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Society for American Baseball Research#Projects and collections

{{Short description|American baseball research organization}}

{{About|the baseball history organization|baseball statistical analysis|Sabermetrics|other uses|SABR (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Society for American Baseball Research

| abbreviation = SABR

| logo = SABR_logo_2016.png

| founder = Bob Davids

| formation = {{start date and age|1971|08|10}}

| founding_location = Cooperstown, New York, U.S.

| website = {{URL|sabr.org}}

| leader_title = CEO

| leader_name = Scott Bush

| leader_title2= President

| leader_name2 = Mark Armour

| field = Baseball research

| membership = 7,194{{cite web |url=https://sabr.box.com/shared/static/4sjpuuq76ggbu5rbinwgxhy6ns0h6lxh.pdf |title=Annual Report |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research |date=June 15, 2022 |accessdate=January 29, 2023}}

| membership_year = 2022

| headquarters = 555 N Central Ave #416
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.

}}

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on August 10, 1971, at a meeting of 16 "statistorians" coordinated by sportswriter Bob Davids.{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/history/a-history-of-sabr |title=A History of SABR |first1=Dick |last1=Thompson |first2=Tom |last2=Hufford |website=SABR.org |accessdate=January 29, 2023}} The organization now reports a membership of over 7,500 and is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Membership

While the acronym "SABR" was used to coin the word sabermetrics (for the use of sophisticated mathematical tools to analyze baseball), the Society is about much more than statistics. Well-known figures in the baseball world such as Bob Costas, Keith Olbermann, Craig R. Wright, and Rollie Hemond are members, along with highly regarded "sabermetricians" such as Bill James and Rob Neyer.

Among Major League Baseball players, Jeff Bajenaru was believed to have been (until 2006) the only active player with a SABR membership; Elden Auker, Larry Dierker, and Andy Seminick also have been involved.

Some prominent SABR members include:

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Activities

Only a minority of members pursue "number crunching" research. Rather, the SABR community is organized both by interest and geography:

  • Research Committees study a particular issue
  • Regional Chapters link members by proximity. The latter are frequently named after baseball personalities relevant to their region.

SABR members keep in touch through online directories and electronic mailing lists set up through the SABR headquarters. The headquarters also maintains a number of research tools on its website, including a lending library, home run and triple play logs, and course syllabi related to the game.

SABR holds annual conventions in a different city each year. The conference generally includes panel discussions, research presentations, city-specific tourism, a ballgame, and an awards banquet. The 2017 convention in New York City, set the attendance record with 806 registered attendees out of approximately 7,000 SABR members.{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/convention/history|title=SABR Convention History - Society for American Baseball Research}} The organization also hosts an annual baseball analytics conference in Phoenix and a Negro Leagues conference, which is held in a different location each year.{{cite web|url=https://sabr.org/analytics|title=SABR Analytics Conference - Society for American Baseball Research}}{{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/malloy|title=Jerry Malloy Negro League Conference {{!}} Society for American Baseball Research|website=sabr.org|access-date=2019-04-17}}

=Projects and collections=

  • Biography Project, with members authoring well-researched and engaging biographies of a growing list of former big league ballplayers and other notable contributors to the game.{{cite web |title=SABR Baseball Biography Project |url=https://sabr.org/bioproject |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}
  • Games Project, where members research, write, and publish accounts of the major league regular season, postseason, and All-Star Games, including Negro Leagues games, along with other games of historical significance such as in the minor leagues or international or exhibition contests.{{cite web |title=SABR Games Project |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproject |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}
  • Oral History Collection, a collection of interviews conducted with ballplayers, executives, scouts, authors, writers, broadcasters, and other figures of historical baseball significance.{{cite web |title=SABR Oral History Collection |url=https://sabr.org/oralhistory |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}
  • SABR-Rucker Archive, an extensive collection of baseball photographs which contain nearly 80,000 images dating from the 19th century to modern-day baseball.{{cite web |title=SABR Rucker Archives |url=https://sabr.org/rucker-archive |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}

