We are currently seeking additional ballots for a handful of teams for the Fans Scouting Report.

If you follow the Royals, Twins, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Pirates or Padres it would be a great help if you took a short amount of time to fill out a ballot.

We could also use ballots for the Orioles, Mets, Rockies, Brewers, White Sox and Dodgers, but these are in a little bit less of dire need.

The compiled results of these ballots end up on the player pages and the leaderboards.

In addition, if you have filled out a valid ballot (at any time this year, ballots before today included), we are going to be randomly selecting 20 users for a free year of FanGraphs Ad Free Membership! These 20 members will be selected when the ballot closes. If you are selected and already have an Ad Free Membership, your membership will be extended for 12 months.

Thank you for your help!

Position: Research and Development Intern

Location: Kent, WA
Employment Details:

• Seasonal, $2500/month.
• No additional benefits.
• Start Date: As early as November 1st, 2018 – no later than December 1st, 2018
• End Date: April 1st, 2019, but exceptional applicants may be offered an extension through the summer
• Candidates will be expected to work ~40 hours per week.
• This is NOT a remote position. It is located in Kent, WA. No financial relocation assistance is offered, though Driveline will put you in contact with a number of affordable short-term housing options upon accepting the role, if offered.

Description:
You will spend your time on the floor checking in with athletes, monitoring their movements, answering questions and integrating with the skill-specific and High Performance teams to collect and analyze athlete data.

You’ll work on projects like:

• Preparing athletes for biomechanical assessments via retroreflective marker placement.
• Running assessment reports in our internal tools software and in industry-standard software like Visual3d, Motive:Body, and OpenSIM.
• Collecting and cleaning data for existing and new research projects.
• Filming athletes using our Edgertronic high-speed cameras, editing the videos, and organizing them for easy access by the coaches, athletes, and research team.
• Writing blog posts and creating social media content to document findings.
• Going through your own independent research project of your choice, from study design, to IRB approval, to data collection and analysis, and finally, publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

R&D interns at Driveline Baseball spend their entire week working on internal projects that push the limits of knowledge in the baseball training space. You will be given unparalleled access to technology that few labs in the world have access to, and you will be tasked with an independent project that will eventually be published in a peer-reviewed journal with your name attached and proper credit given (all publication fees are paid for by Driveline Baseball).

You will be given a laptop and standing desk to work at inside the research lab, on the floor, and with our athletes. This isn’t a front office “hidden” position where you crank out data and no one is counting on you – you will be interfacing daily with professional athletes.

This is an opportunity to advance your career and knowledge base while being paid.

A Great Candidate Demonstrates:

• Quantitative skill and experience in major statistical packages, like R-Studio.
• Previous experience with some form of biomechanical analysis software package.
• Open source project work on GitHub or openly published preprints/blogs to review. Driveline wants to know that you have contributed in some way on your own – this internship is very self-driven and is not micromanaged. Driveline needs independent thinkers, workers, and doers who take initiative.
• Previous experience in coaching or playing baseball. Knowledge of the game within the game results in faster on-ramping at Driveline Baseball.
• Excellent verbal communication skills. Deliver the right message at the right time.
• Excellent “feel.” That mix of empathy, common sense and likability that makes people trust you.
• A mindset for growth and learning. What do you want to be better at?
• Always organized.
• Proactively creates solutions to problems. You can’t help but do a little weekend side-project to solve that issue that’s been bugging you.

Requirements:

• Familiarity with Driveline’s mission, previous research, and blog posts.
• Passion for getting it right. “Smart people know how hard it is to know something.”
• Ability to work independently.
• Must be able to stand for 4+ hours straight.
• Must be able to lift 50+ pounds.

What is Not Required:
Any form of college education. Driveline cares about what you’ve done and what you’re passionate about independently, not what class load you’ve taken.

To Apply:
To apply, please fill out this Google Forms Application. Applications are due by 10/20/2018.

