FanGraphs Baseball

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Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley tease their first playoff livestream and banter about a listener suggestion for how to refer to a postseason that spans multiple months, Jason Benetti’s relationship with Liberty Biberty (including a real-time text exchange), the true alcohol intoxication levels of Munetaka Murakami and other players in clubhouse clinching celebrations (BAC Blast?), and whether MLB should schedule overlapping playoff games, then (35:21) recap the end of the wild card round, opine on the futures of the eliminated teams, lament the latest recurrence of the annual anti-analytics October backlash, preview the various Division Series (1:13:07), discuss the World Series matchups they most want to see, and much more.

Audio intro: Alex Glossman and Ali Breneman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Jonathan Crymes, “Effectively Wild Theme 2”

Link to long 19 century wiki
Link to Bluey Long Dog
Link to “Dog Park” ad
Link to Biberty background
Link to Biberty/Benetti spot 1
Link to Biberty/Benetti spot 2
Link to Biberty/Benetti spot 3
Link to Benetti text exchange
Link to Vasil clip 1
Link to Murakami clip 1
Link to Murakami clip 2
Link to Murakami clip 3
Link to Murakami clip 4
Link to ABV by beverage
Link to Ben’s 2009 photos
Link to A-Rod/Hudson relationship
Link to Hudson family history
Link to attendance news
Link to wild card attendance
Link to The Simpsons clip
Link to anemoia definition
Link to My Fair Lady scene
Link to Gray comments
Link to Contreras comments
Link to Stark on the Phillies
Link to Sale update
Link to Judge quote
Link to Burke quote
Link to Burke follow-up
Link to Burke’s Insta
Link to Yankees fits
Link to Volpe suit
Link to Trueblood on the Cubs
Link to ZiPS probabilities
Link to roster breakdowns
Link to BP NLDS 1 preview
Link to FG NLDS 1 preview
Link to FG NLDS 2 preview
Link to FG ALDS 1 preview
Link to FG ALDS 2 preview
Link to MLBTR on Lovullo
Link to Grand Teton news 1
Link to Grand Teton news 2

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The “mediocrity” of the American League made their muddled standings and September races for the postseason an object of derision. At least as far as the AL Central was concerned, though, that was not the case on my couch. All four of the division’s competitive clubs were must-watch TV down the stretch. Three of the Central’s teams finished with positive run differentials. Minnesota and Detroit had frustrating and disappointing seasons, but both have cores of exciting young talent that made them incredibly watchable, and despite taking different routes at the trade deadline, both fought to stay in the postseason picture through August.

However, had either of those teams usurped the White Sox or Guardians, both of which hovered around the division lead all season, it would have felt unjust. The White Sox got off to a bad start and were 6-12 in mid-April, then went on a heater in May (pummeling Seattle, Detroit and Minnesota) and began to jockey with Cleveland for the division lead. The Guardians hit a snag and fell away from the Sox in July, only to resurge after the trade deadline and ultimately claim the division title on the regular season’s penultimate day. It gave Cleveland a playoff bye and forced the White Sox to play a road Wild Card Series in Houston, home of the AL West (an actually bad division) champion Astros. The White Sox swept Houston with relative ease and now head to Cleveland to settle the score after both their head-to-head season series (which the Guardians won 7-6) and overall records were separated by just one game.

Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the most successful ballclubs of the modern era are set to battle each other in the National League Division Series, with a spot in the Championship Series on the line. Fresh off dispatching the Philadelphia Phillies in a dramatic three-game Wild Card Series — their first postseason series win since winning the World Series back in 2021 — the Atlanta Braves now have to face a juggernaut in the Los Angeles Dodgers. They had to go through Los Angeles in the NLCS to earn that championship five years ago, the second of their back-to-back meetings in the semi-finals. As for the Dodgers, this series is the beginning of their quest to win a third consecutive World Series, something that’s been done just four times in MLB history and never by a National League team.

The Braves won the season series between these two teams, claiming victories in five of their six meetings while holding Los Angeles to just 15 total runs across those games. Still, beating the regular season-Dodgers is one thing; the postseason-Dodgers are an entirely different beast. The injury issues that plagued them throughout the season are largely in the rear-view mirror and their roster is the strongest it’s been since Opening Day. It will be a tall task to try and topple one of the best teams in baseball in five games.

