FanGraphs Baseball

Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell entered the season as one of Major League Baseball’s top prospects. Among the top-20 names on a number of the industry’s preseason lists and a dark-horse Rookie of the Year Candidate, there were rumors that the young left-hander might agree to a contract extension with the Rays that likely would have placed him on the club’s Opening Day roster. That didn’t happen, however. Finally, after sufficient time had passed to secure an extra year of service time for the Rays, Snell was called up to make a start and pitched well. Following that, however, a series of off days allowed Tampa Bay to deploy a four-man rotation. That, combined with a series of solid starts from Matt Andriese, meant Snell stayed down in the minors. Now he’s back and the results so far are mixed — but also easily corrected.

When a pitcher has compiled just three starts in the majors, and the first one of those is separated by more than a month from the other two, evaluating his statistics is a glass-half-full-half-empty situation. If you want to believe Blake Snell is doing well, look at his ERA and FIP — they’re 2.40 and 2.92, respectively — and how he has yet to concede a home run. For those who’d like to view the glass as half empty, consider instead that Snell has allowed five unearned runs for which his ERA (by definition) doesn’t account — and that, in his last two starts, he’s recorded as many walks as strikeouts. While giving up no home runs is good, it likely can’t continue like that and could lead to higher run totals in the future.

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There’s another disagreement regarding the Kansas City Royals and advanced metrics. If you’re still standing, you may take another drink.

This time, it’s Eric Hosmer and the defensive metrics. The Kansas City Star’s Rustin Dodd penned a column over the weekend regarding the disconnect between the perception of Hosmer’s defense and the evaluation of Hosmer’s defense. It’s a well-written and well-researched piece that’s worth your time, but I wanted to dive a bit deeper. And it’s probably about time we had the talk anyway — it’s been an elephant in the room each of the last three seasons, while Hosmer’s won a trio of Gold Glove Awards despite grading as nothing more than an average defender.

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Devised originally in response to a challenge issued by sabermetric nobleman Rob Neyer, and expanded at the request of nobody, NERD scores represent an attempt to summarize in one number (and on a scale of 0-10) the likely aesthetic appeal or watchability, for the learned fan, of a player or team or game. Read more about the components of and formulae for NERD scores here.

Most Highly Rated Game
Seattle at Detroit | 13:10 ET
Sampson (4.2 IP, 112 xFIP-) vs. Norris (1.0 IP, 225 xFIP-)
The idea that being handed lemons by Life — the idea that this somehow represents an undesirable state of affairs — is a bit perplexing for those among us who’ve been compelled actually to pay for lemons at a grocery. Nearly as perplexing as the suggestion that, once having been supplied with all these lemons, that one ought immediately to run out and go make lemonade. Because consider: lemons are present in a number of pesto recipes. And serve as a nice complement to broiled fish. Nor does this even credit the many uses of lemon zest. Lemonade, whatever its merits, doesn’t come close to representing the fully actualized state of the lemon.

Today’s baseball schedule has handed the reader metaphorical lemons. There are fewer games than usual and a paucity of elite starters. But this oughtn’t prevent one from extracting pleasure from it. The best use of the day, perhaps? To play the role of impostor-scout and carefully observe the starts of Seattle’s Adrian Sampson and Detroit’s Daniel Norris, neither of whom has recorded even as much as five innings in the majors this season.

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Detroit Radio.

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Our position-by-position tour of hitter contact quality reaches its midway point today. Last time, we looked at shortstops. Today, hot-corner regulars. As we have in the previous installments, we’ll use granular ball-in-play data, such as BIP type frequencies, exit speed and launch angle to perform this analysis.

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Just to be clear, there are three positions here.

Position: Sports Info Solutions Operations Associate

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

SIS is currently seeking candidates for the position of full-time Associate in our Operations Department. This is a salaried position based in our office in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania.

The Operations Associate will be involved in all facets of the data collection operation at SIS. In addition to the training and supervision of our video scouts, he or she will be heavily involved in the implementation of quality control measures to ensure the highest level of accuracy in the industry. The Associate will work closely with other departments to help coordinate projects involving data collection. The position requires a highly motivated self-starter with an ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Scout baseball and football games from video and record relevant information using internal applications.
• Train and supervise seasonal video scouting staff.
• Create and organize quality control measures involving data collection.
• Improve efficiency of day-to-day operations.
• Prepare and analyze statistical data for delivery to customers.
• Assist with the planning and development of new operations as necessary.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must be able to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office beginning in August 2016.
• Thorough knowledge of sports players, teams, rules, and scorekeeping.
• 3+ years baseball or football scouting, video scouting, and/or coaching experience.
• High school or college baseball or football playing experience is preferred.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with current sports analytics research.
• Must be able to work nights and weekends.
• Strong academic background and overall aptitude.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• High attention to detail with an ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Computer proficiency and the ability to quickly learn new software.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

…

Position: Sports Info Solutions Business Development Associate

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

Would you be interested in working closely with a small team to bring sabermetrics to a larger audience? Sports Info Solutions is seeking a full-time Business Development Associate to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office. This is a great opportunity in a casual office environment with the leading provider of in-depth baseball statistics.

The candidate will develop new sales opportunities as well as help maintain existing client relationships. Strong candidates will possess a self-motivated attitude, great communication skills, and be able to work in a collaborative team environment or independently as needed.

