The New York Yankees and CC Sabathia reached an Election Night agreement on a one-year, $8 million contract that keeps the big lefty in the middle of the rotation for another year.

All the Yankees hoped Sabathia would do for the team in 2018 was eat 150-175 innings respectably and cut off the downside risk of the team’s rotation so they wouldn’t have to cross the luxury-tax threshold with a free-agent acquisition. That’s precisely what Sabathia did, his late-career mini-renaissance continuing to the tune of a 3.65 ERA and 8.2 K/9 — his most in a healthy season since 2012, the tail end of his ace years.

There’s no question that Sabathia’s day at the top of the rotation has long since turned to night, but there’s little reason to think he can’t continue to do what he’s been doing for the last few years. Surgery on his knee last month was only a minor one and shouldn’t affect his availability.

Fittingly for someone wearing the same uniform as Mariano Rivera, Sabathia pulled his career off the brink in 2014-15 with the addition of a cutter, a pitch initially taught to him by Andy Pettitte in 2014. It essentially replaced his fastball, a pitch that went from touching 95 in his prime to around 90 in recent years. The cutter hasn’t gotten Mariano-esque results, necessarily — he’s allowed a .238 batting average and .382 slugging percentage on the pitch since 2016 — but it gives him a good complement to his slider, which has always been his key pitch.

Read the rest of this entry »

Our 2019 Free Agent Tracker is now live, housing the results from our crowdsourcing effort from the last two weeks. It will update with new contract data as free agents sign.

You might notice a new interface: readers are now able to filter the board choosing multiple teams and multiple positions. Also, in the top-right corner, we’ve put links to leaderboards and projection boards for the free agents.

The crowdsourcing numbers include both the average values and the median values for prospective player deals. The projected WAR uses the Depth Charts projections available on the projection page and player pages. At this point in the offseason, the Depth Charts projections closely reflect Steamer, but the playing time might differ slightly. ZiPS will be added at a later point in the offseason.

If life reveals anything, it’s that the best way to contend with the past isn’t to process it calmly and deliberately but rather to push it far away and pretend it never existed and hope blindly that the future will somehow facilitate better outcomes.

Today, FanGraphs is happy to participate in this very healthy and doctor-approved process by presenting the 2019 Steamer projections. The work of Jared Cross, Steamer represents the first opportunity of the offseason to peer into the gauzy mists of the future. The prorated version of the forecasts (known as Steamer 600) is useful, too, as a sort of quick estimate of true talent.

What does one find in the numbers? That Mike Trout remains strong in the baseball department, for one. And that free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are likely to produce very similar age-26 campaigns. And that, whatever happens next week, Boston left-hander Chris Sale is the AL Cy Young favorite for 2019.

Position: Product Manager, TrackMan Baseball – Baseball Research, Analytics, and Reports

Job description:
TrackMan is looking for an experienced product manager to further develop and expand their baseball research, analytics and reporting products, services, and capabilities.

TrackMan is a Danish company founded, owned and managed since 2003 by three entrepreneurs with a strong passion for sports. Today, they have a global footprint with their headquarters located in Denmark (Vedbaek) and offices in New York, Phoenix, Poland and Tokyo. They employ more than two hundred and fifty people worldwide, half of whom work in Denmark where most of their hardware and software products are developed, tested and manufactured.

Serving as product manager, you will lead TrackMan Baseball’s team of analysts, conduct research to gain key insights from TrackMan data, and develop the baseball reports and tools necessary for all TrackMan customers to use and find value in TrackMan’s unique and valuable data. Customers include not only all professional baseball teams globally, but internal users as well. As a baseball analytics expert with knowledge on the use of data throughout TrackMan’s customer organizations, you will provide guidance and insights to drive their overall business.

If you are a baseball data expert and can create and manage products, this is an exciting opportunity for you to help TrackMan further revolutionize and impact the game of baseball. In the United States, TrackMan technology is installed in all major league and all minor league stadiums, used by all 30 MLB teams for player development and evaluation, and is a core component of MLB’s award-winning StatCast system.

