FanGraphs Baseball

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

Research Analyst
Senior Data Architect
Senior .NET Web Developer

Research Analyst

Position: Research Analyst
Department: Baseball Operations, Research and Development
Reporting Manager: Assistant General Manager
Status: Full-Time
Job Classification: Exempt
Location: Las Vegas, NV

About the A’s:
The A’s are a baseball team founded in 1901. They have a rich history, having won nine World Series championships and 15 American League pennants. The A’s are known for pioneering the “Moneyball” approach to team-building, which focuses on using statistical analysis to identify undervalued players.

In addition to their success on the field, the A’s also have a positive and dynamic work culture. They have been recognized twice as the Front Office Sports, Best Employers in Sports.

The A’s are defined by their core pillars of being Dynamic, Innovative, and Inclusive. Working for the A’s offers the opportunity to be part of an innovative organization that values its employees and strives to create a positive work environment.

Description:
The Research Analyst supports Baseball Operations through rigorous quantitative research, statistical analysis, and data-driven evaluation of players, teams, and game strategy. This role combines a strong understanding of baseball with advanced analytical techniques to uncover insights that inform player evaluation, scouting, player development, roster construction, and on-field decision-making.

Responsibilities:

• Analyze player performance using Statcast, traditional statistics, advanced metrics, tracking data, and proprietary organizational datasets.
• Develop and maintain statistical models used for player evaluation, performance forecasting, and decision support.
• Research hitting, pitching, fielding, baserunning, biomechanics, and other components of player performance.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations.
• Monitor league-wide trends and emerging strategies to identify opportunities for organizational improvement.
• Communicate technical concepts effectively to both highly quantitative colleagues and non-technical baseball staff.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, mathematics, economics, data science, computer science, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred.
• Strong knowledge of baseball and familiarity with modern player evaluation and sabermetric concepts.
• Proficiency in Python, R, SQL, or comparable analytical programming languages.
• Experience building models to scale on large and semi/unstructured data sets
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to present ideas clearly and concisely.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment.
• Willingness to travel as needed, including to conferences, conventions, Spring Training in Arizona, and Athletics game operations in West Sacramento during the 2027 season.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with baseball tracking systems.
• Experience with baseball analytics, scouting, player development, or performance research.
• Experience building predictive models or machine-learning applications.

The A’s Social Impact & Belonging Statement:
Social Impact & Belonging are in our organizational DNA. Our commitment to these values is unwavering – on and off the field. Together, we continue to build an inclusive, innovative, and dynamic culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates belonging and amplifies all voices. Combining a collaborative and innovative work environment with talented team members, we’ve created a workforce in which every team member has the tools to reach their full potential.

Equal Opportunity Consideration:
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Senior Data Architect

Position: Senior Data Architect
Department: Baseball Operations, Research and Development
Reporting Manager: Assistant General Manager
Status: Full-Time
Job Classification: Exempt
Location: Las Vegas, NV

About the A’s:
The A’s are a baseball team founded in 1901. They have a rich history, having won nine World Series championships and 15 American League pennants. The A’s are known for pioneering the “Moneyball” approach to team-building, which focuses on using statistical analysis to identify undervalued players.

In addition to their success on the field, the A’s also have a positive and dynamic work culture. They have been recognized twice as the Front Office Sports, Best Employers in Sports.

The A’s are defined by their core pillars of being Dynamic, Innovative, and Inclusive. Working for the A’s offers the opportunity to be part of an innovative organization that values its employees and strives to create a positive work environment.

Description:
We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Architect to lead the design, development, and evolution of our enterprise data architecture. This role will be responsible for supporting and growing our Microsoft SQL Server environment that turns raw data from vendors, MLB, and internal coaching and scouting reports into actionable reports, advanced data models, and a best-in-the-industry frontend platform. We are also looking to scale up our medallion architecture in the face of new advances and challenges around cloud computing, artificial intelligence and automation, and truly large datasets. This role will work with our various Research and Development groups (data engineers, software developers, technology coordinators, and analysts), as well as Baseball Operations and IT leadership to build our future in Las Vegas.