After being eliminated from the playoffs by the Phillies twice in the last four years — and missing the postseason entirely last season — the Braves finally managed to get revenge against their division rival. That said, it took three games to do it, which puts them at a bit of a disadvantage heading into the NLDS. Not only do they have just one day to recuperate and prepare for the next challenge, the Braves used Chris Sale to get the final four outs of yesterday’s Game 3. His start against the Phillies Tuesday would line him up to start Game 2 of the NLDS on normal rest, and Thursday was his normal bullpen day, but his relief appearance is not without potential consequences. Manager Walt Weiss told reporters today that Sale could start Game 2, but that the team would “err on the side of giving him (time to rest) if it’s even close.” Pushing him to Game 3 would be a significant blow to the Braves chances since it would only allow him to start once in the series. Read the rest of this entry »

In basketball, the biggest offensive threat is usually guarded by the other team’s best defender. A football team’s most dynamic wide receiver has to worry about lining up across from an All-Pro cornerback. But in this sick and twisted sport, sometimes good-on-good instead becomes good-on-whoever-we-have-available. For the 2026 crop of Division Series, there is no shortage of micro matchups — both because the soft underbelly of every roster typically gets exposed in the postseason, and because every organization’s horde of spreadsheet nerds will be combing through information looking for advantages — that may or may not seal a team’s fate.

San Diego Padres vs. Milwaukee Brewers: Run Game vs. Run Game

The Padres and Brewers series will feature a lot of things: two cities that love beer, a blinding amount of yellow arm sleeves and rally towels, and a bunch of basepath thievery.

Both of these teams finished top five in total stolen bases this year, each employing a crew of bandits that will surely look to continue their heist. The Padres were one of just five major league teams to have multiple players swipe at least 25 bags, as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill took 38 and 27, respectively. Xander Bogaerts, who was not much of a basestealer until arriving in San Diego in 2023, has also joined the party. His 22 steals in 2026 — during his age-33 season, impressively — marked a new single-season best, topping the previous career high of 20 he set in 2025. And while neither received enough playing time to put up those kinds of numbers, speedy outfielders Samad Taylor and Jase Bowen both have elite sprint speed and solid base-stealing acumen. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve written a lot of playoff series previews over the years. You can go about them in a number of ways. Highlight some key players from each team, perhaps, or touch on one particularly interesting matchup. If you’re feeling frisky, series previews can tell a narrative story, or even get experimental and weird. But one thing I don’t think I’ve ever tried before is looking at the series through the lens of failure.

That sounds negative, defeatist, not in keeping with the kind of escapism we come to baseball for. But that’s only if you don’t think about it too long – because one team’s failure is another team’s success. If the Padres get eliminated, the Brewers don’t, and vice versa. It’s a zero-sum game. So let’s figure out how things could go wrong for the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers, and use that to shine a light on what each team will be trying to do to the other as they square off in the NLDS.

How the Brewers Might Fail
Milwaukee has the best starter in baseball in Jacob Misiorowski, and by virtue of earning a first-round bye, they’ll deploy him on full rest to open the series. That means he’ll also be available to pitch on five days’ rest in a potential Game 5. It’s a huge advantage right from the jump; Milwaukee’s ace is better than San Diego’s ace, Michael King, and King won’t appear until Game 2 of this series.

But when a single starter is a major reason for one team’s advantage, failure is always just around the corner. Misiorowski gets my vote for the best pitcher in baseball right now, and he’s going to win the NL Cy Young in a landslide. But even as he cruised to a 1.80 ERA, he was hardly perfect. He got tagged for five runs twice this year, and for three runs five more times. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the strong side of the bracket. This ain’t no Guardians-White Sox. They may not have been sanctified by the Bishop of Rome, but we’ve got a matchup between the Rays and the Yankees, the two best teams in the American League. Or, at least, the teams with the two best records. The Rays won 98 games, which gave them the best record in the American League by a whopping five-game margin. With 93 wins, the Yankees were the only team within 11 wins of the Rays! But according to both their BaseRuns and Pythagorean records, the Rays played above their heads and the Yankees are the better team.