Baseball Analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) team management

Serving as the baseball analytics lead for TrackMan baseball, you will:

• Lead a talented and established team of analysts and BI developers
• Be a thought leader both internally and externally on baseball data, and its application and use across baseball
• Survey latest methods and advancements in baseball research to support TrackMan Baseball
• Develop leading data-driven, baseball insights benefitting TrackMan’s broad customer base
• Assist the TrackMan Baseball team in building and managing a sales pipeline for reports and analytics-driven businesses

Product Management and Development

Serving as the product lead for TrackMan Baseball’s research, analytics, and reporting offerings, you will:

• Identify, research, and quantify new data-driven opportunities across all segments of the baseball market, and present findings to management for consideration.
• Interact with, and at times collaborate with, global customers and users.
• Develop and execute an analytics/reporting/tools-based product strategy and roadmap, offering customers the ability to best use TrackMan’s valuable baseball data.
• Develop and manage baseball analytics and BI-based products and services that serve their multiple customer users and stakeholders, including baseball operations, coaches, player development, and scouting.
• Develop visualizations and methods for disseminating analytical results for a variety of users, including less technically and analytically inclined users.
• Work closely with TrackMan’s Denmark-based data engineering team, and collaborate with US, European, and Asian-based counterparts in developing products and services.

Requirements:

• Strong statistical and database understanding along with excellent verbal and written skills.
• Extensive baseball knowledge with experience in the latest baseball research and trends.
• Product development or product management experience.
• Understanding of agile SW development process.
• Strong baseball industry knowledge and experience.
• Experience with leading Business Intelligence SW tools and statistical SW packages.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent people management and leadership skill with the ability to attract, recruit, and retain great people.
• Strong work ethic with an attention to detail, and an ability to self-direct.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university is required.
• Advanced degree in mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, or other quantitative discipline is desired.
• 5+ years relevant industry experience encompassing quantitative analysis.
• 3+ years of experience managing staff or leading development or research teams.

To Apply:
Applications are continuously assessed, so please send your application as soon as possible. To apply, please visit this site.

Position: 2019 Baseball Video Scouting Internship

Location: Coplay, PA

Description:
Sports Info Solutions, originally founded as Baseball Info Solutions, is looking for highly motivated individuals with a desire to work in the baseball industry. Video Scouts will have a chance to make an immediate impression on the company. Each Video Scout will be collecting data that is directly used by SIS clients (including major league teams) for advance scouting and evaluation purposes. Not only will the Video Scouts become more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of hundreds of amateur and professional players, but they will also learn the ins and outs of the baseball statistics industry.

Former Video Scouts have risen rapidly through Major League front offices after getting their start watching two to three games per day at SIS. In the words of one former Video Scout and current Vice President of Baseball Operations, “My summer at [BIS] was the best baseball experience of my life.” Major League teams frequently approach SIS for recommendations when they need to fill a position within their organization, and SIS’ top video scouts each year routinely land team internships and/or full-time jobs.

SIS takes pride in making their internships great development opportunities for those looking to get their start in baseball. In addition to gaining invaluable experience watching thousands of
players across different levels, they offer introductory classes that cover writing scouting reports and using the database management language, SQL. They also provide insight and advice from previous SIS Video Scouts who have branched out into a variety of areas in the sports industry.

Responsibilities:

• Score and pitch chart MLB, MiLB and amateur games using specialized computer software
• Check the accuracy and validity of data
• Prepare and analyze statistical data for delivery to customers
• Assist with the production of the 2020 Bill James Handbook
• Provide administrative support to the full-time staff

Compensation:

• A starting hourly rate of $7.75 and/or college course credit will be offered.
• Each Video Scout will also be eligible for regular raises based on performance.
• There will also be opportunities to sign up to work overtime to earn extra income (opportunities will depend on work levels throughout the year).

