in measurement of ball flight and swing path. TrackMan’s golf products are used by top touring professionals, teaching pros, broadcasters and governing bodies.

TrackMan, Inc. introduced 3D Doppler radar technology to the baseball industry and the technology is now used by all major league baseball organizations and is a component of MLB’s StatCast system. TrackMan, Inc. is revolutionizing baseball data and has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, FanGraphs, and ESPN.

Requirements:

• Thorough knowledge of baseball.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work well with others.

Desired Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of databases, SQL, and R statistical software.
• Python or other scripting language experience.

This is a great opportunity for anyone eager to break into the baseball community and acquire valuable experience with data available exclusively to professional baseball franchises. Based on your performance and openings within the company, you will also have the opportunity to continue working with TrackMan after the internship concludes. During the internship, you will work with the entire TrackMan staff and gain further knowledge of how the company operates. Full training will be provided.

To Apply:
To apply, send a resume and cover letter to dpo@trackman.com. No phone calls please.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by TrackMan, Inc.

The Brewers have reached a one-year deal with first baseman Justin Smoak, according to multiple reports Thursday morning. The former Blue Jay will receive $4 million for the 2020 season with a club option worth $5.5 million. The option comes with a $1 million buyout, guaranteeing Smoak will at least $5 million from his new deal.

Milwaukee opened the 2019 season with an infield of Jesús Aguilar, Mike Moustakas, Travis Shaw, and Orlando Arcia. Of that quartet, three are no longer in the organization. The fourth, Arcia, now seems ticketed for a utility role after failing, for the second straight season, to show any progress from his 2017 campaign. Milwaukee’s new middle infield of Keston Hiura (called up midseason) and Luis Urías (acquired from the Padres) are expected to anchor the key defensive positions for a decade, but the Brewers do not have equivalent talent ready to take over at first or third. Brice Turang and possibly Lucas Erceg may shake up the infield in coming seasons, but neither will help in 2020. Read the rest of this entry »

Position: 2020 Summer Internship – Statcast Data Analytics

Location: This position is located in New York, NY and is a paid internship.

Description:
In 2015, MLB introduced Statcast, a revolutionary technology that tracks all movements on the field. Statcast automatically tracks every hit ball’s exit speed and distance, every fielder’s range, speed, and arm strength, and every base runner’s movement.

MLB is looking for a summer intern to join in the continued development and evolution of Statcast. With a wealth of ground-breaking new data and metrics, they are looking for people who can analyze, validate and provide meaningful context around it. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone who has an interest in baseball statistics, metrics, and data.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Baseball Fan Strongly Preferred
• Proficiency in SQL, R, or Python
• Demonstrated work with sports, professionally or independently
• Some familiarity with baseball tracking systems, especially Pitch F/X and Statcast
• Ability/Desire to learn new skills and technologies quickly
• A self-starter that’s highly accountable and will take ownership of delivering your work
• Critical thinking skills and the ability to apply analytical insights to improve data
• Self-learner, independent, and have outstanding problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

To Apply:
To apply, please complete the application, which can be found here.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by Major League Baseball.

In our ongoing quest to make it easier for our readers to keep up with all of the activity around the league, FanGraphs has launched a new Offseason Transaction Tracker.

While our long-term vision includes a greater integration of stats and historical data, this initial rollout gives readers the ability to answer the simple questions, such as: What roster moves did I miss? Which players has each team added? Which players has each team lost?

The link to the tracker can be found at the top of any RosterResource page, where you can quickly toggle between the Depth Charts, Payroll, Offseason Tracker, and Free Agent Tracker pages for each team. To view a full transaction list for the entire league, click on “Show All MLB Teams” on the left underneath the team abbreviations:

Read the rest of this entry »

If you guessed that the expansion of the rosters to 26 players would result in more teams rolling the dice in the Rule 5 draft, you guessed wrong. Don’t feel too badly; I guessed wrong, too. Of last year’s 14 draftees taken in the major league phase, only three players — Richie Martin, Brandon Brennan, and Elvis Luciano — weren’t returned to their original teams. So how many of this year’s draftees taken in the major league phase of the draft have a chance of finishing the season with their new clubs?

Most players taken in the Rule 5 draft are quickly returned and forgotten, but there’s a long history of real contributors thriving in their new organizations. Johan Santana was the best player to swap teams in the Rule 5, but the list of eventual All-Stars taken is surprisingly long, including Shane Victorino, Odúbel Herrera, Ender Inciarte, Ryan Pressly, Josh Hamilton, and Joakim Soria. Last year’s draft was a bit of an outlier in that, at least for now, it looks like none of the players will make a long-term impact. For those drafted, there’s a real benefit, as their new team has a financial incentive to give them every opportunity to win a roster spot in the spring, something few fringe prospects can boast. For the players who do make the roster, the result can be lucrative even if they’re returned to their original teams: 43 days of service time gets you into MLB’s pension system, and a single day of service time get you medical benefits. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the last unsigned stars available, third baseman Anthony Rendon found his new home Wednesday night, signing a seven-year, $245 million with the Los Angeles Angels as first reported by Jon Heyman. Rendon, who finished third in the National League MVP voting and made his first All-Star appearance in 2019, hit .319/.412/.598 for 7.0 WAR in 2019, all career bests. A key member of the World Champion Washington Nationals, Rendon’s departure leaves a giant hole in D.C.’s lineup.

That Rendon has achieved this much is a fantastic comeback story given the obstacles he faced early in his career. While it’s hard to characterize a first-rounder as a true underdog, Rendon had multiple ankle surgeries in college from injuries and partially broke his other ankle in his second professional game for the High-A Potomac Nationals in a non-contact injury. But since 2015’s knee and abdomen injuries, he’s managed to stay healthy and crucially, the injuries didn’t appear to thwart his development. Over the last four years, Rendon’s only averaged 15 missing games a year. That’s not Ripken-like, but it’s enough to put the injury worries on the back-burner.

Among position players, Rendon has been fourth in WAR over the last three years, behind only Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Christian Yelich. Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Wacha was once one of the most promising young pitches in the game. In 2013, he pitched the Cardinals to the World Series, winning NLCS MVP. Through his first dozen starts in 2014, Wacha put up a 2.78 FIP, 2.45 ERA, and a 1.8 WAR that was among the top 15 pitchers in the game. Shortly thereafter, Wacha was diagnosed with a scapular stress injury that would ruin the rest of 2014, leaving him an innings eater the following three seasons, and something less than that over the last two years. Wacha hit free agency for the first time having barely held on to a rotation spot for most of the season and having failed to make the Cardinals postseason roster. The Mets, seeking depth in a rotation that already includes Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz, opted for a low-risk deal to position Wacha to close out the rotation with a one-year, $3 million contract that, with incentives, could bring the total to $10 million, as first reported by Joel Sherman.

Wacha still has his signature changeup, but his fastball rarely missed bats and he allowed 16 homers on the pitch last season. His strikeout rate dipped below 20%, and he might have been hurt by the rise in home runs last year. While Busch Stadium is a home run suppressor, Wacha gave up a ton of long balls both at home and on the road, though his road numbers were particularly brutal, with a 6.17 FIP. An indication that he probably wasn’t fully healthy, Wacha’s velocity moved all over the place throughout the season. Mike Shildt did say that Wacha was healthy as the season ended, but that he didn’t make the postseason roster due to a lack of need for an extra starter. Read the rest of this entry »