[SABR.Notes] This Week in SABR: November 26, 2025

Welcome to “This Week in SABR” on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Please note: The SABR office will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 27-28. Click here to view this newsletter on the web.

All donations will be matched on Giving Tuesday
Register now for 2026 SABR Analytics Conference
Call for papers: 2026 The National Pastime
Applications now open for Local Grants in 2026
2026 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference to be held in Memphis

All donations will be matched on Giving Tuesday, December 2

With the holiday season upon us and another year coming to a close, we want to thank you for your continuing support of SABR. Donations from members like you are vital as SABR looks to expand our research resources, forge meaningful partnerships inside and outside the game, and create more opportunities for participation in our baseball community.

Thanks to the generosity of the Gillette family, you have the opportunity to DOUBLE the impact of your donation on Giving Tuesday next week on December 2. Gary and Vicki Gillette have stepped forward with a generous gift to support SABR and the Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference through 2030. Gary is a longtime SABR member, Henry Chadwick Award recipient, former Director, and prolific author specializing in the Negro Leagues.

You can support SABR’s Bring it Home Campaign by making a gift of $150 or more by December 31, 2025. We will use your best gift of $150, $300, $500, or $1,000 to amplify SABR’s general operations.Visit SABR.org/donate/2025 to learn more or donate today.

Early registration now open for 2026 SABR Analytics Conference

Early registration is now open for the SABR Analytics Conference, which will be held in person from February 27-March 1, 2026, at the Beus Center for Law and Society on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix Campus in Phoenix, Arizona.

We’ll bring together the top minds in the baseball analytics community to discuss, debate, and share insightful ways to analyze and examine the great game of baseball. Register today to join us!

Registration: Click here to register for the 2026 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. Student-only virtual registration is $50. Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link.
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, February 27 through Sunday, March 1, and a student-only virtual session on Thursday, February 26. All student registrations also include a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo Certified Course ($395 value). SABR membership will be fulfilled after event sign-up and access to Rapsodo course will be delivered after the conference.
Diamond Dollars Case Competition: Click here to register your team for the 2026 Diamond Dollars Case Competition. Registration is $1,750 per team, which includes admission to all SABR Analytics Conference sessions and a one-year SABR membership for each participant. Chaperones and advisors looking to attend the conference should register themselves separately here.
Yoseloff Scholarship: Students, apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship to attend the 2026 SABR Analytics Conference. Deadline: December 19, 2025.
Research Awards: We’re seeking nominations for the 2026 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. Deadline: December 19, 2025.
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.

Apply now for a Yoseloff Scholarship or Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship

With generous funding from The Nanar and Anthony Yoseloff Foundation, Inc., SABR will award up to four Yoseloff Scholarships to high school and college students who wish to attend the 2026 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the conference.

Awarded annually to four recipients, the Sarah Langs Women in Baseball Analytics Scholarship will provide meaningful professional development and networking opportunities for female students or young professionals pursuing a career in baseball analytics and data science. This scholarship will pay for all registration fees and expenses associated with the 2026 SABR Analytics Conference in Phoenix, Arizona; plus registration for all courses in the online SABR Analytics Certification program.

All applications must be postmarked or emailed to scarter@sabr.org by December 19, 2025.

Click here to learn more about SABR Scholarships.

Call for papers: 2026 The National Pastime

The next SABR national convention will be held on July 29-August 2, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2026 issue of our annual convention journal, The National Pastime, will focus on “Baseball on Lake Erie.” Stories about Cleveland baseball — amateur, major league, minor league and Negro Leagues — will be welcomed, as will stories about baseball from other locales around Lake Erie, including Toledo, Buffalo and Southern Ontario.

All SABR members are welcome to submit an article for TNP; abstracts will be accepted through December 15, 2025.

This issue of The National Pastime will be co-edited by Elizabeth Roscher and Vince Guerrieri. To submit an article idea or abstract please fill out this form by December 15.

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

May 31, 2025 vintage baseball game hosted by SABR Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter

Apply for a SABR Local Grant in 2026

The SABR Local Grants program provides an opportunity for chapters, research committees, and chartered communities to apply for funding for their projects under SABR’s Four Pillars: Research, Scholarship, Preservation, and Future of the Game. Applications are now open for a 2026 SABR Local Grant at SABR.org/local-grants. Submissions will be accepted until February 20, 2026.