Time Frame:
SIS offers two unique start dates for this position. The first begins February 4th, 2019. It will last for a period of four to five months into early June, with the possibility of extending further based on company workload and the Video Scout’s performance. The second begins on March 6th, 2019. This will last five to six months into early September, again with a possibility of extending longer.

To Apply:
To apply, please use this link to submit your application.

Position: Minor League Video and Information Intern

Description:

The Minor League Video and Information Intern will provide a service to an Atlanta Braves affiliate through charting live baseball games and providing video and information to Braves coaches, coordinators, and front office members.

This role manages all aspects of the assigned affiliate’s video and advance scouting operation and aims to provide an experience that prepares the ideal candidate for a future role in the baseball industry.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Capture and chart video for each game of the full minor league schedule of an assigned affiliate (home games and team travel to road games, postseason included)
• Manage a network of cameras set up to collect high-quality video from multiple angles.
• Attach, edit, and upload video following each game daily.
• Support the coaching staff/players with ad-hoc video/technology requests as assigned.
• Lead the affiliate’s advance scouting process and produce associated materials for the coaching staff.
• Act as a point-person for affiliate’s use of performance technology initiatives as assigned by the Braves front office.
• Attend a portion of the Braves’ Spring Training camp in Orlando, FL to undergo training in video and advance information.
• Participate in periodic calls with the Baseball Operations group in Atlanta.
• Other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• An understanding and appreciation for diverse cultures and an ability to work effectively and relate well with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• Self-motivated individual with high degree of responsibility including confidentiality, sense of urgency, and accountability.
• Proactive, organized and detail oriented person who can prioritize their workload and follow-through with minimal supervision.
• Flexibility and enthusiasm in attitude and approach.
• Willing to relocate to a Braves minor league affiliate from Mid-March through Mid-September.
• Able to successfully complete a background check.

Preferred:

• Programming experience with SQL/R
• Playing experience at the collegiate/professional level

This is a paid position that includes a housing stipend for the duration of the minor league season.

To Apply:
Applicants should submit their resume, cover letter, and references to bravesopsjobs@gmail.com and include “Minor League Video and Information Intern” in the subject line.

ANLBC, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Please note, this posting contains two positions.

Position: White Sox Baseball Operations Software Engineer

Location: Chicago, IL

Description:
The Chicago White Sox seek an experienced Software Engineer to join their baseball operations group. The engineer will be responsible for building and maintaining data driven systems with a focus on Baseball Analytics, however there will be additional exposure to all facets of baseball operations. This position will report to the Director of Baseball Analytics.

Responsibilities:

• Develop data-driven web applications and reports to assist the White Sox front office with player evaluation, arbitration, scouting, and player development.
• Manage the integration of new data sources.
• Provide operational support.

Requirements:

• Degree in computer science, engineering, or similar field.
• Technical proficiency in web development and scripting technologies such as HTML, PHP, AJAX, and JavaScript.
• Object oriented development experience with Visual Studio and C#.
• Strong UI design fundamentals, with examples of intuitive and flexible interfaces.
• Knowledge of SQL Server or MySQL with the ability to write and optimize complex queries and stored procedures.
• Experience working with large datasets.
• Familiarity with advanced baseball metrics and research.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated high degree of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and discretion.
• Ability to work flexible hours.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with ETL methodologies.
• Experience presenting data with Tableau.
• Experience performing advanced statistical analysis with analytical tools such as R, MatLab, or Python.
• Advanced quantitative degree or published research.
• Prior baseball playing or operations experience.

Proposed Start Date: December 1, 2018

To Apply:
Please send a resume and cover letter to ApplyAnalytics@chisox.com.

Position: White Sox Baseball Analytics Internship

Location: Chicago, IL

Description:
The Chicago White Sox seek a passionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated individual with a desire to work in Baseball Operations. The internship will focus primarily on the numerical methods that drive Baseball Analytics, however there will be additional exposure to all facets of baseball operations. The internship is a paid position with a 3-4 month term.

