Thursday Prospect Notes: 4/28/2022

© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

These are notes on prospects from Tess Taruskin. You can read previous installments of our prospect notes here.

Edward Cabrera, SP, Miami Marlins
Level & Affiliate: Single-A Jupiter Age: 24 Overall Rank: 109 FV: 50
Line:
4IP, 1H, 0R, 3BB, 7K

Notes
Cabrera was shut down in early April with a biceps issue. This came a few days after throwing three impressive spring training frames against the Nationals, during which he notched three strikeouts, including one to Nelson Cruz. His stint on the IL, though relatively brief, is the latest entry in what has been a long history of injuries since his professional career began in 2016, but he put forth a strong showing in his first start of the season. Read the rest of this entry »


Dan Szymborski FanGraphs Chat – 4/28/22

12:01
BettsBellingerCaruso: East Coasters that send 8AM meeting requests I hope they metaphorically get hit with terrible BABIP luck for the rest of their lives that is all

12:02
Avatar Dan Szymborski: Good afternoon to people with righteous time zones! Good morning to the rest of you.

12:03
Ryan Breynolds: When is it time to start panicking with Nick Gonzales? The K-rate seems to be a real problem.

12:03
Avatar Dan Szymborski: Nick Martinez?

12:03
Avatar Dan Szymborski: Certainly more than three games. Especially because his plate discipline numbers suggest a lower walk rate.

12:03
Avatar Dan Szymborski: I’d actually be more worried that he’s not throwing as hard as he was overseas.

Read the rest of this entry »


Alek Manoah Is Here To Tell You That Pitching Is Fun

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When Alek Manoah takes the mound against the Boston Red Sox this afternoon, he’ll do so with an early-career track record befitting one of baseball’s best young pitchers. Since making his major league debut last May, the 24-year-old Toronto Blue Jays right-hander has allowed just 89 hits, with 145 strikeouts, in 129-and-two-thirds innings. Moreover, he augments a 12-2 won-lost record — as a team, Toronto has won all but four of his 23 career starts — with a 3.05 ERA and a 3.78 FIP.

And you probably don’t want to crowd the plate against the 6-foot-6, 260-pound hurler. Manoah, whom the Blue Jays drafted 11th overall in 2019 out of West Virginia University, led all AL pitchers last year with 16 HBPs. A gentle giant off the field, he takes no prisoners between the white lines.

Manoah talked about his repertoire — primarily his slider and his two-seamer — when the Blue Jays visited Fenway Park last week.

———

David Laurila: What do you know about your pitches that you didn’t when you first signed?

Alek Manoah: “I always knew the sinker was pretty good, just based off the hitters’ feedback. But now, understanding the numbers a little bit, it’s how drastically different it is from my four-seam. That and how it plays with my changeup. I think that would be the biggest thing.” Read the rest of this entry »


The Continued Decline of the First-Pitch Fastball

© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Back in my day — the mid-2000s — baseball was a simpler game. Batters socked dingers, with or without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Teams batted slap hitters second, fast hitters first, and aging sluggers third. Catchers were valued by their bat and their throwing arm, none of this framing nonsense. And pitchers? Pitchers helped everybody out by throwing fastballs all the time, particularly on the first pitch. Seriously, take a look at this graph:

Year after year, pitchers have examined the mix of pitches they throw to lead off at-bats and decided to lop a few fastballs off the top. It’s not quite monotonically decreasing; there have been tiny upticks in a few years, and 2008 was lower, potentially due to classification issues in the first year of data. But this is as close as a trend can get to slapping you in the face.

The first pitch of an at-bat isn’t always the most important one — in a 3–2 count, one borderline pitch can be the difference between a baserunner and an out — but the difference between a 1–0 count and an 0–1 count is huge. That’s why pitchers have historically leaned on fastballs, which are easier to control; throwing a pitch outside the zone is a sure way to end up behind in the count.
Read the rest of this entry »


Cody Bellinger Is on the Rebound

© Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

At 12-5, the Dodger are off to their hottest start since, um, last year’s 13-4 opening run, and they’ve done it by once again combining the league’s highest scoring rate with its best run prevention. After winning 106 games last season, it’s not a surprise that they appear to be a powerhouse again, but as opposed to last year, this time they’re doing it with the help of Cody Bellinger, who has shown signs of turning the page on a miserable, injury-marred 2021 campaign.