The Rays won the season series, 7-6, but four of those 13 games took place very recently. In the penultimate series of the regular season, the Yankees took three of four from the Rays in the Bronx. Somehow, this is just the second time the Rays and Yankees have ever faced off in the playoffs. Tampa Bay beat New York, 3-2, in the 2020 ALDS. Gerrit Cole went 1-0 in two starts in the series, and Giancarlo Stanton batted .316 with four home runs. Aaron Judge knocked two homers of his own, but batted just .143. Yankees reliever Ryan Yarbrough pitched pretty well too, but he did so for the Rays. Anyway, that was six years ago in a season that just barely happened. So much for history.

In years past, we’ve hashed out and rehashed the great debate: Would you rather have a bye and risk the rust, or would you rather come off a series win, triumphant but unrested? This conversation has always been at least a little bit silly because it’s always better to take the bye; no one has ever lost a bye. Still, this year, it’s different. The Rays will be coming off five full days of rest. They could be rusty. But the Yankees won’t be tired. They got three days off before the Wild Card series, and they finished stomping a mudhole in the Red Sox on Wednesday night, giving them two full days off to recover. The entire bullpen is rested. Presumptive (read: 100% certain) AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler won’t pitch Game 1, but he’ll be on regular rest for Game 2 and a potential series-deciding Game 5. The offense that everyone was worried about just put up back-to-back nine-spots. Momentum may be a construct, but you’d still rather have it on your side, right? Read the rest of this entry »

Cade Smith is one of the game’s most dominant closers. Since debuting with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, the 27-year-old right-hander from Abbotsford, British Columbia boasts a 2.26 ERA, a 1.84 FIP, and a 35.5% strikeout rate over 219 appearances comprising 233 innings. Moreover, he enters October on the heels of his best season to date. Not only did Smith forge a 1.95 ERA over 74 frames, his 41 saves tied him with Tampa Bay’s Bryan Baker for the most in the majors.

His development is a testament to his raw talent and work ethic, but also to the Guardians’ highly regarded pitching program. When Smith signed with Cleveland as an amateur free agent in 2020 following the pandemic-truncated five-round draft, he barely resembled the pitcher he is today. The University of Hawaii product now features a 97.5-mph heater that ranked in the 91st percentile for velocity this year, a devastating bat-missing splitter, and a sweeper that elicited a .133 xBA.

A lot has changed over the years.

“When Cade entered the organization he was a low-90s pitcher with no secondary stuff,” explained Guardians bullpen coach Caleb Longshore, who previously tutored Smith as both a minor league pitching coach and coordinator. “We identified some things in his delivery that he has leaned into over the years, and we’ve seen a steady year-over-year increase in velocity. He started working on the splitter in 2023, in [Double-A] Akron, when [now big league assistant pitching coach] Brad Goldberg was there.”

Smith’s relationship with Longshore and Goldberg was a point of interest when I spoke with him in the final week of the regular season. Read the rest of this entry »

Direct links to applications (please see job details below):

2027 Baseball Development Fellow
2027 Minor League Affiliate Fellow

2027 Baseball Development Fellow

Location: St. Louis, MO

Job Summary:

The St. Louis Cardinals are seeking candidates for a Baseball Development Fellow position for the 2027 calendar year. The goal of the Baseball Development department is to automate processes and synthesize data to make baseball decisions easier and more accurate. The Fellow will work on projects at the direction of Baseball Development senior leadership. At the end of the Fellowship, the Cardinals and the Fellow will jointly determine whether there is an appropriate opportunity for continued employment within the Cardinals’ Baseball Operations department. Although a January 2027 start is preferred, the starting date of the position is flexible based on candidate availability or expected graduation date.

Job Duties:

• Assist Baseball Development with data collection, data entry, and data quality tasks to support analysis.
• Communicate effectively with Baseball Development staff and complete ad-hoc requests as needed.
• Conduct independent analytical or technical projects under the guidance of Baseball Development staff.
• Must be able to travel domestically.

Education/Experience Required:

• Current college senior or recent postgraduate with coursework or experience in a quantitative field, such as statistics, mathematics, engineering, or economics.
• Strong interest in and understanding of baseball and baseball-specific data, plus knowledge of current baseball research and strategy.
• Proven ability to learn new programming languages as needed.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite.
• Ability to work weekdays, nights, weekends, and holidays as dictated by the baseball schedule.