Responsibilities:

• Design, lead development of, and maintain enterprise data architecture, including data warehouses, data lakes, lakehouses, and operational data platforms.
• Design, lead development of, and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines for baseball data.
• Manage and develop team members, providing technical guidance, setting priorities, supporting professional growth, and ensuring alignment with organizational data architecture and engineering goals.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in cloud computing, data engineering, AI, and data management, and provide guidance on major technology and platform decisions.
• Collaborate with Baseball R&D groups to optimize the storage, cleaning, querying, and delivery of datasets to solve complicated problems.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Work experience in data architecture, data engineering, database development, and ability to design and build a bronze/silver/gold data architecture.
• Fluency with SQL and Python in an ETL/ELT context.
• Proven experience leading and developing team members, whether through direct people management or a team lead capacity.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
• Understanding of data lake architectures and implementations.
• Willing and able to work a non-traditional schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as required to support events and critical business operations.
• Willingness to travel as needed, including to conferences, conventions, Spring Training in Arizona, and Athletics game operations in West Sacramento during the 2027 season.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, or Google BigQuery.
• Experience with Docker and containerized applications.
• Familiarity with machine learning and AI data architectures.
• Working knowledge of the baseball industry and data sources in professional baseball.
• Familiarity with DevOps, Infrastructure as Code, and CI/CD practices
• Experience leading large-scale data modernization or migration initiatives.

The A’s Social Impact & Belonging Statement:
Social Impact & Belonging are in our organizational DNA. Our commitment to these values is unwavering – on and off the field. Together, we continue to build an inclusive, innovative, and dynamic culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates belonging and amplifies all voices. Combining a collaborative and innovative work environment with talented team members, we’ve created a workforce in which every team member has the tools to reach their full potential.

Equal Opportunity Consideration:
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

Senior .NET Web Developer

Position: Senior .NET Web Developer
Department: Baseball Operations, Research and Development
Reporting Manager: Assistant General Manager
Status: Full-Time
Job Classification: Exempt
Location: Las Vegas, NV

About the A’s:
The A’s are a baseball team founded in 1901. They have a rich history, having won nine World Series championships and 15 American League pennants. The A’s are known for pioneering the “Moneyball” approach to team-building, which focuses on using statistical analysis to identify undervalued players.

In addition to their success on the field, the A’s also have a positive and dynamic work culture. They have been recognized twice as the Front Office Sports, Best Employers in Sports.

The A’s are defined by their core pillars of being Dynamic, Innovative, and Inclusive. Working for the A’s offers the opportunity to be part of an innovative organization that values its employees and strives to create a positive work environment.

Description:
We are seeking an experienced Senior .NET Web Developer to design, develop, test, and maintain scalable web applications and enterprise software solutions within the Baseball Operations department. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in the Microsoft .NET ecosystem, modern web development, database technologies, and software engineering best practices.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and maintain web applications using C#, .NET / ASP.NET Core, MVC, and Web APIs.
• Build responsive, user-friendly interfaces using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and modern front-end frameworks such as React or Angular.
• Develop and integrate RESTful APIs and third-party services.
• Design, develop, and optimize SQL Server databases, queries, stored procedures, and data models.
• Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into effective software solutions.
• Write clean, maintainable, scalable, and well-documented code.
• Perform code reviews and provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level developers.
• Troubleshoot application issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Develop and maintain automated unit and integration tests.
• Contribute to technical documentation, development standards, and best practices.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and recommend improvements to development processes and application architecture.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Minimum six years of experience developing web applications
• Design, develop, and maintain web applications using C#, .NET / ASP.NET Core, MVC, and Web APIs.
• Build responsive, user-friendly interfaces using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Develop and integrate RESTful APIs and third-party services.
• Design, develop, and optimize SQL Server databases, queries, stored procedures, and data models.
• Analyze business and technical requirements and translate them into effective software solutions.
• Write clean, maintainable, scalable, and well-documented code.
• Perform code reviews and provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level developers.
• Troubleshoot application issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Develop and maintain automated unit and integration tests.
• Contribute to technical documentation, development standards, and best practices.
• Stay current with emerging technologies and recommend improvements to development processes and application architecture.
• Willing and able to work a non-traditional schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as required to support events and critical business operations.
• Willingness to travel as needed, including to conferences, conventions, Spring Training in Arizona, and Athletics game operations in West Sacramento during the 2027 season.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with React, Angular, or another modern framework.
• Experience with Azure or other cloud platforms.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar CI/CD tools.
• Experience with Docker and containerized applications.
• Knowledge of application performance monitoring and logging tools.
• Experience working with high-volume, enterprise-scale applications.