Following the end of the internship, candidates will be evaluated on an individual basis for full-time roles or internship extensions.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Driveline is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal laws. For employees and applicants for employment who have disabilities, Driveline provides reasonable accommodation.

Last night, in starting Liam Hendriks, the Oakland A’s went with The Opener, using a reliever to start the game with the expectation that he will pitch just one inning. Today, the Brewers have also opted to start a reliever in Brandon Woodruff. Unlike the A’s, the Brewers have no plans to start a reliever for one inning, or to start a reliever for one out like the club did last week when they used a LOOGY in Dan Jennings to pitch only to Matt Carpenter. When the Brewers opted for Jennings, I opined the ploy could be useful in the playoffs:

This situation might have some utility for the Brewers in the playoffs. If the team makes the Wild Card game and faces the Cardinals, then Matt Carpenter is likely to be at the top of the order. If they were to face the Rockies, lefty Charlie Blackmon is likely to lead off. While September’s expanded rosters allow for a greater margin of error, a one-game Wild Card matchup still permits more relievers, as teams need just one starter instead of four in later rounds. The Brewers conducted an interesting experiment somewhat necessitated by a lack of starting options, the unique circumstances of the September roster, and the Cardinals’ lineup.

The situation is less desirable in Game One of a five-game series, as carrying a one-out reliever can be difficult with the number of games and limited roster space. The Brewers opted not to even carry Jennings on the roster, instead indicating that lefty starters Wade Miley and Gio Gonzalez could be used in relief. Bud Black indicated he had no plans to move Charlie Blackmon out of the leadoff spot, and the lack of a LOOGY on the Brewers roster means he doesn’t even need to think about it.

As for the Brewers’ bullpen plans, Craig Counsell indicated on Wednesday the bullpen game he’s using today isn’t likely to mirror what we saw from A’s last night, with a train of relievers, or from the Rays this season, with a reliever followed by a starter:

Look, these aren’t going to be one-out appearances. These are going to be longer appearances. These are going to be two, three-inning appearances that we think we can get through with this.

In choosing Woodruff, Counsell doesn’t even believe he’s starting the game with a reliever.

And I think from our perspective, Woody is–he’s not a reliever. He has the ability to do more than that, if that’s what the game calls for. So that’s–one, he’s throwing the ball really well, and two, I think he has the potential to do a little more than a reliever maybe.

Counsell’s belief is supported by others. Before the season started, Eric Longenhagen said, “He’s a big-league-ready, sinker/slider fourth starter. Between the majors and minors this year, Woodruff has made 21 starts, including six at Triple-A in August. He struggled some overall, but he struck out 26 batters in 20 innings during that time. Since being recalled in September, Woodruff has been utilized as a reliever, but he’s gone multiple inning three times. More importantly, he’s been really good, with a 1.54 FIP, 16 strikeouts and just three walks while allowing only a single run in 12.1 innings. He features a high-90s four-seamer in relief in addition to his slider, and the Brewers hope that can get the club through the lineup at least once.

After Woodruff, Freddy Peralta is an interesting option. He’s started 14 games this season with a solid 3.85 FIP in those starts. In his last outing, he came on in relief of Jennings after that LOOGY start and went 3.2 innings, striking out three and giving up one run before the rest of the bullpen came to the rescue. Miley might be another consideration before the team can turn things over to Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, Joakim Soria, and Jeremy Jeffress.

The Brewers aren’t going with an Opener, and they aren’t going to pitch eight relievers over nine innings. What’s happening today is your more traditional bullpen game. It might not be common in the playoffs, but supplementing a couple long men in Woodruff and Peralta probably gives them a better chance to get outs than going with a starter on short rest like Gonzalez or a struggling Miley.

Please note, this posting contains three positions.