Responsibilities:

• Develop data-driven applications and reports to assist the White Sox front office with player evaluation, arbitration, scouting, and player development.
• Create proprietary performance metrics and predictive models.
• Provide operational support.

Requirements:

• Degree in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or similar field.
• Knowledge of SQL Server or MySQL with the ability to write and optimize complex queries and stored procedures.
• Experience performing advanced statistical analysis with analytical tools such as R, MatLab, or Python.
• Experience working with large datasets.
• Familiarity with advanced baseball metrics and research.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated high degree of integrity, professionalism, accountability, and discretion.
• Ability to work flexible hours.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Technical proficiency in web development and scripting technologies such as HTML, PHP, AJAX, and JavaScript.
• Object oriented development experience with Visual Studio and C#.
• Experience presenting data with Tableau.
• Advanced quantitative degree or published research.
• Prior baseball playing or operations experience.

To Apply:
Please send a resume to ApplyAnalytics@chisox.com.

Please note, this posting contains multiple internship opportunities with Wareham Gatemen Baseball (Wareham, MA) of the Cape Cod League.

Position: Baseball Operations – Scouting

Description:
The Wareham Gatemen Organization is currently seeking three highly motivated, energetic, and talented individuals to serve as scouting interns. Position begins date of hire and runs through August 15, 2019 (or when season ends; including playoffs). The Scouting interns will work with the GM and coaching staff on general scouting and advanced scouting duties throughout the season.

Reports to: General Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• All Scouting interns will work with the GM and coaching staff to learn the ins and outs of scouting. Interns will need to bring their own stopwatch, clipboard, notebook and 3-ring binder, and the 2019 Baseball America Directory. Interns will progress from learning the mechanical breakdowns of each position to writing full scouting reports on CCBL players. By the end of the summer, each intern will have a foundation in amateur scouting to pursue a career in scouting, player development or general baseball operations.
• Review scouting materials and complete assignments on time.
• Attend all Gatemen games or assigned CCBL games.
• Adhering to a weekly rotation of job responsibilities.
• Attend, learn and contribute to daily staff meetings.
• Work with GM and coaching staff learning the basics of scouting.
• Learn basics of advanced scouting.
• Complete scouting reports on opponents and specific players for review by coaching staff.
• Converse with five MLB scouts per week and write a two-page summary report on conversations.
• Compile database of MLB scouts on the cape with contact information.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience working for college baseball program or summer collegiate baseball team strongly preferred.
• Prior baseball playing experience preferred but not required.
• Ability to understand and pick up player/game situational tendencies.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
• Ability to communicate efficiently with all aspects of the Baseball Operations Department (Scouting, Player Development, Coaching and other Baseball Ops interns).
• Professional attitude and work ethic with strong interpersonal skills.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Must currently be enrolled at a college or university in either an undergraduate or graduate program.

Additional Information & Expectations:

• This is an unpaid internship.
• Opportunity exists to earn money by doing extra facilities/field work and team laundry (uniforms).
• Must provide own transportation to games.
• Housing is not provided but the Gatemen can assist in finding appropriate housing (approximate rental costs $2,750/person for the entire summer) as well as assist finding part-time employment.
• Must adhere to the Wareham Gatemen organization policies and procedures as well as the Cape Cod Baseball League Code of Conduct.

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site.

For any questions please email Andrew Lang at baseballops.gatemen@gmail.com.

Position: MLB Scout Liaison Internship

Description:
The Wareham Gatemen Organization is currently seeking a highly motivated, energetic, and talented individual to be the MLB Scout Liaison Intern for the summer of 2019. The ideal candidate will have at least one year’s experience working in a sports team environment. Position begins June 5, 2019 and runs through August 15, 2019 (or when season ends; including playoffs). The MLB Scout Liaison serves as the point person for all MLB scouts who attend games at Spillane Field. You will be the contact for all information the scouts need.

