You are now able to add stat (and age!) filters to the Minor League Leaderboards. They work in a similar manner to our splits tools and leaderboards.

The filters are downstream from the main data query, so if your leaderboard stretches across multiple seasons, it will filter out players based on the stat value returned for that time span. For example, with a leaderboard spanning 2018-2019, you can filter for players with 300 or more hits, and it will yield Gavin Lux.

A much-requested feature was the ability to filter by age. Currently, you can filter age on single season leaderboards based on the age-season value, since there’s no single age value for a multi-season span.

Stat Filter Bar Details

• Adding more filters can only narrow the pool of players, because the logical operator between filter is AND.
• The filters operate after the data query; it’s the same as the HAVING statement in SQL.
• This isn’t yet available on the combined Scouting + Stats! board.
• You are able to save your stat filters with your custom reports.
• The playing time query is still handled in the main controls, and not with this filter.
• The player ages used are the age-season values we use on player pages and other leaderboards. These can different from the board and RosterResource, which denote the current age of the player to one decimal place.

Back in March, we introduced catcher framing numbers on FanGraphs. Not long after, Tom Tango noted in a blog post that pitch framing numbers should be park-adjusted since pitchers and catchers in some parks are getting more strike calls (relative to Trackman’s recorded locations) than others.

We can see this in the graph above, which is based on called pitches within a 3.5 x 3.5 inch area in and around the strike zone. There are, on average, 64 pitches per game that meet this criteria so this graph essentially shows how many extra “framing” strikes pitches and catchers were assigned in each park per game. Put another way, this tells us how many more strike calls they received than we’d expect based on the recorded locations of the pitches. We’d certainly expect some spread in the results for home team pitchers and catchers, since some teams have better framers than others, but we shouldn’t see such a large spread for road pitchers and catchers, whom we’d expect to have essentially average framing talent. We also see that there’s a strong positive correlation between extra strikes for the home team and extra strikes for road team, suggesting that the park itself plays a role. There are two big outliers here — Sun Trust Park and Coors Field, both in 2017. Something must be amiss at those parks and we should control for it when calculating our framing numbers.

Adjusting Pitch Framing Numbers for Park Effects

Just as when constructing other park factors, we need to be careful to account for the quality of the players playing in each park. We’ll need to account not only for the pitchers and catchers who played in each park but also for the batters, some of whom have fewer strikes called against them. What we need is essentially a WOWY (with or without you) calculation where we find each park’s tendency to yield strikes, controlling for the pitcher, catcher, and batting team. In practice, it’s easiest to do this with the help of a mixed effects model. We can take the mixed-effects model we used to estimate pitcher and catcher framing and simply add random effects for the ballpark and batting team.

After adjusting for the park and batter effects that we find, we can take another look at the graph that led us here and compare home and road framing at each park, but this time with park-adjusted numbers.

This looks much better! With park effects removed, we still have a significant spread in home-team framing but a relatively small spread in road-team framing.

New Pitch Framing Numbers

For most catchers, our park adjustments make little difference. The graph below plots the new framing runs for catcher-seasons against the old framing runs with 2017 performances shown in red.

The tables below show the team-seasons, catcher-seasons, and catcher careers most affected by the park adjustments.

At long last, FanGraphs Hoodies are back in stock!

Frequently referred to as the “Mike Trout of Hoodies,” the FanGraphs Hoodie features a 52/48-poly/cotton blend and a drawstring that has never gotten lost in my hood.

Get them while you still can.

MLB Senior Data Architect Tom Tango posed an interesting question on Twitter today:

The best questions are usually simple, and this one is perfect. What does average matter? What does slugging percentage mean in the context of two different batting averages? If your OBP and slugging are the same, does it even matter how you get to them?

The first-level answer is “give me the average.” If I’m going to get the same OBP and slug, I’ll do it with extra hits, because hits advance more runners. As you can see, that was the most common answer on the poll.

Go a level up, and you might end up where I was at first. With a lower batting average but the same slugging percentage, Player B is hitting for a ton of power. An easy way to think about the trade-off is that Player B is getting the same number of bases per at-bat (slugging percentage) and reaching base as often (on-base percentage), which means there’s an exchange where Player B adds a base to a hit (stretching a single into a double or a double into a triple) and converts a single to a walk. Read the rest of this entry »

Saberseminar, the excellent annual baseball research conference, kicks off this weekend and that can only mean one thing: it’s almost time for FanGraphs’ Saberseminar meetup at Meadhall in Kendall Square! As we have in years past, we’ve reserved space on the bar’s mezzanine level and ordered some tasty snacks to share. We’ll kick things off tonight at 7 p.m., just in time to have a beer and watch the Red Sox take on Mike Trout and the Angels.

Event Info
Friday, August 9th from 7 to 10 p.m.
Meadhall, Upper Mezzanine
90 Broadway, Cambridge, MA

In addition to many of Saberseminar’s presenters, there will be a number of FanGraphs folks in attendance, including Jay Jaffe, David Laurila, Rachael McDaniel, David Appelman, Sean Dolinar, FanGraphs alum Paul Swydan, and yours truly. It should be a fun evening of good beer and good conversation, and we hope to see you there tonight. Until then, please enjoy this GIF of Mookie Betts being charming.