Position: Atlanta Braves R&D Developer Trainee

Location: Atlanta, GA

Description:

The R&D Developer Trainee position emphasizes software and web development as it relates to the Baseball Operations department. The trainee’s main responsibilities will be to assist the R&D department with building proprietary applications for displaying baseball information and visualizations, maintaining existing information management systems, and developing additional productivity tools to aid in Baseball Operations decision making. Candidates must have proven experience with application and/or web development, with interest in baseball and sports analytics research as a strong plus. The position will report to Assistant General Manager, Research and Development.

Note: Applicants for full-season R&D Developer Trainee positions (Jan-Nov), and summer R&D Developer Intern positions (May-Aug) will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the development and maintenance of all proprietary software used within the Baseball Operations department.
• Work with department stakeholders to develop, deploy and test applications within IT best practice parameters.
• Build relationships, communicate effectively, and gather feedback from Baseball Operations staff to build new platforms and improve existing systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Past or expected BA or BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field of study or equivalent work experience.
• Demonstrated software development experience in one or more programming languages: Java, .NET, Python, Flask, Javascript, AngularJS, C#, C/C++.
• Familiarity with database technologies and SQL. Microsoft SQL Server experience is a plus.
• Ability to learn new technologies, including new coding languages.
• Strong work ethic, initiative, and the ability to solve technical problems.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends as dictated by the Major League season.
• Must complete a successful background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of current baseball statistics and analytics used in player evaluation a plus
• Experience with data visualization a plus.
• Web development experience, especially with JavaScript, Angular JS, or Python Flask
• Experience with big data techniques.
• Demonstrated software development work product.
• Collegiate or other baseball playing experience.

To Apply:
If you are interested, please email your resume and any other materials to bravesrdpositions@gmail.com.

Position: Atlanta Braves R&D Analyst Trainee

Location: Atlanta, GA

Description:
The R&D Analyst Trainee will assist Baseball Operations decision-making through the analysis and research of baseball information. The day-to-day responsibilities of this position will revolve around using data analysis to provide insight into player evaluation, performance projection, roster construction, and all other facets of baseball operations decision making, with emphasis on different sub-departments depending on the baseball calendar and needs of the department. The position will report to Assistant General Manager, Research and Development.

Note: Applicants for full-season R&D Analyst Trainee (Jan-Nov), and summer R&D Analyst Intern (May-Aug) positions will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Perform advanced statistical analysis on large datasets in order to assist in the decision-making of the Baseball Operations department.
• Develop software, databases, models, applications, reports, and other information systems to increase efficiency of the Baseball Operations department.
• Perform ad-hoc research projects as requested and present results in a concise manner.

Required Qualifications:

• Strong foundation in the application of statistical concepts to baseball data, including familiarity with current state of baseball research.
• Experience with SQL and relational databases.
• Experience with statistical modeling software (R or Python preferred).
• Ability to communicate concepts to individuals with diverse baseball backgrounds, including coaches, scouts and executives.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends as dictated by the Major League season.
• Must complete a successful background check.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience with statistical modeling and prediction techniques, including regression, classification, and machine learning.
• Web development experience, especially with JavaScript, Angular JS, or Python Flask.
• Experience with at least one scripting language (e.g. Python, Ruby, Perl).
• Experience with big data techniques a plus.
• Demonstrated baseball or other sports analytics research work product.
• Ability and desire to learn other programming languages as needed.
• Collegiate or other baseball playing experience.

To Apply:
If you are interested, please email your resume and any other materials to bravesrdpositions@gmail.com.

Position: Major League Operations Analyst

Location: Atlanta, GA

Description:
Support the Major League Operations group through the creation of tools for displaying and disseminating data, statistics, and other baseball-related information. The ideal candidate has a strong technical background and can work independently on self-contained projects, as well as an understanding of baseball research concepts and modern gameplay strategies. This position will report to the Director of Major League Operations.