The A’s Social Impact & Belonging Statement:
Social Impact & Belonging are in our organizational DNA. Our commitment to these values is unwavering – on and off the field. Together, we continue to build an inclusive, innovative, and dynamic culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates belonging and amplifies all voices. Combining a collaborative and innovative work environment with talented team members, we’ve created a workforce in which every team member has the tools to reach their full potential.

Equal Opportunity Consideration:
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

To Apply
To apply, please follow this link.

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

As I was scrolling The Website Formerly Known As Twitter on Sunday, perusing for articles to read and news to get caught up on, I stopped dead in my tracks at this post from Giants reporter Alex Pavlovic:

The Giants now have 16 players on the 60-day IL, which will make for an insane series of roster moves at the start of the offseason. When Scott Bandura takes his first at-bat tonight, they'll set a franchise record by using 67 different players.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) September 13, 2026

If you’re a normal baseball fan, that’s not the most interesting piece of news Pavlovic reported around that same time; that would, of course, be the bombshell that Rafael Devers was undergoing core muscle surgery, ending his season and making him that 16th player on the 60-day. The lefty slugger finished his season scorching hot before it came to its abrupt end. He ultimately finished with 3.4 WAR and 37 home runs, just one off his career high set back in 2021. Had he remained healthy and clubbed three more, he would’ve become the first Giants player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to reach the 40-homer threshold.

But from my purview as a roster freak, my wheels immediately started turning and thinking about how the Giants were going to clean up their 40-man roster at the start of the offseason. Our RosterResource data goes back to 2021, and for only one other stretch has a team had 16 players on the 60-day IL: The 2021 Rangers from August 27-30. But that late-August timing afforded the Rangers some in-season wiggle room to work through the 40-man shuffle, a luxury the Giants won’t have. Nobody on San Francisco’s 60-day is expected back this season, the 60-day IL can’t be used again until the onset of spring training, and the Giants have just one pending free agent in JT Brubaker. Needless to say, Buster Posey, Zack Minasian, and the rest of the team’s decision makers have their work ahead of them, with 55 names to sort through all at once and no intermediate moves in the offing.

I began where I tend to start my rabbit hole of research: tabbing back and forth from RosterResource and a spreadsheet of categorizing players into various buckets. I settled on 24 players for the initial 40-man who should be in no danger of getting cut. This includes all the usual suspects and big contracts, plus some nice mini-breakouts representing silver linings of a lost season.

A special shoutout is in order for Trent Harris, who may singlehandedly be keeping the rainbow curveball alive. The bullpen hasn’t had a set closer all season (Caleb Kilian, currently on the Phillies’ IL, leads San Francisco with eight saves), but Harris and 2025 All-Star Rodríguez (on the IL all year after undergoing Tommy John surgery) could make for an interesting one-two punch next year. Hey, there has to be something positive about the future of the club.

That leaves 31 players for 16 spots, which for many teams would be a gargantuan task. Imagine if the Rays or Dodgers had to sort through that many names with how deep their rosters always are. But not for the Giants, because there is, shall we say… a lot of slop here.

The most puzzling situation here is Bader, whom the Giants signed to a two-year, $20.5 million contract this past offseason. While it’s smaller scale than the contracts of Adames and Chapman, which have been a mixed bag so far, the Bader deal is probably the single biggest disaster of Posey’s tenure. He’s gotten into just 30 games this year, been placed on the IL twice, and the Giants are currently suspending payment to the 32-year-old following a scooter accident, which he suffered while already on the injured list, that ruled out a 2026 return. When able to play, he’s been 51% worse than league average by wRC+ and merely scratch in center field by FRV. Whether the Giants have to pay Bader or not, it’s hard to envision a significant role for him on the roster in 2027, the final year of his contract, especially with the emergences of Schmitt, Gilbert, Cox, and Hill.

Where the Giants go with the rest is anyone’s guess, though some of these players’ jobs are certainly safer than others. For example, they traded Patrick Bailey in part to accommodate Susac, meaning his spot is likely secured. However, I’ll be the first to admit there are plenty of easy cuts here, even if there isn’t consensus on who those easy cuts are. When I teased I was writing this article, a few Giants fans came into my mentions with their ostensible obvious cuts, but their cut lists didn’t even match each other’s, and the Giants’ own list is impossible to nail perfectly without being inside the room with them. (Buster, if you’re reading this, call me.)