Thanks to a six-game stretch in which he hit three homers and collected three additional extra-base hits, Bellinger was the NL Player of the Week for the week of April 18-24. After generating some concern with a spate of strikeouts during spring training, he’s hitting .238/.294/.508, which may not look like much but in this new dead-ball era is still good for a 133 wRC+. His numbers looked a lot better (.273/.333/.582, 165 wRC+) before he went 0-for-8 across the first two games of the Dodgers’ current series in Arizona — the point at which I began mulling this piece — but such are the perils of analyzing early-season baseball. The samples are small and the stats unstable, but even with those caveats in mind, we can start by noting that Bellinger’s four home runs are as many as he had during the entire first half of last season. Some highlights from his latest jag:

In large part, Bellinger’s 2021 problems were traceable to the high point from his previous fall. After hitting what proved to be the decisive home run in Game 7 of the 2020 National League Championship Series against the Braves, he dislocated his right (non-throwing) shoulder — not for the first time — on a celebratory forearm bash with then-teammate Enrique Hernández. He continued to play through the Dodgers’ World Series victory over the Rays (though he went just 3-for-22), then underwent surgery in mid-November, and didn’t make his Cactus League debut until mid-March of last year. Read the rest of this entry »


White Sox Prospect Jared Kelly Discusses His Early-Career Development

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Jared Kelley has one of the more-intriguing arms in a Chicago White Sox system that has graduated much of its top talent to the big leagues in recent years. He might be best described as promising but raw. Drafted 47th overall in 2020 out of Refugio (Texas) High School, the 20-year-old right-hander came into this season having thrown just 23.2 professional innings. Moreover, he’d put up a 7.61 ERA in the lowest rungs of the minors while battling minor arm issues.

Despite the spotty early track record, Kelley’s ceiling is high. A ballyhooed prospect as a prep, he possesses a high-velocity fastball and a trio of developing secondaries.He’s off an up-and-down start in the current campaign. In his first outing with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Kelley allowed just one hit, and one run, over three strong innings. In his second, he allowed eight baserunners and three earned runs over just one-and-two-thirds innings.No. 6 on our newly-released White Sox Top Prospects list, he discussed his early career development and how he’s adapted his repertoire.

———

David Laurila: Let’s start with with your repertoire. What are you throwing now?

Jared Kelley: “I’ve been working on a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider, and a changeup. The sinker — the two-seam sinker — is the newest pitch.”

Laurila: I want to hear about the two-seamer, but first, I recall reading that you also throw a curveball.

Kelley: “I don’t throw a curveball anymore. I used to throw a curve, but it was more like a slurve. I don’t think it was going to play at the next level, so we changed into something a little bit harder, and a little bit easier for me to repeat.”

Laurila: When did that happen? Read the rest of this entry »


An Early Look at MacKenzie Gore’s Pitch Data

© Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

MacKenzie Gore is scheduled to make his third start of the season today. He’s been excellent, if low on stamina, in his first two starts: 10.1 innings, 10 strikeouts, four walks, and two earned runs. In a year of low offense and young pitching, this would be an unexceptional beginning – if he weren’t MacKenzie Gore, erstwhile top pitching prospect in baseball.

Lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen has written about Gore extensively. If you’re looking for a deep, nuanced look at all the mechanical changes that have sent Gore from can’t-miss to passed over in favor of Jake Arrieta, Eric has you covered. If you’re looking for some data-driven speculation based on his first two big league starts, on the other hand, boy do I have what you’re looking for. Read the rest of this entry »


Chicago White Sox Top 28 Prospects

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Below is an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Chicago White Sox. Scouting reports were compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as my own observations. This is the second year we’re delineating between two anticipated relief roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see in the “position” column below: MIRP for multi-inning relief pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning relief pitchers.

A quick overview of what FV (Future Value) means can be found here. A much deeper overview can be found here.