Reports to: General Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Attend all Gatemen home games.
• Create required roster and stat sheets for every home game using league template.
• Maintain contact with coaching staff pitching rotation, starting lineup, batting practice times, i/o times and weather delays.
• Arrive at the field 30 minutes prior to Gatemen batting practice.
• Provide copies of stat and roster bio sheets for all home games.
• Update Gatemen scouting twitter account with player information, probable starting lineups, probable starting pitchers and their tandem, injury related information and any other information deemed necessary.
• Provide scouts with any information they ask for on game day.
• Maintain the game “velo” chart for the pitching coach at each home game.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience working for college baseball program or summer collegiate baseball team required.
• Advanced knowledge of baseball required.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Professional attitude and work ethic with strong interpersonal skills.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Must currently be enrolled at a college or university in either an undergraduate or graduate program.

Additional Information & Expectations:

• This is an unpaid internship.
• Opportunity to earn money by doing extra facilities/field work and team laundry (uniforms).
• Housing is not provided but the Gatemen can assist in finding appropriate housing (approximate rental costs $2,750/person for the entire summer) as well as assist in finding part time employment.
• Must adhere to the Wareham Gatemen organization policies and procedures as well as the Cape Cod Baseball League Code of Conduct.

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site.

For any questions please email Andrew Lang at baseballops.gatemen@gmail.com.

Baseball Operations – Player Development

Description:
The Wareham Gatemen Organization is currently seeking four highly motivated, energetic, and talented individuals to serve as Player Development interns. Position begins date of hire and runs through August 15, 2019 (or when season ends; including playoffs).

Reports to: Manager & General Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• PD interns will work with the Manager, coaching staff and GM on executing the Player Development Program. Interns will be on the field every day assisting the coaching staff throughout the day with various development related tasks. The Gatemen utilize Driveline TRAQ software to organize the program. Interns will need to become highly proficient with the software. This is a great opportunity for a student manager currently working with a college baseball program to learn how to create, organize, execute and modify player development programs.
• Set up all equipment and screens needed by coaching staff for all player/team workouts.
• Set up video cameras for all workouts and games.
• Operate cameras at direction of the GM & coaching staff during workouts and games.
• Upload video into TRAQ system.
• Assist coaching staff with all input into TRAQ.
• Attend, learn and contribute to daily staff meetings.
• Attend all Gatemen games.
• In game charting of data that the GM or coaching staff asks to be collected.
• Prepare field for home games (dragging/watering infield, working on mound/plate, lining field for game).
• Ad hoc projects as assigned by coaching staff of GM.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience working for college baseball program or summer collegiate baseball team preferred but not required.
• Understanding of typical baseball data structures, and knowledge of current baseball research, statistics and strategy.
• Prior baseball playing experience preferred but not required.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access).
• Ability to communicate efficiently with all aspects of the Baseball Operations Department (Scouting, Player Development, Coaching and other Baseball Ops interns).
• Professional attitude and work ethic with strong interpersonal skills.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Must currently be enrolled at a college or university in either an undergraduate or graduate program.

Additional Information & Expectations:

• This is an unpaid internship. Opportunity to earn money by doing extra facilities/field work and team laundry (uniforms).
• Must provide own transportation to away games.
• Housing is not provided but the Gatemen can assist finding appropriate housing (approximate rental costs $2,750/person for the entire summer) as well as assist finding part time employment.
• Must adhere to the Wareham Gatemen organization policies and procedures as well as the Cape Cod Baseball League Code of Conduct.

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site.

For any questions please email Andrew Lang at baseballops.gatemen@gmail.com.

Position: Baseball Operations – Assistant GM

Description:
The Wareham Gatemen Organization is currently seeking five highly motivated, energetic, and talented individuals to serve as Asst. GMs. Position begins date of hire and runs through August 15, 2019 (or when season ends; including playoffs). The interns will assist the GM’s research and development efforts as well as complete three internship based projects. This internship will be focused on data entry and analytics but there will be opportunities to gain valuable experience in other aspects of Baseball Operations.