The above lists, which feature a combined 55 names, don’t even account for the players who need to be added to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. At a minimum, the Giants will add Henry Lalane and Bo Davidson, but the club has other Rule-5 eligible 40-man candidates, including Marty Gair, Luis De La Torre, Joe Whitman, Reggie Crawford, and Sabin Ceballos. The deadline to protect players is a bit later, though (it was November 18 this past offseason), affording the front office more time to shuffle the furniture and make further cuts.

Most of these roster cuts won’t garner major headlines when they happen, but they are decisions that teams don’t make lightly because they could end up biting them later on. This initial roster culling won’t determine the overall trajectory of the 2027 Giants, whether they are a good or bad team, but these moves could make the difference of a few wins — which could be crucial if they are to have any hope of claiming a wild card berth next season.

Alex McCoy isn’t a high-profile prospect. Signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2024 out of Hofstra University, the 24-year-old corner outfielder is ranked just 25th in the San Diego Padres system with a 35+ FV. That doesn’t mean he’s without upside. Over 541 plate appearances this season, the Baltimore native left the yard 19 times while logging a 112 wRC+ and a .278/.355/.467 slash line between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. Last year, in an injury-limited first professional campaign, he put up a 146 wRC+ over 226 plate appearances in Low-A.

McCoy does serious damage when he squares up baseballs. Asked for a scouting update, Eric Longenhagen recently told me that the 6-foot-5, 260-pound slugger possesses “crazy high-end power [with] max exits and 90th-EV markers [that] are plus-plus on the scale.” That came with a caveat. Our lead prospect analyst also said “a lack of feel means the consistency of the contact is not as good… his 66% contact rate is a 30 on the scale.”

McCoy didn’t shy away from the power-hitter label when I spoke to him shortly before his mid-August promotion to Double-A. Even so, he sees himself as more than just an all-or-nothing masher.

“I would say I am [a power hitter],” acknowledged McCoy, whose 2026 ledger included a 9.2% walk rate and a 26.2% strikeout rate. “At the same time, I try to build my game around being gap-to-gap and getting base. Home runs will come if I put a good swing on the ball, but getting base hits plays too.”

Baseball wasn’t the only game he played at Essex, Maryland’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School. He also hit the hardwood — “I was actually pretty bad at basketball” — and the gridiron. Both a tight end and a defensive end, he received a walk-on offer to play collegiately, but as McCoy explained, “I didn’t love football like I love baseball.” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time for another installment of Mathemadage, where I investigate time-honored baseball sayings using whatever data I can get my hands on and explore whether there’s any validity to them. If you’re new to my writing, I would describe my method as a semi-rigorous blend of math and intuition, with a rigorous amount of skepticism applied on top. If you’re not new to my writing, hi, hello! Welcome back. Today, we’re investigating a saying that was both my top candidate for this article and the one that came up most frequently in the comments of my last one. Yes, it’s time to talk about outs at third base. Oh, and if you’re looking for Five Things, it will return next Friday – Pete Alonso’s return to Citi Field was my favorite thing this week, and Jay Jaffe already covered it.

“Don’t make the first or third out at third base” was one of the rules that got hammered into me most frequently as a kid. It’s so ingrained that the last time I played rec league softball, I bonded with teammates over how we reflexively repeated it every time we coached third base. (I’m a big nerd, OK? I’ll take whatever bonding I can get.)

The logic behind this one makes good sense, too. With no one out, two productive outs could drive you home from second – why risk erasing yourself heading to third? With two outs, most plays that score you from third would score you from second as well – why risk erasing yourself again? But with one out, getting to third base is a big deal, because then a sacrifice fly or well-placed groundout can bring you home. From that angle, the logic is incontrovertible. Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday night at Citi Field, the 2026 Mets season reached either a rather humiliating new low or a moment of catharsis, depending upon your point of view. With one out in the top of the ninth inning and the Mets clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Orioles, closer Kodai Senga left an 82.5-mph forkball over the plate, and Pete Alonso absolutely hit the fork out of it for a game-tying solo shot, the 300th home run of his career. The 31-year-old slugger punctuated the shot with an emphatic bat toss as the ball caromed off the face of the second deck in left-center field. While most opponent homers in such situations would elicit groans and boos, Alonso — who made his long-awaited return to Queens this week after signing a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles last December — instead received a standing ovation and made a curtain call.

