Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Friday, February 21, 2025.
Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

Vote now in special election on proposed changes to SABR By-Laws
SABR Analytics Conference: Early-bird discounts end tonight
Join us for SABR 53 this summer in Dallas-Fort Worth
Paul Zwirecki hired as new External Relations Officer
Listen to new Oral History interview with Bob Uecker

Early-bird discounts end tonight for 2025 SABR Analytics Conference

We’re just a few weeks away from the SABR Analytics Conference on March 14-16, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona! The early-bird registration discounts will expire tonight on Friday, February 21, so sign up today to join us. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Featured speakers and panelists are expected to include: Brian Kenny, MLB Network; Glenn Fleisig, American Sports Medicine Institute; Mike Petriello and Jason Bernard, Major League Baseball; Kyle Boddy, Driveline Baseball; Alex Caravan, Penn Interactive; former major-league pitcher Burke Badenhop and Max Glick, Arizona Diamondbacks; Michael Girsch, St. Louis Cardinals; Will Vandenberg, Los Angeles Dodgers; Michael Sonne, Chicago Cubs; Eric Babitz, Andrew Fox, Phil Hauser, Everett Johnson, Maggie Noffke, Daniel Oh, Megan Stewart, and Dan Turkenkopf, Milwaukee Brewers; Arnel Aguinaldo, Point Loma Nazarene University; Vivienne Pelletier, Arizona State University; and more. Click here to learn more about our Featured Speakers.

• Registration: Click here to register for the 2025 SABR Analytics Conference. Early-bird registration is $395 for SABR members, $495 for non-members, and $150 for currently enrolled high school or college students. The deadline for early registration discounts is February 21, 2025. Student-only virtual registration is $50.
  
• Student Registration: Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive a special link to register at a discounted rate. Students have the option of choosing virtual ($50) or in-person ($150) registration. Both include access to General Session panels and presentations on Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, March 13. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value). SABR membership will be fulfilled after event sign-up and access to Rapsodo course will be delivered after the conference.
• Certification Courses: The first three courses in the online, on-demand SABR Analytics Certification program, including the newest offering Level Three – Introduction to Baseball Programming, are available now. Click here to learn more or to sign up.

Visit SABR.org/analytics to learn more or to register.

Early registration now available for SABR 53 in Dallas-Fort Worth

This summer we’ll head to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on June 25-29, 2025, for the 53rd SABR convention. SABR 53 will feature a Texas-sized speaker lineup we know you’ll love, alongside an invigorated social experience emphasizing SABR’s ability to unite all of us in baseball fellowship. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Here are some of our featured speakers and panelists:

• Iván Rodríguez, Texas Rangers great and 2017 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
• Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers manager and four-time World Series champion
• Chris Young, Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations
• Tom Schieffer, former Texas Rangers president
• Rob Matwick, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Texas Rangers
• Jack Hill, former Senior Vice President, Project Development, Texas Rangers
• James Beckett, founder and CEO of Beckett Media
• Tim Purpura, former Houston Astros general manager and Texas League president
• Bob Baillargeon, former Texas League player
• Rick Herrscher, former Texas League player
• Stay tuned for more speakers and panelists to be announced!

If you’ve never attended a SABR convention, this is the perfect year to join us and make new baseball friendships. If you’re a veteran attendee, we can’t wait for you to experience our rejuvenated convention experience. It will be an incredible week of baseball fellowship in the heart of Texas and we hope you’ll make plans to be part of it!

Visit SABR.org/convention to register now or learn more.

Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend SABR 53

With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to 4 scholarships to high school or college students to attend SABR 53 on June 25-29, 2025, in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. This scholarship will pay for registration, transportation and lodging (double occupancy) up to a total value of $1,250.

Students must be currently enrolled in a high school, college undergraduate or graduate program, and be between 18 and 29 years of age at the time of the conference. All applications must be postmarked or e-mailed to Scott Carter no later than April 11, 2025.

Click here to learn more or to download an application.

Subscribe to the Baseball Research Journal in 2025

In 2025, all SABR members exclusively receive the Baseball Research Journal electronically twice a year. The Spring 2025 issue will be sent out in April. However, if you are interested in a paperback copy of BRJ for your personal library, we have rolled out a subscription option at a significantly discounted rate: $7 per issue for members, compared to $19.95 at retail.

• To subscribe and receive a printed edition of BRJ, visit SABR.org/subscribe
  (If you have any questions about your subscription, please email brjsubscribe@sabr.org.)

Click here for a short video on how to subscribe to printed copies of BRJ.

19th Century League Documents now available in SABR Research Collection

SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee is proud to announce the launch of the 19th Century League Documents Project, which aims to collect all available pre-1900 baseball documents and make them available online to future researchers. The initial collection includes about 50 documents from the National League’s founding in 1876 to the NL’s final season as a sole major league in 1900. It also includes National Agreements for most seasons, plus American Association Constitutions from 1882 to 1891. Click here to learn more.