Education/Experience Preferred:

• Practical experience in SQL and an understanding of database design principles.
• Practical experience handling large data with statistical software (e.g., R, Python).
• Experience with advanced statistical modeling, application development, or software engineering.
• Prior experience playing or working in baseball or softball.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

2027 Minor League Affiliate Fellow

Location: St. Louis, MO

Job Summary:

The St. Louis Cardinals are currently seeking candidates for Minor League Affiliate Fellowship positions. The position is embedded across our affiliates, with each Fellow managing all aspects of video, technology, and data capture at their assigned location while supporting the day-to-day needs of the coaching staff and other Player Development staff. The data and video collected through these technologies are used throughout the organization to provide feedback to players, support staff decision-making, and aid in player development.

This role will work directly with the Baseball Technology, Baseball Development, and Player Development departments while serving as an important connection between the affiliate and the larger organization. Fellows will be expected to take ownership of all baseball technology needs at their affiliate.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate a strong work ethic, technical aptitude, attention to detail, effective communication skills, and a passion for pursuing a career in Baseball Operations. Candidates should be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, troubleshooting problems as they arise, and prioritizing responsibilities based on staff needs and organizational impact.

This is a seasonal role for the 2027 season but may lead to a second-year associate position with the goal of continued development and potential future full-time opportunities within Baseball Operations. Throughout the season, Fellows will gain exposure to multiple areas of Baseball Operations, with opportunities to grow, learn, and continue developing their technical, baseball, and professional skill sets.

Job duties:

• Manage baseball technology and video capture at the affiliate (e.g., Portable TrackMan, Blast Motion, Edgertronic camera, Panasonic camcorders, etc.).
• Support daily field and indoor pre-game activities.
• During games, depending on staff needs:
  • Manage in-game technology and video capture from the dugout.
  • Set up video camcorders for game recording.
  • Troubleshoot technology issues as they arise while minimizing disruption to staff and players.
• Ensure data and video collected throughout the day are properly stored, cleaned, synced, and available for ingestion.
• Assist with advance scouting needs at the affiliate.
• Serve as a conduit between the affiliate and the larger organization, relaying questions, issues, and requests.
• Maintain frequent communication with the Personnel Coordinator regarding technical issues and requests.
• Attend Spring Training and offseason camps and travel with the assigned minor league team throughout the season.

Experience/Education Required:

• Familiarity with and/or willingness to learn technologies such as Blast Motion, TrackMan, and video integration.
• Proficient with computers, iPads, and other electronics, with familiarity with basic technology troubleshooting steps.
• Demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in Baseball Operations.
• Familiarity with modern baseball metrics and player development concepts.
• Postgraduate, college senior, or recent graduate available to start work onsite in Jupiter, FL prior to Spring Training.
• Previous baseball experience and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a team setting.
• Ability to remain composed and flexible when dealing with equipment issues, schedule changes, and other unexpected circumstances.
• Ability to work weekdays, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Spanish fluency is a plus.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Direct link to application (please see job details below):

2027 Baseball Technology Fellowship

2027 Baseball Technology Fellowship

Location: Goodyear, Arizona, United States

Primary Purpose:
The Cleveland Guardians Fellowship program is designed to accelerate the pace of development and impact for people interested in working for our organization. Fellowship roles are focused on solving complex challenges, which involve developing innovative approaches, tools, and techniques to meaningfully drive the organization forward. Fellows will contribute to work across multiple departments and will be encouraged to use a suite of internal and proprietary resources.

We are seeking Fellows to join our Baseball Technology department. Each Fellow will work full-time with one of our minor league affiliates (Columbus, Akron, Lake County, Hill City, and Arizona Complex) and report to the Baseball Technology, Player Development, and Baseball Operations departments. Fellows will be expected to manage the collection of multiple data streams and operate as a resource for both coaches and players. This position will include travel to away games.

This Fellowship combines hands-on technology operations, video and data collection, real-time troubleshooting, staff support, and baseball analysis. The strongest candidates will be curious, creative, and open-minded, with a willingness to execute essential daily processes, respond to unexpected challenges, communicate clearly, and build strong relationships across a collaborative environment. They will also have opportunities to explore new ideas, present complex topics to a wide range of audiences, and take initiative on research that advances the Guardians’ organizational procedures and philosophies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Baseball Technology:

• Oversee operations of bat/ball/player tracking systems and emerging sports science technologies.
• Manage pre-game, in-game, and post-game video processes.
• Assist with the interpretation & distribution of the data and video collected.
• Assist the Information Systems team with Baseball Technology related troubleshooting and support.