Responsibilities:

• Develop tools and visualizations for disseminating statistical concepts.
• Conduct research projects for the Major League Operations group.
• Help build database and reporting infrastructure to support Major League advance report and coaching staff needs.
• Summarize project results in succinct, actionable format and present findings to the group.
• Work on Major League advance scouting process.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated track record as self-starter through independently-produced projects and/or writing (via online publication, etc.).
• Strong foundation in the application of statistical concepts to baseball data and the translation of data into actionable baseball recommendations.

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced-level capabilities in R and SQL.

Strongly Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with at least one scripting language (e.g. Python, Ruby, Perl) and web development experience with Python Flask.
• Demonstrable independent research (published or unpublished) using publicly available datasets (i.e. PITCHf/x, Statcast, etc).

Duration:
January 2019 for calendar year. Depending on candidate qualifications position may be an internship or full-time.

To Apply:
Please email relevant materials, research, and resume to bravesopsjobs@gmail.com.

Please note, this posting contains multiple positions.

Position: Quantitative Analyst (full-time and summer), Baseball Research & Development

Description:
As a Quantitative Analyst (QA) or QA intern, you help shape the Phillies Baseball Operations strategies by processing, analyzing, and interpreting large and complex data. You do more than just crunch the numbers; you carefully plan the design of your own studies by asking and answering the right questions, while also working collaboratively with other analysts and software engineers on larger projects.

Using analytical rigor, you work with your team as you mine through data and see opportunities for the Phillies to improve. After communicating the results of your studies and experiments to the GM and executive staff, you collaborate with front office executives, scouts, coaches, and trainers to incorporate your findings into Phillies practices. Identifying the challenge is only half the job; you also work to figure out and implement the solution.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct statistical research projects and manage the integration of their outputs into our proprietary tools and applications (e.g., performance projections, player valuations, draft assessments, injury analyses, etc.)
• Communicate with front office executives, scouts, coaches, and medical staff to design and interpret statistical studies
• Assist the rest of the QA team with their projects by providing guidance and feedback on your areas of expertise within baseball, statistics, data visualization, and programming
• Continually enhance your knowledge of baseball and data science through reading, research, and discussion with your teammates and the rest of the front office
• Provide input in architecting the storage of baseball data

Required Qualifications:

• Deep understanding of statistics, including supervised and unsupervised learning, regularization, model assessment and selection, model inference and averaging, ensemble methods, etc.
• Meaningful work experience with statistical software (R, S-Plus, SAS, or similar), databases, and scripting languages such as Python
• Proven willingness to both teach others and learn new techniques
• Willingness to work as part of a team on complex projects
• Proven leadership and self-direction

Preferred Qualifications:

• BS, MS or PhD in Statistics or related (e.g., mathematics, physics, or ops research) or equivalent practical experience
• 0-5+ years of relevant work experience
• Experience drawing conclusions from data, communicating those conclusions to decision makers, and recommending actions

Position: Software Engineer (full-time and summer), Baseball Research & Development

The work of a Software Engineer (SWE) or SWE intern at the Phillies extends well beyond merely coding. As a SWE you contribute fresh ideas in a variety of areas, including information retrieval, networking and data storage, security, machine learning, natural language processing, UI design and mobile to shape the evolution of the Phillies baseball analytics systems.

Our ideal engineers will have a versatile skill set, be enthusiastic to handle new challenges and demonstrate leadership qualities. You will work closely with end-users across Scouting, Player Development and the Major League Coaching Staff while building software tools from the ground up. By identifying appropriate design specifications through collaboration with those end-users, you will build applications that conform to user needs.

Specific areas of focus may include, but are not limited to, the draft, free-agency, player valuation, player development, in-game strategy, and injury prevention. As a SWE you will have the opportunity to use your technical expertise to create software solutions that impact decision-making at the Phillies.