Position: Web Developer

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Work closely with the entire Baseball Operations department to design and develop new applications to help support the decision process around player development and player evaluation.
• Work closely with the Research & Development Department to support existing applications that directly support front office and field personnel decision making.
• Update existing applications to utilize newer client- and server-side frameworks
• Collaborate with members of the Baseball Operations department to create internal best practices for application development, QA testing and deployment
• Communicate with users to gather system requirements
• Create tests and documentation for bug fixes and new application features/functions

Experiences and Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent professional experience required
• Experience with both front and back-end development is preferred
• Demonstrated ability to successfully develop and deploy data driven web applications is required
• Understanding of full-stack web development and agile software development concepts, including CSS, Git, HTML5, Javascript, and responsive design is required
• Experience using Python web frameworks such as Django, Flask, or Pyramid
• Experience with at least one of Python, Ruby, Perl, C++ and/or other programming languages is required
• Experience using jQuery and Bootstrap or other front-end framework
• Experience using Plotly, D3.js and other data visualization tools is a plus
• Experience with SQL and relational databases is required, including experience creating complex queries, stored procedures and functions
• Knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server database design is a plus
• Experience working with baseball data or delivering sports analysis tools and/or applications is a plus
• Ability to read, speak and comprehend English effectively
• Legally able to work in Canada

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site and complete the application.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Position: Machine Learning Engineer, Baseball Data

Location: New York, NY

Reports to: Director, Software Engineering, Baseball Data

Description:
Major League Baseball’s Technology team is renowned for creating experiences that baseball fans love.

They’re looking for an expert in Machine Learning to create the code powering Major League Baseball. The Baseball Data team is tasked with analyzing the data captured on the field. With the launch of Statcast in 2015, MLB began tracking ball and player movements for each and every play. This role will involve combining their various data sources with video in near real-time to further their understanding of what is happening on the field.

This position offers the opportunity to collaborate with other world-class engineers, data scientists, product developers, and designers; contribute to award-winning and complex apps and systems; influence the innovation of products used by millions globally; and work in a highly collaborative, results-oriented, team environment.

Using bleeding edge technology, their software is consumed by fans, broadcasters, stadiums, MLB Clubs and the league itself. They are looking for Engineers that are passionate about building new technologies for the baseball industry, and this role will help usher in the next generation of experiences for fans of all ages!

Core Responsibilities:

• Brainstorm, discuss, and drive new advanced technology solutions for MLB products
• Build scalable machine learning algorithms
• Influence the innovation of products used by millions of users worldwide
• Present and explain complex models to non-technical stakeholders
• Introduce technologies you feel passionate about

Qualifications:

• Masters or PhD in Computer Science with a focus in machine learning
• 3+ years experience working with machine learning
• Deep knowledge of machine learning and statistical predictive modeling
• Experience with numpy, pandas, and scikit Python libraries
• Real-world application experience implementing CNNs, or RNNs/LSTMs
• Deep Learning Tools – Tensorflow, Theano, Caffe, etc.

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site and complete the application.

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

Position: Business Development Intern

Location: Coplay, PA

Position Overview:
Would you be interested in working closely with a small team to bring sabermetrics to a larger audience? Sports Info Solutions is seeking a Business Development Intern to work out of their Lehigh Valley, PA office. This is a great opportunity in a casual office environment with the leading provider of in-depth sports analytics. The candidate will develop new sales opportunities as well as help maintain existing client relationships. Strong candidates will possess a self-motivated attitude, great communication skills, and be able to work in a collaborative team environment or independently as needed.

Responsibilities:

• ​Build new business relationships independently or as part of a business development team
• Maintain and expand existing client relationships
• Assist with marketing efforts and represent the company in professional settings
• Communicate with clients and prospects in-person, over the phone, and via email
• Educate current and future clients on cutting-edge data and analytics from SIS
• Collaborate with SIS Operations, R&D, and IT colleagues to build new products and fulfill customer needs
• Travel to meet with clients as needed

Qualifications:

• A firm grasp on the baseball, football, fantasy sports, and sports media industries, including the latest sabermetric research
• Open-minded approach and ability to think creatively to anticipate client and industry demands
• Outgoing personality and flexible sales style to engage with a wide variety of prospective clients
• Professional demeanor with excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills as well as diligence and high attention to detail
• Initiative to voluntarily commit long hours, night, and weekends as when needed
• Proficient in Microsoft software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint

To Apply:
To apply, please use the following link: Business Development Intern application. Please note, this is a paid position.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by Sports Info Solutions.

In one of the lower profile deals of the day, the Dodgers added a new top lefty to their pen at a low cost, while the Rays continued their concerted effort to clear out 40-man space, with a gamble on a power bat who doesn’t need to be protected for two years.