Publications

The Baseball Research Journal (BRJ) is SABR's flagship publication since 1972 for members to publish and share their research with like-minded students of baseball. The National Pastime is an annual, published from 1982 to 2008 as The National Pastime: A Review of Baseball History, when it was intended as a more literary outlet than the stats oriented BRJ; since 2009 it is a convention-focused journal, with articles about the geographic region where the convention is taking place that year.{{cite web | url=http://sabr.org/about/publications | title=Publications | publisher=Society for American Baseball Research | access-date=June 8, 2016}} Other Society publications are an increasing variety of books (since 1976) and ebooks (since 2011);{{cite web | url=http://sabr.org/about/history/10 | title=Other Society Publications | publisher=Society for American Baseball Research | access-date=June 8, 2016}} 8–10 new e-books published annually are all free to members.{{cite web | url=http://sabr.org/about | title=The SABR Story| publisher=Society for American Baseball Research | access-date=June 8, 2016}}

Awards

SABR annual awards include:

  • Bob Davids{{cite web|title=Bob Davids|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=http://citrix.drharoldseymour.com/about/bob-davids|access-date=2011-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426061310/http://citrix.drharoldseymour.com/about/bob-davids|archive-date=2012-04-26|url-status=dead}} Award: for exceptional SABR members who have made contributions to SABR and baseball that reflect ingenuity, integrity, and self-sacrifice. It is SABR's highest honor, and was established in 1985.{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/about/bob-davids-award|title=Bob Davids Award - Society for American Baseball Research}}
  • Henry Chadwick Award: for baseball researchers—historians, statisticians, annalists, and archivists.Established in November 2009, the Henry Chadwick Award was first presented in 2010. {{cite web|title=Henry Chadwick Award|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=http://sabr.org/about/henry-chadwick-award|access-date=2011-12-17}}{{cite web|title=SABR Creates New "Henry Chadwick Award": James, Ritter, Palmer Among Honorees|publisher=OriolesHangout|url=http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/93586-SABR-Creates-New-quot-Henry-Chadwick-Award-quot-James-Ritter-Palmer-Among-Honorees?p=2056426#post2056426|access-date=2011-12-19|archive-date=2012-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426062146/http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/93586-SABR-Creates-New-quot-Henry-Chadwick-Award-quot-James-Ritter-Palmer-Among-Honorees?p=2056426#post2056426|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Chuck|title=SABR Announces 2011 Chadwick Award Recipients|date=February 15, 2011|publisher=Billy-Ball|url=http://www.billy-ball.com/2011/02/sabr-announces-2011-chadwick-award-recipients/|access-date=2011-12-19|archive-date=2012-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426062147/http://www.billy-ball.com/2011/02/sabr-announces-2011-chadwick-award-recipients/|url-status=dead}}
  • Seymour Medal:Harold Seymour and his wife Dorothy Seymour Mills together wrote a three-volume history: Baseball: The Early Years (1960), Baseball: The Golden Age (1971), and Baseball: The People's Game (1989). {{cite web|title=Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=http://citrix.drharoldseymour.com/about/harold-seymour-and-dorothy-seymour-mills|access-date=2011-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426062104/http://citrix.drharoldseymour.com/about/harold-seymour-and-dorothy-seymour-mills|archive-date=2012-04-26|url-status=dead}} best book of baseball history or biography published during the preceding calendar year.The Seymour Medal was first awarded in 1996, at the SABR national convention. SABR held the first Seymour Medal Conference in 1999, at Cleveland State University, in conjunction with the presentation of the medal. {{cite web|title=The Seymour Medal|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=http://sabr.org/node/490|access-date=2011-12-19|archive-date=2011-12-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227044104/http://sabr.org/node/490|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=SABR and The Seymour Medal: How Did it Happen?|publisher=drharoldseymour.com|work=Dr. Harold Seymour, Baseball Historian|url=http://drharoldseymour.com/index.php/winners|access-date=2011-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111223222814/http://drharoldseymour.com/index.php/winners|archive-date=2011-12-23|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=The Seymour Medal: Winners and Finalists|publisher=drharoldseymour.com|work=Dr. Harold Seymour, Baseball Historian|url=http://drharoldseymour.com/index.php/winners/25-the-seymour-medal-winners|access-date=2011-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219213458/http://www.drharoldseymour.com/index.php/winners/25-the-seymour-medal-winners|archive-date=2012-02-19|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Seymour Medal Award|publisher=Baseball-Almanac|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/books/Seymour_Medal.shtml|access-date=2011-12-19}}{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Mondout|title=Seymour Medal Honorees|publisher=BaseballChronology.com|url=http://www.baseballchronology.com/Baseball/Books/Awards/Seymour_Medal/|access-date=2011-12-19}}See also: Baseball awards#Baseball book of the year.
  • McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award: for authors of the best articles on baseball history or biography completed during the preceding calendar year (published or unpublished).The McFarland award was "previously named The Macmillan-SABR Baseball Research Award (1987–1999)", according to {{cite web|title=McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|url=http://sabr.org/about/mcfarland-sabr-baseball-research-award|access-date=2012-02-17}}
  • Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award: for projects which do not fit the criteria for The Seymour Medal or the McFarland-SABR Award.
  • Jerry Malloy Book Prize: best book-length nonfiction manuscript submitted by a member of SABR.
  • Doug Pappas Research Award: best oral research presentation at the Annual Convention.
  • Lee Allen Award: for the best baseball research project at the annual National History Day competition.
  • Jack Kavanagh Memorial Youth Baseball Research Award: research paper by a researcher in grades 6–8 (middle school category), grades 9–12 (high school category), or undergraduates 22 and under (College Category).
  • Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award: awarded to any person with a sustained involvement in women's baseball or any woman with a longtime involvement in baseball in any fashion — player, umpire, writer, executive, team owner, scout, etc. {{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/about/dorothy-award-women-baseball|title=Dorothy Seymour Mills Lifetime Achievement Award (Women in Baseball) |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research}}