Though unorthodox, the response from the crowd was understandable. Alonso hit 264 home runs during his seven seasons with the Mets, the most homers in franchise history, making five All-Star teams and two trips to the postseason while earning a spot in the hearts of fans as their beloved Polar Bear. Tuesday night’s game was just his second at Citi Field as a visitor, and as they’d done the night before, Mets fans brought their homemade cardboard signs displaying sentiments such as: “Thank You Pete — Forever a Met,” “Mets Fans Still Love Pete,” and “Should’ve Paid Pete.” The last of those also featured a Mets logo in front of the phrase “Fans Rooting For” before an Orioles logo.

Prior to Monday night’s first pitch, the Mets presented a tribute video, and shortstop Francisco Lindor joined the crowd of 35,880 in an ovation before Alonso’s first plate appearance. Alonso went 0-for-3 with a walk in Baltimore’s 2-1 win that night, a victory that officially eliminated the Mets from playoff contention. Tuesday’s homer, his 36th of the season, was his lone hit in five plate appearances, though it loomed large in an 11-inning, 7-5 win that sent the Mets to their 82nd loss, guaranteeing them their first sub-.500 season since 2023, before David Stearns took over as president of baseball operations.

In the wake of Alonso’s homer, the scene at Citi Field took a surreal turn, as chants of “Fire Stearns!” followed Alonso’s cameo, ringing out around the ballpark. The crowd — officially 28,097 but in actuality much more sparse, befitting a home team playing out the string — vented its anger and disappointment regarding Stearns’ offseason overhaul of the roster.

Pete Alonso grins as Mets fans chant “fire Stearns” after Alonso hit his 300th home run in his old ballpark pic.twitter.com/XbNLhDE7yn

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 16, 2026

Read the rest of this entry »

12:01

Dan Szymborski: The appointed time has arrived.

12:01

Dan Szymborski: It’s getting into low single digits now. There are enough contenders in the AL hovering around .500 that it’s likely that both the ALC and wild cards will now be marginally winning teams

12:03

Dan Szymborski: Luis Lara I believe

12:03

Dan Szymborski: if he had had had a 2026 projection, Eric Hartman would be up there too

Read the rest of this entry »

Back in March, I wrote about Jac Caglianone’s entry into the 120 Club. Even during a spring training game, when the brawny Royal sent a line drive into the right field gap at 120.2 mph, it was news. Statcast has been measuring exit velocity since 2015, and one thing we’ve learned from the data is that batted balls don’t get hit that hard very often. In fact, I can tell you the exact frequency. Between spring training, the regular season, the playoffs and the All-Star Game, Statcast has registered an exit velocity for just under 1.45 million batted balls. Twenty-nine of those balls were hit at least 120 mph. That works out to 0.002% of batted balls. It’s not never, but it’s not all that far from never.

If you’re willing to include spring training, Caglianone became just the eighth person to join the club, out of 2,593 players who have registered an EV, which means this skill is limited to just 0.231% of the player population. Still, we’ve seen at least one ball hit 120 mph in the regular season in every year of the Statcast era. But with just 11 days left in the regular season, that streak looks like it’s about to be snapped. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a time traveler who jumped forward from late May 2026 to today, you’d probably recognize most of what’s going on. Gas is expensive. People hate data centers. Super El Niño is coming, even if no one knows exactly what that means for the weather. But if you’re a time traveler from San Diego in particular, one thing will no doubt floor you: Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t in the biggest slump of his career. He’s been the second-best position player in the majors since the calendar flipped to June, in fact. So let’s make a trade. You can give me the secrets of your time travel down in the comments. I, in turn, will try to use Tatis’ resurgence to explain variance. No pressure.

Tatis hit his first home run of the year May 30, in his 239th plate appearance of the season. Up to that point, he’d looked like a completely different hitter from his 2025 form. Here’s a big old smorgasbord of statistics that changed:

It’s almost too much to think about. He swung harder and hit the ball softer. He put it on the ground too much, but also didn’t pull it often enough. If you looked up what not to do in a baseball textbook, it’d probably say something like that. Now let’s add on the rest of the year:

Read the rest of this entry »

After a brief PSA about an open producer position (email wanted@fangraphs.com with the subject line “Podcast Editor 2026” to apply) Ben Lindbergh (kind of) continues his quest to temporarily resurrect a few dearly departed baseball podcasts by bringing on MLB.com’s Mike Petriello, former host of Ballpark Dimensions, to banter about a record home run trot, which “Statcast era” records they’re most confident are also all-time records, Junior Caminero’s defense and the value of small-sample defensive splits, the latest Statcast tools, Statcast WAR, predictive vs. descriptive stats, a divisive standing ovation for Pete Alonso at Citi Field, and this week’s White Sox-Guardians series. Then (58:25) Ben chats with former Astros AGM Andrew Ball and former Phillies quantitative analyst Tom Kim about Tom’s new command metric, OpenCommand, whether public baseball research still has something to teach teams, the public-private knowledge gap, and overrated secrets.