Adam Kolarek is a lefty reliever who throws sinkers 82% of the time at 88-91 mph from a near-sidearm slot. Over the last two seasons, he’s eighth in groundball rate among relievers with at least 70 IP. Lefty relievers at that level come in velo models of hard (Zack Britton and Aaron Bummer average 95 mph), medium (Scott Alexander averages 93 mph), and soft (Kolarek and T.J. McFarland averages 89 mph). Aside from Bummer, they all have xFIPs between 3.60 and 4.00, so while Kolarek doesn’t seem overwhelming, his regular season peripherals aren’t that different from Britton’s, even though Britton’s higher-octane stuff figures to play better in October. As you might guess, Kolarek has a 101-point platoon split in his wOBA allowed. He may be fine in the short-term, and he’s still pre-arb with options remaining, but he’s also a 30-year-old late-bloomer with no margin for error, so this likely won’t last forever.

Niko Hulsizer was a 35 FV in the Others of Note Section of the offseason Dodgers’ list, and he’s still there for now, having not been added to THE BOARD just yet. He hit 27 homers as a sophomore at Morehead State, but that came with 74 strikeouts. A broken hamate bone in his draft year pushed him to the 18th round. He’s struck a better balance between power and strikeouts in pro ball, and is 22-years-old in High-A, continuing to hit for enough thump to make it all worth it. There’s some stiffness to the strength-based power, so he’s likely a platoon piece or bench power bat if it all clicks, with our expectations being that he’s more of a Triple-A slugger who gets a cup of coffee, at least until we see a little more performance. Read the rest of this entry »

After adding David Phelps and Derek Holland to bolster their relief corps earlier this week, the Cubs traded right-handed reliever Carl Edwards Jr. to the Padres as the trade deadline closed. For Edwards, a change of scenery seemed like the best course of action after struggling this season. The trade was first reported by Jesse Rogers and the Padres return was reported by Mark Gonzales.

Padres receive:

• RHP Carl Edwards Jr.
• International bonus money

Cubs receive:

• LHP Brad Wieck

Just a few years ago, Edwards was one of the key relief arms who helped the Cubs end their 108-year World Series drought. From 2016 through last year, he was an excellent setup man, posting a 3.03 ERA and a 3.12 FIP across more than 150 innings. Among all 189 qualified relievers during those three years, his strikeout rate ranked 11th and his park- and league-adjusted FIP ranked 29th.

Edwards’ success came in spite of extremely poor command. His walk rate was the third-highest in the majors during that period. He managed to keep his FIP so low by maintaining a ridiculously high strikeout rate and keeping the ball in the park with a very low home run rate. This year, his strikeout rate has fallen to just 26.6% and his home run rate has spiked. That’s led to a 5.87 ERA and a 5.51 FIP. His struggles have forced the Cubs to option him to Triple-A twice this season. He’s also spent some time on the injured list for a strained back.

But his problems might have started way back during spring training. In an effort to solve the command issues that have plagued him throughout his career, he worked on a new delivery all spring, which included a pause and a toe tap to help him gain consistency. But during his first appearance in the regular season, umpire Bill Miller informed him that his new delivery was illegal.

After swapping back to his old mechanics on the fly, Edwards was quickly demoted to Triple-A to continue working on his delivery. After returning to the majors in May, he looked much better, allowing just four walks and a single home run in 13.2 innings. In many ways, he looked like he had made the necessary adjustments to his mechanics to try and solve his command woes, even if his strikeout numbers weren’t nearly as gaudy.

In his one major league appearance after returning from his back injury, Edwards’ fastball velocity was down to 92.7 mph. It’s possible the Cubs activated him a little too early. They optioned him back to Triple-A after that single inning on July 21. Now he is off to San Diego to strengthen the Padres’ bullpen. The 27-year-old is arbitration eligible for the first time next year and controlled through 2022, and if he is healthy, the Padres should get a nice piece for the back of their bullpen — especially if he’s figured out his mechanical problems. For Edwards, too, the change of scenery might be beneficial. His time with the Cubs was certainly memorable, but his relationship with the fans might have soured after receiving racist messages via social media during his rough patch at the start of the season.

In return, the Cubs get a left-handed reliever who is physically the opposite of the slender Edwards. Brad Wieck is listed at 6’9”/255 lbs — a very large human. After making the transition to relief work in 2016, he’s posted a 37.3% minor league strikeout rate across three levels. He made his major league debut last year but has struggled with the long ball this season. He’s allowed 12 home runs in 42.3 combined innings in Triple-A and the majors. Here’s Eric Longenhagen’s scouting report:

Wieck sits 93-94 and touches 95, vertical arm slot creates weird angle on the pitch, he’s a plus-plus extension guy who adds about two ticks of perceived velo because of it, and he gets a lot of swinging strikes with the fastball. Fills the zone up with the heater and just throws a lot of fastballs, generally. He’s a good lefty relief piece.

The 27-year-old did have surgery for testicular cancer over the offseason, but his minor league track record could make him an interesting piece for the Cubs.