All of the numbered prospects below also appear on The Board, a resource the site offers featuring sortable scouting information for every organization. It has more details than this article and integrates every team’s list so readers can compare prospects across farm systems. It can be found here. Read the rest of this entry »


Job Posting: Milwaukee Brewers Developer – Baseball Systems

Position: Developer – Baseball Systems

Summary The Developer – Baseball Systems will collaborate with the Application Development team to develop exciting user-facing applications for platforms within Baseball Operations. This position requires strong software development skills and experience, as well as a demonstrated ability for independent thought and the willingness to work within a team framework.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

  • Design new experiences and displays for usage within our systems especially with the R&D team
  • Develop new application features and work with end users to ensure acceptance and reliability
  • Assist in creation of application content and visualizations, especially for mobile environments
  • Create tests, document, and participate in code reviews around new features and functionality
  • Work with teammates to support existing functionality of systems, including user support

Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

  • Experience with software development, including requirements definition, design, development, testing, implementation, and iterative improvement
  • Proficiency with front-end web development technologies (including HTML5, CSS, JavaScript)
  • Strong understanding of desktop, laptop and mobile UI/UX design concepts and demonstrated ability to apply responsive design techniques
  • Familiarity with server-side web programming languages such as Java, C#, or Go
  • Baseball fan with a desire to work closely with the entire Baseball Operations department

Preferred skills The skills listed below will help an individual perform the job, however they are not all required.

  • Familiarity with advanced statistical baseball concepts, including advanced statistics and player evaluation metrics
  • Experience with data visualizations tools such as D3.js or similar, particularly for large data sets
  • Experience with Microsoft technologies including C# and SQL Server
  • Experience with front end JavaScript frameworks such as Angular, React, or Vue

Education and/or Experience
Bachelor’s degree (B. A.) in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field from four-year college or university; and zero- three years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Computer Skills
To perform the job successfully, the individual must be proficient using Microsoft office software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Internet Explorer.

Other Skills and Abilities
Capable of working extended hours such as overtime, nights, and weekends when necessary.

Language Skills
Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to department members and non-technical baseball operations staff.

Mathematical Skills
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and /or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions, which may include heat, cold and various forms of precipitation.
The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts.
The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Work Hours
Business hours are Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, however, candidates must be capable of working extended hours such as overtime, nights, and weekends, when necessary.

To Apply:
To apply, please follow this link.

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


Job Posting: 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League Trackman Operator (Seasonal)

Position: 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League Trackman Operator (Seasonal)

Description:
TrackMan leverages industry leading 3D doppler radar technology to capture the most comprehensive and accurate ball tracking data in the game

TrackMan data is used for player evaluation and development by all Major League teams in the US and most teams in Japan and Korea, as well as top NCAA D1 programs.

TrackMan Cape Cod League are seeking highly motivated and detail-oriented candidates to operate the TrackMan Systems at various Cape Cod locations. These individuals will be responsible for running the TrackMan system for all Cape Cod games. The duties require that this role arrive at least one half-hour before first pitch and continue to the final out. This position runs from Early June — August 13th, with the season opener June 12th

Responsibilities:

  • Responsible for setting up rosters and tagging information in TrackMan System.
  • Log information for the entire game – monitoring the system and making any changes throughout the game (i.e., roster changes, defensive substitutions, etc.).
  • Assist in troubleshooting system issues with Trackman support, fixing any errors, and uploading the game to the TrackMan.
  • Maintain TrackMan equipment required for tagging.
  • Support the TrackMan data operations teams in ad-hoc data requests and evaluations.
  • Ensure quality of the data that is captured (Player, play result, pitch call accuracy etc.)

Qualifications:

  • Current college student or recent graduate with education focused on Sports Management, Statistics / Mathematics, Operations Management, Sports Analytics or similar.
  • Strong computer skills to operate the system and/or troubleshoot systemic issues.
  • A firm understanding of baseball is required.
  • Candidate must be able to make all home games and able to work nights during the week and weekends associated with home games. (June 20 – August 10)
  • Experience in Project Management a plus.
  • Basic database and/or analytics experience a plus.
  • Previous Trackman experience is a plus.

Please Note:

  • This is a seasonal opportunity, and no benefits or re-location will be provided.
  • Accommodations in Cape Cod for the duration of the season is required.
  • Trackman will not reimburse travel or accommodations for the summer.

Compensation:
This position is compensated.

To Apply:
To apply, please send a resume to Morty Bouchard at MYB@Trackman.com with the subject line “Cape Cod TrackMan Internship”. We will only accept resumes sent via email not through any job boards.

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