Instructional League began in Arizona on Wednesday with the Texas and San Diego groups playing in Peoria, AZ. Lefty Brett Martin started for Texas and sat 92-94 with his downhill fastball, touching 95. He frequently utilized a changeup that flashed average, but was mostly below in the 83-85 mph range with an upper-80s cutter. I saw no curveballs from Martin, which I had previously evaluated as his best secondary pitch. I’m not certain if the pitch has been scrapped temporarily for developmental purposes — or perhaps medical ones, as Rangers pitchers in Extended were on fastball-only programs for a while — or if he simply didn’t happen to throw any. Regardless, Martin’s changeup needs reps, as he’s missed significant time with injury during each of the last three years. Between 2015 and -17 he’s had hip, elbow, and back issues. He has mid-rotation upside if he can stay healthy and more consistently locate a fully developed changeup.

Speaking of changeups, Cole Ragans is going to have a really good one. The Rangers 19-year-old lefty sat 88-91 with his fastball yesterday and flashed an above-average, fading changeup in the upper 70s. I have it and Ragans’ command projected to plus. His fastball is a 40 on pure velocity but plays better than that due to plane and deception. He also showed a fringey, low-70s curveball. I can see the basis for the Cole Hamels comparisons, as there are some mechanical similarities and the repertoire is structured similarly. That said, Ragans isn’t as graceful and athletic as Hamels is/was, nor does he have the velocity. Yet.

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Position: Wasserman Sports Analytics Internship

Location: New York

Description:
Wasserman is continually looking to expand its internal analytics capabilities to better serve clients across a multitude of sports. New hires take on a variety of responsibilities ranging from daily database maintenance to player-specific statistical research. As such, ideal applicants will have strong problem solving skills and a willingness to undertake new and unfamiliar tasks.
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Position: Miami Marlins Baseball Analytics Internship

Location: Miami

Description:
The Baseball Analytics Intern will assist Baseball Operations decision-making through the analysis and research of baseball information. The specific day-to-day responsibilities of this position will vary depending on the baseball calendar, but will revolve around using data analysis to answer baseball-related questions, with a strong preference for a candidate possessing an established foundation of statistical, programming, and database skills. We are accepting both full year (January-December) and summer candidates at this time.
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Position: Washington Nationals Baseball Operations Analyst

Location: Washington D.C.

Description:
The Washington Nationals are seeking a full-time Baseball Operations Analyst. The role’s responsibilities include designing and developing analytical tools to aid baseball operations, salary arbitration research and preparation, and ad-hoc research projects to support baseball operations. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical and mathematical skills, excellent verbal and written communication skills, be well-versed in publicly available Sabermetric research, and have a demonstrated passion for working in baseball. The position will report to the Director, Baseball Operations.
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To be clear, there are three positions listed here.

Position: Detroit Tigers Baseball Operations Sr. Software Engineer

Location: Detroit

Description:
The Detroit Tigers are currently seeking a Senior Software Engineer. This role will be responsible for development and maintenance of software projects within Baseball Operations. This position will report to the Sr. Director, Baseball Analytics & Operations.
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To be clear, there are four positions here. There are two distinct jobs, and the Phillies are hiring both a full-time employee and an intern for each.

Position: Philadelphia Phillies Baseball Research & Development Software Engineers — Full-time & Intern

Location: Philadelphia
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Position: Detroit Tigers Baseball Analytics Internship

Location: Detroit

Description:
The Detroit Tigers are seeking a baseball analytics intern for the 2018 season. The position can run from Jan. or May 2018 through Dec. 2018. Multiple people will be hired for this internship. Some evening, weekend, and holiday hours will be required.
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The details have come together for Pitch Talks San Francisco this September 18th at The Independent, and it’s shaping up to be a fantastic event. Come see us at 8pm (doors at 7:30) and enjoy live commentary and interaction in a great venue.

We’ve got Giants General Manager Bobby Evans coming for a question and answer session with the crowd, directed by Giants Outsiders host Therese Viñal. That panel has been a highlight in the past and should deliver on its promise again. His take on a team at the crossroads should be very interesting.

The Giants panel is going to be simple, in an effort to let three stars shine. Viñal will return and grab a gab with Hank Schulman and Grant Brisbee, two strong voices in Giants coverage that have their own unique spin on things.

Finally, we’ve added a new sort of panel to the event this year in an effort to place baseball coverage and fandom in the larger context of popular sport in America. The Future of Sport panel will bring together Danny Leroux, an NBA salary cap expert that writes at The Athletic, John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout that does local radio and also pushes the pen at The Athletic, and also Jen Mac Ramos, who was most recently an Assistant General Manager for the independent league Sonoma Stompers.

I’ll make the trio into a quartet, and we’ll talk about the future of all sports, as predicted by media, cultural, and even medical trends. This panel should be a great way to help the Bay Area transition into a fall that won’t feature postseason baseball for once.

The season is winding down, and a turn to the future — whether it’s the Giants or all sports — should be just the ticket.

Speaking of tickets, get yours here. The event is 21+, and FanGraphs readers are welcome to come early for a meetup at 7:30pm. Tickets from the earlier, postponed Pitch Talks will be honored.

See you there!

Position: Houston Astros Amateur Scouting Analyst

Location: Houston

Description:
The Houston Astros are currently seeking an Amateur Scouting Analyst in the Player Acquisition Department. This newly-created position will support the efforts of the domestic and international scouting departments by providing comprehensive evaluation of players based on numerous information streams. The Analyst will also work closely with the Research & Development department. This position will be in Houston, Texas.
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Position: San Francisco Giants Baseball Operations Analyst

Location: San Francisco

Description:
The San Francisco Giants are seeking an Analyst to join the Baseball Operations department. This individual will be part of the analytics team and provide research and analysis to support front office, player development, and scouting staffs. This position will also work closely with the application development team to design and develop statistical models and tools using advanced data sources within new and existing applications. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, the ability to communicate effectively to non-technical people, and both passion and intellectual curiosity for the game of baseball.
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