Audio intro: Philip Bergman, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio interstitial: The Spaghettis, “Effectively Wild Theme”
Audio outro: Justin Peters, “Effectively Wild Theme”

Link to Ballpark Dimensions podcast archive
Link to Caminero trot
Link to Caminero LIDOM trot
Link to Langs post
Link to Tater Trot Tracker
Link to exit-speed contributions
Link to Mike’s post on Caminero’s defense
Link to Mike on the Williams homer
Link to Mike’s last EW appearance
Link to 2024 bat tracking
Link to 2025 swing tracking
Link to Nats farm system article
Link to 2026 scoops article
Link to scoops leaderboard
Link to “I’m tired, boss” meme
Link to predicted xwOBACON
Link to VAAAA
Link to Baseball Savant
Link to “last mile” wiki
Link to standing Alons-O article
Link to team 1B WAR
Link to Piazza ovation
Link to Seaver ovation
Link to Pujols ovation
Link to Pham story
Link to White Sox-Guardians gamer
Link to Peters PA article 1
Link to Peters PA article 2
Link to Davy on Jack Reacher
Link to Andrew’s baseball bio
Link to The Athletic profile on Andrew
Link to Tom’s OpenCommand thread
Link to OpenCommand account
Link to OpenCommand github
Link to The Athletic on OpenCommand
Link to OpenCommand validation
Link to OpenCommand accuracy
Link to computer vision article 1
Link to computer vision article 1
Link to pitch-tipping detection info
Link to Tom on miss distance
Link to Tango on miss distance
Link to Sam on misses
Link to Ben on COMMANDf/x
Link to The Athletic on Command+
Link to “Stuff” model command stats
Link to BP on command 1
Link to BP on command 2
Link to team targets article
Link to team targets graph
Link to command value post
Link to Tom’s post on baseball analytics
Link to Andrew’s Substack
Link to Andrew on public baseball analysis
Link to Andrew on idea value
Link to Ben on baseball secrets
Link to Andrew on idea value
Link to Andrew on draft performance
Link to Hustle+ paper
Link to Ben on hustle
Link to Andrew’s podcast post
Link to Andrew’s podcast
Link to Marvel’s Wolverine clip 1
Link to Ben’s first Wolverine pod
Link to Ben’s second Wolverine pod
Link to previous Winquest banter
Link to Gasper story
Link to Paine on position-player pitchers

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To the extreme dismay of schoolchildren everywhere, the semifinal series between the Los Angeles Queens and the New York Heights came down to which team was the most thorough in completing its homework. In any league, a playoff series provides the opportunity to devote more dedicated study time to an opponent than is typically afforded by the day-to-day grind of the regular season. It’s a group project with season-ending consequences, if not done properly. Both sides delivered a strong showing during the practical exam, but Monday’s decisive Game 3 ended with a 15-11 victory for Los Angeles. Yet, despite the win on the scoreboard and in the series, it would be a bridge too far to say that the Queens aced the test. At several points during the series, the Heights posed a question and the Queens had no answer, but Los Angeles kept New York guessing too, and you can only default to bubbling in B on the scantron so many times before your score starts to look ugly.

Here’s the game-by-game breakdown of how the Queens ultimately outwitted the Heights.

Game 1

Queens Game 1 starter Michelle Roche was interviewed on the field following their 10-3 win. She went five innings, threw a modest 65 pitches, and allowed just one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. When asked what made her so effective, Roche said the team’s pitchers and catchers got together and, “Went through all the data, all of the games, and just figured out the weaknesses of their batting, but also the strengths of our pitching — and just went with our strengths.”

By contrast, here’s a quote from Heights manager Rocky Henley during a postgame press conference on August 19, “I really don’t know about Trackman yet. Trackman is available, but it takes so much time,” she said. “My days are just so full of other things right now that I just can’t sit down and learn Trackman. I need someone to actually walk me through it, so I can kind of learn a little bit more about it, and I’m waiting for that day. Maybe this weekend, I can really sit down on Sunday and start really diving into those numbers.” Read the rest of this entry »