Vote now in special election on proposed changes to SABR By-Laws

The SABR Board of Directors recommends adoption of a new bylaw intended to avoid conflicts of interest in board service in a special election that began on Wednesday, February 19.

More specifically, the change is intended to avoid situations where board members, whether intentionally or not, might have access to information that could be useful to another competing organization, or might be unable to deliberate in the best interests of SABR due to their relationship with another organization.

An online voting ballot was sent out from tellers@sabr.org to all eligible SABR voters on Wednesday, February 19. The voting period will remain open until March 5. If you did not receive a ballot, please contact jpomrenke@sabr.org to have it re-sent to your email.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Paul Zwirecki joins SABR staff as External Relations Officer

SABR is pleased to welcome Paul Zwirecki as its new External Relations Officer beginning on February 18. In this role, he will lead SABR’s organizational efforts to partner, collaborate, and engage with industry, educational, and civic institutions.

Zwirecki joins SABR after serving for more than six years as Director of Advancement and Strategic Partnerships at the Organization of American Historians. He holds master’s and doctorate degrees in American History from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in History from Binghamton University. He resides in the Buffalo area with his wife. A lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, he has attended games at 26 of the 30 current MLB stadiums.

Call for papers: Volume 5 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of Baseball Arts

SABR’s Baseball and the Arts Committee is seeking submissions for the upcoming Volume 5 of Turnstyle: The SABR Journal of the Baseball Arts. All SABR members are encouraged to send along your submission, or your questions, to editors Joanne Hulbert or Jay Hurd before June 1, 2025. Turnstyle accepts original literary and creative works including poetry, fiction, cartoons, artwork, photographs, and creative nonfiction, all under 1,500 words.

Click here to read the full announcement at SABR.org.

Seeking volunteers: MLB Team Employee Database

SABR’s Business of Baseball Committee would like to continue growing our MLB Team Employee Database and are looking for additional volunteers to enter data. We have several options for those who might want to help with data entry. Much of the information comes from team media guides, and we have some 2024 guides that have not yet been entered. For those looking to enter earlier data, The Sporting News — available through SABR’s Research Resources — has major-league level presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, treasurers, managers, etc. We can supply search terms so these can be found efficiently. If you might be willing to help, please contact Dan Levitt for further information.

Find new updates to the SABR Research Collection below, including the Baseball Biography Project, Games Project, and Oral History Collection.

New Oral History interview: Bob Uecker

• Bob Uecker, Milwaukee Brewers broadcaster, former major-league catcher, actor, and ambassador
  Recorded August 31, 1996, by Lawrence Baldassaro
  

Visit SABR.org/oralhistory to find more interviews from the SABR Oral History Collection.

2 new stories published at SABR Games Project

• May 31, 1948: Tommy Lasorda strikes out 25, records game-ending hit for Schenectady, by Larry DeFillipo
• May 25, 2008: Clayton Kershaw shines in major-league debut for Dodgers, by Glen Sparks

Visit SABR.org/gamesproject to learn more about the SABR Games Project or to get involved.

From Bytown to the Big Leagues:
150 Years of America’s Pastime in Canada’s Capital
Ottawa Baseball from 1865 to 2025
Edited by Steve Rennie and Bill Nowlin

Visit SABR.org to download the free e-book edition or save 50% off the paperback edition of all Digital Library books.

Here are some SABR headlines from recent weeks that we don’t want you to miss:

• Hundreds of ProQuest US newspapers added to SABR Research Resources
• In Memoriam: Fay Vincent
• Larry Gerlach’s Lion of the League wins 2025 SABR Seymour Medal
• SABR Digital Library: When Minor League Baseball Almost Went Bust: 1946-1963
• Save the date! 2025 SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference is September 19-21
• Read SABR biographies of 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
• Register now for 2025 Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference
• Call for papers: 2025 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference
• Browse the new, searchable SABR MLB Team Employee Database
• Find complete collection of SABR-Rucker Archive baseball images online
• Historical Black Newspapers Collection added to SABR Research Resources
• Get a gift for baseball fan in your life with the SABR Store @ CafePress

Please give a warm welcome to all new SABR members who joined this week! View more Members-Only resources at members.sabr.org or click here to download the Membership Handbook. Find contact information for any SABR member in the online Membership Directory.

• Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
• Video Replays: This week, we heard from Mark Armour (“Satchel Paige in the Pacific Northwest”); Neal Traven (“The Position, the Whole Position, and Nothing But the Position); Michael Rice (“2025 Seattle Mariners Preview”); Melissa Booker (“The Knuckleball: Baseball’s Magical Pitch”); Bob Russon (“Biblical Verses and Baseball”); Eric Gray (Backyards to Ballparks); Allison Levin (“The Evolution of WAGs from Support System to Celebrity Influencer”); Zak Ford (Called Up); a Larry Doby Panel with Luke Epplin, Joseph Thomas Moore, and Dave Kaplan; and the 19th Century Book Club (Play For a Kingdom). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

• February 22: Casey Stengel (NYC) Chapter SABR Day meeting with Kevin Baker (11:00 a.m. EST)
• February 22: Bud Metheny (VA) Chapter SABR Day meeting with Jack Bales (2:00 p.m. EST)
• February 26: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Cassidy Lent (7:00 p.m. EST)
• February 26: Games and Simulations meeting with Mike Cieslinski (8:00 p.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

• February 22: Central Florida Chapter SABR Day meeting (Vero Beach, FL)
• February 22: Kekionga Chapter of Fort Wayne meeting (Fort Wayne, IN)
• February 23: Rogers Hornsby Chapter ballgame/meet-up (Austin, TX)
• March 1: Halsey Hall Chapter Hot Stove Saturday Morning (Minneapolis, MN)

To add your SABR event to our calendar listings, please contact Jacob Pomrenke.

• Baseball Cards: The Baseball Cards Committee is seeking nominations for the 2025 Jefferson Burdick Award. Click here to learn more or to submit a nomination.
• Games and Simulations: All SABR members are invited to participate in a Games and Simulations Committee daily or weekly transaction Rotisserie 5×5 league in 2025. Click here to learn more, including league rules and additional information.
• Nineteenth Century: All committee members are eligible to vote in the primary election for the 2025 Overlooked 19th Century Legend of the Year. Votes are due by March 10, 2025. To join the committee, click here.
• Origins: February 2025 newsletter

Sign up for SABR research committee announcements at SABR.org/research/committees.

• SABR Day: Check out videos, photos, and highlights from 2025 SABR Day events
• Halsey Hall Chapter: March 2025 newsletter (Minneapolis, MN)
• Rocky Mountain Chapter: February 2025 newsletter (Denver, CO)

Sign up for SABR chapter announcements at SABR.org/chapters.

Click here to learn more about SABR chartered communities.

Here are some recent articles published by and about SABR members:

• Rob Arthur: So You Want to Run a Baseball Team (Baseball Prospectus)
• Jayson Stark: Robot umps are here: What MLB players need to know to navigate ABS this spring (The Athletic)
• Matt Snyder: What makes an ace? The difference between MLB’s No. 1 starting pitchers and true aces (CBS Sports)
• Rob Mains: The Record-Setting Consequence of Modern Bullpens on Comebacks (Baseball Prospectus)
• Michael Rosen: Aiming a Pitch Changes How It Moves (FanGraphs)
• Tyler Kepner: In the best shape of our lives, ranking the best MLB spring training cliches (The Athletic)
• Meghan Montemurro: For Ryne Sandberg, a welcome return to Cubs spring training and sunshine (Chicago Tribune)
• John W. Miller: How an unlikely alliance between Earl Weaver and Frank Robinson changed baseball for good (Washington Post)
• Ben Resnic: Introducing Deception Runs and Deception+, a Measurement of a Pitcher’s Ability to Force a Batter into Bad Swing Decisions (Medium.com)
• Mario Delgado Genzor: Gerrit Cole Is Changing Before Our Eyes (Baseball Prospectus)
• Stephen J. Nesbitt: A year after uniform fiasco, players arrive at Spring Training with issues mostly ironed out (The Athletic)
• Davy Andrews: The Shape of Funk to Come: Previewing This Season’s New Pitches(FanGraphs)
• J.J. Cooper: How A Subtle Tweak Helped Kristian Campbell Become A Top MLB Prospect(Baseball America)
• Mark Simon: Defensive Standouts Among The Top 100 Minor League Prospects (Sports Info Solutions)
• David Laurila: Hunter Bigge Went From Studying Physics at Harvard To Throwing Heat With Tampa Bay (FanGraphs)
• Ryan Divish: ‘Ball of energy’ Victor Robles could be a difference maker for the Mariners (Seattle Times)
• Derrick Goold: St. Louis’ Mr. October David Freese hopes this visit is first of many springs back with Cardinals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Steven Goldman: Rendon and Devers: Do the Muncy (Baseball Prospectus)
• Gary Cieradkowski: Bobby Balcena: The Filipino Flyer (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
• Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with Wally Backman (Baseball and BBQ)
• Steven Clark: Complete Stat Cards: Don Aase Profile (SABR Baseball Cards)
• Derek Bain: Hardball Retro Replays: 1983 (SABR Games and Simulations)
• Joe Costa: World Series Time Machine: 2011 (SABR Games and Simulations)

Please note: Some articles may require a separate subscription to view online. SABR does not endorse, and is not responsible or liable for, any content that appears on a third-party website.

This Week in SABR is compiled by Jacob Pomrenke. If you would like us to include an upcoming event, article, or any other information in “This Week in SABR,” e-mail jpomrenke@sabr.org. To find past editions of TWIS, click here.

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