All SABR chapters, chartered communities, and research committees are eligible to apply. Individual SABR members and non-SABR groups are not eligible, so if you have an individual idea for a program grant, please follow up with your local chapter leadership or appropriate research committee to discuss an application.

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

2026 SABR Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference to be held in Memphis

Save the date! SABR’s 26th annual Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference will be held on Thursday, June 18 to Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Memphis, Tennessee. All baseball fans are welcome to attend.

Registration information will be available at SABR.org/malloy in early 2026.

Opening Night in 2023 at Delano, Minnesota, for the 100th anniversary of the Town Ball State Tournament. (Courtesy of Armand Peterson)

SABR welcomes new Town Ball research committee

SABR’s Board of Directors has approved the formation of a new research committee: the Town Ball Committee, led by Jude Butler.

The Town Ball Committee’s mission is to conduct research on baseball and its cultural significance to towns and local communities. While Town Ball blurs the line between amateur and professional baseball, the committee’s approach to research seeks to answer how baseball shaped local communities, and how the communities in turn shaped baseball. All SABR members are eligible to sign up for email announcements from this committee. Click here to visit the committee page and select “Join Group” to become a committee member.

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

Member Benefit Spotlight: Renewing Your Membership

As a SABR member, you have vast resources and benefits at your disposal. With so much information at your fingertips, we realize it can be overwhelming to absorb it all! To highlight key benefits, read on for a SABR Member Benefit Spotlight, an email series that identifies and explains some of the most valuable features of your membership. We hope this allows you to take full advantage of all SABR has to offer.

This month’s issue shows you how to renew your membership.

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

Save the date! SABR Day is January 31, 2026

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, January 31, 2026, when we will hold our annual SABR Daycelebration! SABR Day is a way for all baseball fans to come together, regardless of where they live, and talk about the game we all love.

Regional chapters are also encouraged to plan their own SABR Day events (virtually or in person) throughout the months of January or February to celebrate the start of a new baseball season.

Chapter leaders, please email Jacob Pomrenke as you finalize your SABR Day plans so we can update our comprehensive schedule of events, which will be posted online soon at SABR.org/sabrday.

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 2025 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 Bryan Walko for further information.

Writing opportunities for SABR members

SABR’s Editorial Board recently approved three new book projects, which are open to all SABR members for contributions. We’re seeking authors and editors to help write articles, essays, recaps of memorable games, or profiles of interesting players and figures, for the following projects:

Lou Gehrig (editors: Glen Sparks and Bill Nowlin)
1928 St. Louis Stars (editors: Thomas Kern and Clem Hamilton)
2002 Anaheim Angels (editor: Paul Hensler)

Please contact one of the editors if you would like to get involved or to learn more about these projects. Click here to learn more about other current and ongoing SABR research projects.

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

SABR Convention Journals from 1991 (New York City), 1986 (Chicago), and 1998 (Bay Area)

Read articles from early SABR Convention Journals

For the past 40 years, SABR’s local chapters have produced an annual research journal focused on that year’s national convention. This journal provides in-depth articles focused on the respective geographic region where the convention was taking place in a given year. (In 2009, the convention journal merged with The National Pastime, which is now given out as a souvenir print edition to all attendees.)

Articles from all SABR Convention Journals between 1984 (Providence) and 1999 (Phoenix) are now available to read online in the SABR Research Collection. More articles from 2000 to 2008 will be available soon.

In 2004, SABR published an anthology called Road Trips with dozens of standout articles and stories from the first two decades of convention journals. Click here to read articles online from Road Trips.

Featured E-Book from the SABR Digital Library

Native American Major Leaguers
Edited by Rob Daugherty 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.

All SABR members are encouraged to submit nominations for our annual research awards, for works published or completed in 2025. The deadline to nominate for most awards is around December 31:

Seymour Medal (history/biography books)
SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards (baseball analytics research)
Larry Ritter Book Award (Deadball Era books)
Russell Gabay Award (New Jersey baseball)
SABR Baseball Research Award (outstanding research articles/projects)
McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award (best history/biography articles)

Please note: Only ONE entry per nomination will be considered (do not submit multiple nominations for the same award). Self-nominations are welcome. For more information on SABR Awards, click here.

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

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.