Coaching Staff Support:

• Support affiliate coaching staff with Advance Scouting Process.
• Assist affiliate staff with assorted administrative tasks (i.e. daily scheduling, team travel, player housing).
• Assist Minor League field staff with pre-game activities.

Baseball Development and Analysis:

• Collaborate with coaching staff, Player Development, and Baseball Operations to monitor player goals and player progress.
• Perform ad hoc research and analysis, both at the request of staff and independently.
• Communicate findings and insights to Minor League Coaches, Players, and Player Development and Baseball Operations Departments.

Requirements:
The Cleveland Guardians are committed to developing and maintaining an environment that embraces all forms of diversity to enrich our core values, enhance our competitive position, strengthen our impact within our community, and foster a greater sense of belonging for our employees.

In this spirit, we know studies have shown that people from historically underserved groups – including women and people of color – are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and understand that candidate may bring certain skills and experiences to the role that are not listed above, but that would add tremendous value to our organization. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of our qualifications described.

• Bachelor’s degree or Prior Professional Experience.
• Demonstrated passion for at least one of baseball technology, scouting, baseball analytics, sports science, hitting or pitching analysis and/or biomechanics, strength and conditioning, motor learning, or other baseball/softball related field.

Skills:

• Organization: Ability to create, maintain and execute a schedule effectively.
• Work Ethic: A relentless drive to collect more and better information.
• Passion: Demonstrate a clear passion for the game, teammates, the organization, and learning.
• Resourcefulness: Identify available resources to solve problems and better understand organizational philosophies.
• Strategic Thinking: Employ a problem-solving mindset focused on long term impact.
• Time Management: Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaboration: Partner with staff and players. Exhibit excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Adaptability: Remain effective when schedules, priorities, technology, or staff needs change unexpectedly.

Preferred Experience:
While we are looking for a variety of diverse skill sets for this role, we know that past Fellows who have thrived in this role possessed certain skills that are best aligned to the game of baseball. If you have demonstrated experience with any of the following, you may be better positioned to thrive in this role.

• Conversational Spanish or better a plus.
• Experience with video editing software a plus.
• Experience with SQL and statistical software (i.e. R, Python, Stata, SAS) a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Working knowledge of advanced baseball statistics and publicly available research.

Standard Requirements:

• Represents the Cleveland Guardians in a positive fashion to all business partners and the general public.
• Reads, speaks, comprehends, and communicates English effectively in all communications.

• Ability to develop and maintain successful working relationships with members in all departments of the organization.
• Ability to act according to the organizational values and service excellence at all times.
• Ability to work with diverse populations and have a demonstrated commitment to social justice.
• Ability to walk, sit or stand for an entire shift.
• Ability to work extended days and hours, including holidays and weekends.
• Ability to move throughout all areas and levels of the Ballpark.
• Ability to work in a diverse and changing environment.
• Occasional physical activity such as lifting and carrying boxes up to 25 lbs.

About Us:
In Baseball Technology, our shared goal is to identify and develop diverse players and front office teammates who contribute to our mission. By working together effectively and collaboratively, we create a family atmosphere that supports learning as we strive for excellence in everything we do. We believe that we will achieve our goals by making evidence-based decisions and creating environments that support our people and empower them to learn.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Cleveland Guardians.

On April 12, 1862, a group of 24 Union spies — most of them volunteer soldiers, led by civilian James Andrews — commandeered a locomotive in Big Shanty, Georgia, and headed north. Their goal was to rendezvous with Union forces in Chattanooga, destroying rail and telegraph lines as they went. Andrews and his men ran out of fuel less than 18 miles from their destination; all of the raiders were captured and eight, including Andrews, were executed.

Some 164 years later and 15 miles southeast, another group of 20-odd belligerents from up north attempted a heist of their own. The Phillies had just stolen Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Braves, and a repeat performance would win them the series.

They fared little better than the Andrews Raiders. Michael Harris II put Atlanta ahead with a three-run first-inning home run, and Ray Kerr turned in an improbably spectacular spot start that kept the Braves on top the rest of the way for an eventual 6-2 win. None of Don Mattingly’s men were hanged, at least not yet. We’ll see what kind of a reception they get back home. Read the rest of this entry »