Making baseball a more modern, forward-looking sport has been a priority for years throughout the industry, and one of the more tangible signs of that shift has been the evolution of the Society for American Baseball Research. Formed in 1971, SABR for years existed as a small community of researchers, all but ignored by the mainstream. But the 2010 arrival of Marc Appleman as executive director sparked new growth for the group. Now with more than 6,000 members, SABR operates a large analytics conference each March. It also publishes e-books and a weekly newsletter along with its lauded series of print research anthologies. Appleman, a former journalist and digital media executive with WWE, ESPN, AOL and SI for Kids, among others, discussed the transformation of SABR.
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The most successful clubs employ some version of a blended approach to player development.”
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Photo by: SABR
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On SABR’s shift from its original roots: SABR has gone from being an internal organization that was a well-kept secret to an active participant in the baseball community. My goal was to make the general baseball public aware of SABR and for SABR to have outlets in which it could share its valuable content. SABR’s members, many of whom participate in our 67 chapters and 28 research communities, now have external outlets for their work and are thereby able to reach a much wider audience.
On the tension between advanced analytics and traditional scouting: I think the tension between art and science is very healthy. It’s important to recognize the human element involved in scouting as well as the value of analytics that now offer teams, players and fans an innovative way to view and interpret the game.
On the role of today’s baseball researcher and consumer: As a historical or statistical researcher, consumer of baseball information and data, or as a fan who enjoys watching and talking baseball, this is a very exciting time. The advent of digital tools and access to multiple data sources have provided historians, analysts and fans the opportunity to conduct quicker and more in-depth research.
On making SABR larger and more diverse: Bringing in younger and diverse members is definitely a priority. We have been successful in the past few years by forming SABR groups at colleges and high schools and offering scholarships at our major events. We currently have a number of younger SABR members working on a new SABR fantasy game.