NAME	HOMETOWN	NAME	HOMETOWN
Jacob Bielecki	Macomb, MI	Carson Mattes	Overland Park, KS
Alvin Williams Cima de Villa Seda	Yulee, FL	Michael Nichols	Marysville, WA
Tyrone Franklin	Inkster, MI	Christopher Oliver	Lockport, NY
Mike Klem	Canfield, OH	Samuel Shuster-Hyman	Toronto, ON

SABR's Baltimore Babe Ruth Chapter will hold a virtual Zoom meeting on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 7:00 PM Eastern Time. All baseball fans are invited to attend. Donna Muscarella will speak on Hinchcliffe Stadium.

Events Calendar: Find details of all upcoming SABR events.
Video Replays: This week, we heard from Patrick Carpentier (“Taylor Smith in Quebec”). Click here to view video replays of virtual SABR events.

Upcoming Virtual Meetings

November 29: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter meeting with Marshall Garvey (1:00 p.m. CST)
November 30: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with David Krell (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 1: Clyde Sukeforth (NH/ME) Chapter meeting with Eric Bynum (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 1: Central Florida Chapter meeting with Louis Schiff (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 1: Elysian Fields (NJ) Chapter meeting with Jane Leavy (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 2: Casey Stengel (NYC) Chapter meeting with Jeffrey Orens (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 2: Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter meeting with Louis Schiff (7:00 p.m. CST)
December 3: Baltimore Babe Ruth (MD) Chapter meeting with Donna Muscarella (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 3: Ken Keltner Badger State (WI) Chapter meeting with Tim Dillard (7:00 p.m. EST)
December 4: 19th Century Baseball Book Club (8:00 p.m. EST)
December 6: Women in Baseball Diamond Stories: Katie Woods (10:00 a.m. EST)

Upcoming In-Person Meetings

November 28: Bob Davids Chapter Hot Stove Lunch (Silver Spring, MD)
November 29: Lajoie-Start Chapter fall meeting (Greenville, RI)
December 3: Buck O’Neil/North Florida Chapter meeting (Tallahassee, FL)
December 3: Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter fellowship meeting (St. Louis, MO)
December 6: Halsey Hall Chapter book club meeting (Roseville, MN)

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

Town Ball: Click here to learn more or sign up for email announcements from SABR’s newest research committee, focusing on amateur/semipro baseball in local communities.

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

Bob Broeg St. Louis Chapter: Fall 2025 newsletter (Bob Gibson Edition) (St. Louis, MO)
Ted Williams San Diego Chapter: Randy Jones newsletter tribute (San Diego, CA)

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:

Baseball Hall of Fame announces 2026 writers’ ballot candidates (BaseballHall.org)
Jayson Stark: Five things to watch on Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: Is this the year for Beltrán, Jones? (The Athletic)
Sarah Langs: The best to never win MVP? Why that honor belongs to José Ramírez (MLB.com)
Rob Mains: One Poke Over the Line (Baseball Prospectus)
Davy Andrews: The Robo-Zone Could Make Catcher Defense More Valuable Than Ever(FanGraphs)
Steven Goldman: The Umpire Is In on the Fix (Baseball Prospectus)
Ken Rosenthal/Evan Drellich: The Pirates and Marlins have a sudden willingness to spend. Here’s what could be behind it. (The Athletic)
Anna Giulia Polli: As analytics take over, fans debate what makes baseball human (Stony Brook Statesman)
David Laurila: Colorado Reliever Juan Mejia Has a Brayan Bello Connection (FanGraphs)
Daniel R. Epstein: The Team That Needs Kyle Tucker the Most (Baseball Prospectus)
Kiri Oler: The WPBL Has Teams and Players Now (FanGraphs)
John Thorn: The Golden Ticket (Our Game)
Ben Orlando: The Game that Sold America on Television (Midnight Library of Baseball)
Julius Hern: IBL to become fully professional, change name to Canadian Baseball League (Barrie 360)
Bradley Woodrum: The Heir to Terrance Gore (Baseball Prospectus)
Gary Cieradkowski: Hal Chase: The Dark Prince in Exile (Infinite Baseball Card Set)
Mike Ficher: Is the 3,000 Hits Club Soon To Be Closed? (Koppett Kat)
Jeff Cohen/Len Aberman: Baseball and BBQ interview with David Wild (Baseball and BBQ)
Jason Schwartz: Review of Phil Rosenzweig’s ‘One Splendid Season’ (SABR Baseball Cards)
Bill Staples Jr.: Gentle Black Giants: 1927 Philadelphia Royal Giants Tour (SABR Asian Baseball)

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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