In 2013, SABR began collaborating with Rawlings on the Gold Glove Award.{{Cite web|title=Rawlings Gold Glove Award|url=https://www.rawlings.com/gold-glove.html|access-date=October 13, 2021|website=Rawlings}} Rawlings changed the voting process to incorporate SABR Defensive Index, a sabermetric component provided by SABR, which accounts for approximately 25 percent of the vote for the defensive award.{{cite press release|title=Gold Glove Selection Criteria|date=|publisher=Rawlings Sporting Goods|url=https://www.rawlings.com/gold-glove-criteria.html}}

Research committees

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;Notes

{{Notelist}}

Regional chapters

SABR has regional chapters located across mainland United States. Additionally, there are also a number of international chapters. Majority of chapters are named in honor of a player or person with a close connection to or after something associated with the chapter's location.{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/history/regional-chapters/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research |title=SABR Regional Chapters}}

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=International chapters=

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Past convention sites and keynote speakers

SABR holds an annual convention in different locations around North America.{{cite web |url=https://sabr.org/convention/history |title=SABR Convention History |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}

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See also

References

=Notes=

{{Reflist|30em}}

=Bibliography=

  • {{cite book |author= Lewis, Michael |title=Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game |publisher=Norton |year= 2004 |isbn= 0-393-32481-8}}
  • {{cite book |author= Ross, Ken |title= A Mathematician at the Ballpark: Odds and Probabilities for Baseball Fans |publisher= Plume |year= 2004 |isbn= 978-0-452-28782-2 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/mathematicianatb00kenr }}

External links

{{Portal|Baseball}}

  • {{Official website|http://www.sabr.org/}}

{{Authority control}}

SABR

Category:1971 establishments in New York (state)

Category:Baseball organizations in the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Arizona

Category:Organizations based in Phoenix, Arizona

Category:Sports organizations established in 1971