Responsibilities:

• Improve existing platforms and design new proprietary applications to be used directly by the GM and executive staff
• Collaborate with front office executives, scouts, coaches, and medical staff regarding the design and technical specifications of software solutions for Baseball Operations
• Work together with Baseball R&D department to help optimize the Phillies baseball analytics systems, including crafting solutions to efficiently and effectively synthesize, organize and present data from multiple third-party sources
• Help to augment the technical knowledge of the entire Baseball Operations department by providing training, mentorship and support on the use of all applications and tools built by the team

Required Qualifications:

• BS degree in Computer Science, similar technical field of study or equivalent practical experience
• Software development experience in one or more general purpose programming languages (including but not limited to: Java, C/C++, C#, Go, Objective C, Python or JavaScript)
• Interest and ability to learn new technologies as needed
• Experience working with two or more from the following: web application development, Unix/Linux environments, mobile application development, design thinking, machine learning, natural language processing, and data architecture
• Proven willingness to both teach others and learn new techniques
• Proven leadership and self-direction

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s, PhD degree, further education or 4+ years experience in engineering, computer science or other technical related field
• Prior experience managing/leading a technical team

To Apply:

Interested applicants for either position should submit both their resume and an answer to the following question:

How would you decide whether a minor league position player prospect is ready to be promoted to the major leagues? (250 word limit)

Tip: There’s no defined right or wrong answer. Responses are used to get some insight into how you approach problem solving and baseball in general.

Please note, the summer intern positions are paid.

Please submit your resume and question response to analytics@phillies.com no later than Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Applications not sent to analytics@phillies.com will not be considered.

Before Opening Day, 40 staff writers and contributors from across our family of blogs made predictions about which teams would make the 2018 playoffs. I compiled the results, which can be found here. Some predictions were bold; others were fantastical. Many exhibited a perhaps unsurprising deference to our preseason projections. Affecting an air of clairvoyance is a rite of spring; realizing we’re a bunch of goofs is fall business. So before the playoffs begin this evening, let’s spend a moment reckoning with the fact that we’re bad at predicting things.

First, though, we should acknowledge the winners. I will not name the loser here; the world has enough cruelty in it. No one got every playoff team right — nor did anyone’s ballot perfectly mirror the order in which the field was eventually seeded — but David Laurila and Neil Weinberg each correctly predicted eight of the 10 playoff teams. David had the Twins in Oakland’s place, while Neil thought Boston would be traveling to Los Angeles for the American League Wild Card, but the rest of their AL ballots were correct. They also predicted four of the five National League teams. They both thought the Nationals would win the NL East, and they weren’t alone: 39 of 40 ballots agreed, with the final vote going to the Mets. We messed that one up, though not as badly as the Nationals did. Our full results are below.

Read the rest of this entry »

In Canto IV of his Inferno, the poet Dante — led by other, more dead poet Virgil — enters a level of hell reserved predominantly for those people who had the misfortune of predating Christ. One can ask reasonable questions about the justice of this arrangement — is it the fault of Socrates, for example, that he was died before the arrival of an unborn prophet? — but neither Virgil nor Dante nor even the occupants of this region appear to be lodging any serious complaints.

While this intermediate state, known as Limbo, is technically situated within the first circle of hell, it doesn’t feature any of the punishments typically associated with the underworld. No fire or rivers of fire or anything involving fire, really. It’s mostly a bunch of guys sitting around.

Today, we find ourselves in a kind of baseball Limbo*, occupying a place on the schedule that’s technically situated within the regular season but possessing all trappings of a postseason game. It is very strange.

*It’s possible that Dante’s Purgatorio actually serves as a more apt metaphor for these Game 163s, but the author hasn’t read it and has no plans to do so for the moment.

Indeed, the purpose of post is less to meditate on the finer points of a long Italian poem and more to announce that a number of FanGraphs writers will be attempting to understand the strangeness of baseball Limbo in real time today during an extended “live chat” that will start around 1pm ET and continue for the duration of this afternoon’s divisional tiebreakers. Chats for the Wild Card games on Tuesday and Wednesday will follow, as well.