Responsibilities:

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

Qualifications:

• A track record (1-2 years) working in a sales environment.
• A firm grasp on the baseball, fantasy sports, and sports media industries, including the latest sabermetric research.
• Open-minded approach and ability to think creatively to anticipate client and industry demands.
• Outgoing personality and flexible sales style to engage with a wide variety of prospective clients.
• Professional demeanor with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills as well as diligence and high attention to detail.
• Initiative to voluntarily commit long hours, night, and weekends as when needed.
• Proficient in Microsoft software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

…

Position: Sports Info Solutions 2016 Video Scouting Internship for Football Season

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

Sports Info Solutions (SIS) is looking for highly motivated individuals with a desire to work in the football 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 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 about the ins and outs of the football analytics industry. Numerous Video Scouts have gone on to succeed in jobs with professional sports teams and with SIS in a full-time capacity.

Strong candidates will possess great attention to detail, basic knowledge about NFL rules and be able to work in a collaborative team environment or independently as needed.

Duration:
SIS Video Scouts will report to the SIS office to begin training on August 22nd, 2016. The position will last for a period of six months.

Responsibilities:

• Score NFL and amateur football games using specialized computer software.
• Review the accuracy and validity of data.
• Prepare and analyze statistical data for delivery to customers.
• Assist with additional projects as instructed by full-time staff.
• Provide administrative support to the full-time staff.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of NFL and NCAA rules.
• Ability to identify and differentiate between players.
• Computer proficiency and the ability to quickly learn new software.
• High attention to detail.
• High school or college football playing experience is preferred but not necessary.
• Football coaching and/or scouting experience is a plus.
• Must be able to work nights and weekends.
• Must be able to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office.

This position is compensated.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

Ben and Sam banter about Steven Wright and knuckleball physics, then answer listener emails about the least interesting inning, the one-baserunner leash, an all-or-nothing Ichiro, Mike Trout’s hypothetical twin and more.

The Indians lead the Royals by two games in the Central. They lead the Tigers by a little more than that, and they lead the White Sox by a little more than that. The Twins are also a baseball team. These things have a tendency to shuffle, and it’s not like the Indians are guaranteed to remain where they are all season, but this is what anyone would want. They’re right where they want to be. They happen to be the only team in the division with more runs scored than allowed. The Indians loom as the greatest threat to the defending champs.

A first-place campaign is built upon an intricate foundation, one comprising many parts. Francisco Lindor, for example, has completely changed the look of the team since he first arrived. It helps the Indians to have the Royals playing without Alex Gordon. It helps the Indians to have the Royals playing without Mike Moustakas. The various issues of the White Sox and Tigers have also been rather indirect good news. A baseball team isn’t one of those big things you can boil down to a little thing. But if I can exaggerate just a bit, I prefer one key, at least besides the presence of Lindor. The Indians are in first in large part because of Lindor, and they’re in first in large part because of their surprising group outfield.

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Atlanta’s ace, Julio Teheran, has a career 3.34 ERA, a good mark even for this pitching-friendly era. This year’s numbers, at least in some ways, are the best of his career. He’s a 25-year-old with less than $30 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract, which runs through 2020 if you count the low-cost team option for that season. If the Braves make him available before the deadline, he’d instantly become one of the most valuable assets on the market.

But is Teheran an ace, like the Braves are likely to price him? Or is he more of a good pitcher on a nice run? Since assuming regular major-league duties in 2013, he’s 44th in pitching Wins Above Replacement despite being 11th in innings pitched, as he’s accrued value by staying healthy and racking up innings, but not dominating in the traditional walk, strikeout, and home run categories.

But this year, once again, Teheran is dealing, and he’s doing so without strikeout, walk, or home-run rates that would appear on the first page of each leaderboard. For teams hoping to acquire the Braves ace, they’ve got to be wondering who he will be on their team; the guy who looks great by ERA or the guy who looks like an innings-eater by FIP?

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Zach Putnam threw 20 pitches on Monday night, and 15 of them were splitters. Many were balls. The White Sox reliever walked all three batters he faced in the ninth inning of a tie game at Fenway Park. Dennis Eckersley, doing color on the Red Sox TV broadcast wasn’t impressed. In his opinion, Putnam “deserves to lose” because he was throwing so many splitters.

Results aside, was it a mistake to throw that many? Putnam has utilized the pitch 68.3% of the time this year — the highest percentage in baseball — and he boasts a 2.30 ERA, striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings over 25 appearances.

Extreme splitter usage isn’t unique to Putnam. Koji Uehara lives and dies by the pitch. Last season, Uehara had a four-game stretch where he threw 52 splitters and just six fastballs. (Broadcasting in Boston, Eckersley presumably knows this.)

I wasn’t able to ask Putnam about his outing, as he left town after the game to have his elbow examined. (He was placed on the disabled list with ulnar neuritis.) I did check in with his catcher, Alex Avila, and his pitching coach, Don Cooper. Both defended the split-heavy ratio.

“His fastball isn’t the reason he’s in the big leagues,” Cooper told me. “If we’re going to win or lose a game, it’s going to be on the split more often than not. His best pitch is a split. He’s been striking out a batter per inning, and he hasn’t been doing it with fastballs. His fastball is to keep hitters honest.”

“We did throw fastballs,” added Avila. “On the walk to Hanley (Ramirez) we threw a 3-2 fastball and almost got him looking, because I think he was thinking splitter. It really has nothing to do with the percentage of times you’re throwing it. The game, the player, the situation, dictates that, as well as what the the pitcher is comfortable throwing. He’s comfortable throwing his split.”