Reports to: General Manager

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Attend all Gatemen games.
• Collect, clean and enter data from various sources into data collection system.
• Collaborate with GM, Field Manager and other interns to design and implement statistical analyses.
• Keep up to date on current baseball research and new modeling techniques.
• Assist in designing, developing, testing and implementing models and metrics utilizing appropriate tools and techniques.
• Each intern will be assigned one of the following internship projects:
• Develop a metric which demonstrates the baseline value for a successful temporary player in the Cape Cod League. (WAR-like metric)
• Develop set of metrics for future roster construction and player identification.
• Develop standard metrics for the CCBL to aid scouting evaluations of overall player performance.

Qualifications:

• Prior experience working for college baseball program or summer collegiate baseball team preferred but not required.
• Strong foundation in computational field, such as Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Analytics or Quantitative Social Sciences.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis, machine learning and predictive modeling.
• Understanding of typical baseball data structures, and knowledge of current baseball research, statistics and strategy.
• Demonstrated experience with database querying (SQL) and preferably statistical software (e.g. MySQL, Microsoft SQL, etc…)
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access).
• Demonstrated experience working with Python, R, C++.
• Ability to communicate efficiently with all aspects of the Baseball Operations Department (Scouting, Player Development, Coaching and other Baseball Ops interns).
• Professional attitude and work ethic with strong interpersonal skills.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work longs hours, including days, nights, weekends and holidays.
• Must currently be enrolled at a college or university in either an undergraduate or graduate program.

Additional Information & Expectations:

• This is an unpaid internship but there are opportunities to earn some money doing various field jobs.
• Must provide own transportation to away games.
• Housing is not provided but the Gatemen can assist finding appropriate housing (approximate rental costs $2,750/person for the entire summer) as well as assist finding part time employment.
• Must adhere to the Wareham Gatemen organization policies and procedures as well as the Cape Cod Baseball League Code of Conduct.

To Apply:
To apply, please visit this site.

For any questions please email Andrew Lang at baseballops.gatemen@gmail.com.

Position: Baseball Operations Intern

Dates:
Start date is flexible. End date is end of the 2019 season. Preference will be given to candidates who can start by January 15, 2019

Primary Objective:
Support the baseball operations department in research, administration, and day-to-day scouting operation tasks.

Essential Functions:

• Provide support in all areas of advance scouting, including, game day duties and preparation of the advance report and for pre-series meetings.
• Support all areas of the Professional, International and Amateur Scouting Department, including research, video clipping, scheduling and player evaluation as well as preparation for the Amateur Draft Meetings.
• Provide additional statistical analysis, economic and financial research as assigned or as time permits.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred. Equivalent, relevant work or playing experience may be considered in lieu of formal education if approved by management.
• Spanish speaking is a plus; but not required.
• Programming Skills (including SQL, R, Python, etc.) is a plus; but not required.
• Background in player evaluation is a plus; but not required.
• Background in video is a plus; but not required.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA’s):

• Working knowledge of statistical baseball data and its application as it pertains to scouting information
• Working knowledge of baseball strategy and current in-game management trends
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel & PowerPoint
• Excellent interpersonal skills with proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Self-motivated with a high degree of integrity; takes personal responsibility for getting things done in a way that positively and professionally represents the organization
• Demonstrated initiative; thinks creatively and takes actions that create a positive outcome for the team

To Apply:
Interested and qualified applicants may apply by November 9, 2018 through the following link: Baseball Operations Intern

In addition, please visit www.mariners.com/jobs for more information.

The ZiPS projection system will update these tables after every game and as the starting-pitcher probables change. They are based on the up-to-date ZiPS projections of the strengths of the teams and the projected starting pitchers. They are different than the playoff odds that appear elsewhere at this site. The FanGraphs playoff probabilities are based on 10,000 simulations using the updated projections in the depth charts. Where ZiPS differs is by guessing the game-by-game starting-pitcher matchups and using the ZiPS projections, including split projections.

First, here are the game-by-game probabilities:

And here are the overall series probabilities.