Here’s the playoff chat schedule for the next few days. Times in ET and presented in sophisticated 24-hour format. (Note: prospect and fantasy chats not included here.)

Monday
13:00 Game 163s Live Chat Jubilee

Tuesday
20:00 National League Wild Card Game

Wednesday
20:00 American League Wild Card Game

This is the sixth installment of this year’s Team Entropy series, my recurring look not only at the races for the remaining playoff spots but the potential for end-of-season chaos in the form of down-to-the-wire suspense and even tiebreakers. Ideally, we want more ties than the men’s department at Macy’s. If you’re new to this, please read the introduction here.

We’re not quite to the promised land of Game 163 tiebreakers, but for the 14th time in 15 seasons, we’ve got playoff spots to be decided on the final day of the regular season, though the identities of all the participants are sewn up. Thanks to Saturday’s combination of outcomes, with the the Brewers gaining a game on the Cubs in the NL Central and the Dodgers doing the same to the Rockies in the NL West, the aforementioned divisions are tied, with the Central teams 94-67 and the West teams 90-71. The Cardinals, who had remained alive in the race for the second Wild Card spot, were eliminated from the picture despite beating the Cubs, because the Dodgers piled up a bunch of runs late to beat the Giants. We of Team Entropy thank them for their service, and look to the possibility of the first set of multiple tiebreaker games in MLB history.

It comes down to this:

• If the Brewers (who host the Tigers) and the Cubs (who host the Cardinals) match results — both winning or both losing — the two teams will square off in Chicago (which won the season series 11-8) on Monday for a Game 163 tiebreaker. The winner of that game wins the NL Central and thus claims the top seed in the Senior Circuit, while the loser hosts the Wild Card game on Tuesday.

• If the Rockies (who host the Nationals) and the Dodgers (who play the Giants in San Francisco) match results — again, both winning or both losing — the two teams will meet in Los Angeles (which won the season series 12-7) on Monday for a Game 163 tiebreaker as well. The victor wins the NL West and faces the Braves (also 90-71) in the Division Series, while the loser will be the road team in the Wild Card game. The seeding regarding the division winner and the Braves is at also stake, but both NL West teams have the tiebreaker on Atlanta by dint of winning their season series 5-2.

If either of these scenarios comes to fruition, we’ll have the first tiebreaker game in MLB since 2013, when the Rays beat the Rangers to become the second AL Wild Card team, and if both happen, again, history! All of Sunday’s relevant games — in fact, the entire slate of 15 games — are set to begin at 3:05 pm Eastern, so that no team has an advantage in scoreboard watching.

If you’re wondering about pitching matchups, here’s what’s going down. In Milwaukee, the Brewers are starting August 31 acquisition Gio Gonzalez, with the Tigers countering with rookie Spencer Turnbull. In Chicago, the Cubs are starting Mike Montgomery while the Cardinals are going with Jack Flaherty, who has earned Rookie of the Year consideration (but isn’t likely to beat out Juan Soto or Ronald Acuña). In Denver, the Rockies are going with Tyler Anderson, while the Nationals have opted not to pitch Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer, instead tabbing the much less imposing Erick Fedde. In San Francisco, the Dodgers have decided to save hotshot rookie Walker Buehler for a potential tiebreaker or Wild Card game and instead go with Dick Mountain, er, Rich Hill to counter the Giants’ Andrew Suárez.

Charge up those devices and pile up those screens, because you’ll need multiple ones to follow along!

This is the fifth installment of this year’s Team Entropy series, my recurring look not only at the races for the remaining playoff spots but the potential for end-of-season chaos in the form of down-to-the-wire suspense and even tiebreakers. Ideally, we want more ties than the men’s department at Macy’s. If you’re new to this, please read the introduction here.

In the National League playoff picture, we’re down to two teams — the Dodgers (89-71) and Cardinals (87-73) — fighting for one spot, as the Rockies (90-70) clinched a postseason berth on Friday night by beating the Nationals for their eighth straight win. That said, neither the NL Central nor the NL West races have been decided, nor have the actual Wild Card game participants, leaving open the possibility that we could have multiple Game 163 tiebreakers on Monday. The dream scenario of needing a third tiebreaker game, in the event that the two NL West participants (the Dodgers and Rockies) finished tied with St. Louis, is off the table given the Cardinals’ back-to-back losses to the Brewers (93-67) and Cubs (94-66).

On Friday afternoon, I had the privilege of appearing on MLB Network’s MLB Now, where host Brian Kenny put the spotlight on Team Entropy at the top of the show and allowed me to talk through the various scenarios:

Pretty cool! Except that the Cardinals were busy getting pummeled by the Cubs as that happened — the show kept cutting away to the action — simplifying the picture somewhat. So here is what’s left…

The Cubs, who are hosting the Cardinals, and the Brewers, who are hosting the Tigers, can still finish in a tie after 162 games if Milwaukee can pick up a game this weekend. Either the Brew Crew goes 2-0 while the Cubs go 1-1, or 1-1 while the Cubs go 0-2. That would leave the two teams playing on Monday in Chicago (which won the season series 11-8) to determine which one wins the division, and which hosts the Wild Card game. As of Saturday morning, our playoff odds ties page shows a 25.9% chance of such an occurrence.

Likewise, the Rockies, who are hosting the Nationals, and the Dodgers, who are visiting the Giants, can finish tied if Los Angeles can pick up a game. The Dodgers, who won the season series 12-7, would host a tiebreaker game on Monday to determine the division winner, and second Wild Card team. Our ties page gives this game a 34.1% chance of happening.

Alternately, if the Cardinals win both of their remaining games and the Dodgers lose both of theirs, the two teams would be tied for the second Wild Card spot. They would play on Monday in St. Louis, which won the season series 4-3. This scenario can happen in tandem with an NL Central tie if the Brewers also split their remaining pair of games. The odds of a Wild Card tie are down to 2.4%, but that’s better than nothing, particularly with a second tiebreaker game also still an option.

With the Cubs and Cardinals playing at 1:05 pm Eastern, the Dodgers and Giants at 4:05, the Brewers and Tigers at 7:05 pm and the Rockies and Nationals at 8:10 pm, we have the whole day to savor the possibilities for chaos. Enjoy!

Whatever their flaws as human people — and there are too many to catalog in this brief post — lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen and lead prospect analyst emeritus Kiley McDaniel have nevertheless acquitted themselves well in their attempts to analyze all prospects.

Within the last year, they have evaluated every player with a 40 FV or better, ranked and re-ranked the top rookie-eligible players in the game, examined the next three draft classes in as much depth as is reasonable, provided daily notes on in-season developments for pro prospects, both introduced and updated THE BOARD, and (most recently) launched a weekly podcast dedicated to prospect evaluation and air-horn sound effects.

Given the volume of content produced by Messrs. Longenhagen and McDaniel, it makes sense to create a space where readers can find it. Accordingly, we’re introducing today the FanGraphs Prospects landing page.

From the Prospects page, one can access the site’s most recent prospect-related posts, podcast episodes, and rankings. Accompanying the addition of the Prospects page are also a couple new features — namely, a statistical leaderboard featuring only those players who have appeared on a prospect list, a graduation tracker to monitor which players are about to exhaust (or have recently exhausted) their status as a prospect, and a miniature version of THE BOARD.

In addition to hyperlinks like this one, the FanGraphs prospects page is also accessible via the Blogs drop-down menu on FanGraphs’ main page.

Finally, it would be foolish and also very rude not to mention the contributions of Sean Dolinar to the construction of the Prospects page. Dolinar’s work on the project has been invaluable.