I first joined the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) as a student member around 2016. Back then, I only knew about SABR by the semi-eponymous term “Sabermetrics” that roughly refers to the growing list of statistics and measures used to evaluate baseball. I was studying math and dabbling in computer science with vague hopes and dreams that I could bring those interests to bear on the game I loved. I knew little else about the organization, so when I met some excellent members of the Halsey Hall chapter in Minnesota at TwinsFest that winter, I was a bit shocked to find them all rather old. Not that they couldn’t have been career statisticians or have other relevant skills to analyzing baseball, but I was an introverted college student and didn’t appreciate the interaction.
Not until rejoining SABR four years ago did I realize the scope of their work and how many options I had for volunteering my time and talents to progress their mission. There are a few dozen research committees with varying scopes and interests. The two I’ve been most involved with are wide-ranging and ambitious: the Games Project provides accounts of significant games and their historical context. The Biography Project writes comprehensive biographical articles of people in and around baseball. These volunteer-led committees are amazing. Some of their processes are charmingly stuck in the past, like their heavy reliance on email server lists. Still, they don’t let anything get in the way of producing well-written and thoroughly researched materials.
And though I’m not directly familiar with the other committees, a quick glance at the list shows the breadth of topics SABR volunteers have been inspired to cover. But don’t stop there: a recent edition of the Baseball Research Journal shows a tremendous range of topics that have sufficiently interested other baseball sickos. Two fun articles in that Spring 2025 edition are placed in sequence: The Impact of LASIK on MLB Batting Performance, and It’s Supposed to Be Hard: Why It’s Harder to Get an Orchestra Job than to Play Professional Baseball. There are also historical articles, baseball performance models, and an absolutely spitfire Editor’s Note.
SABR is a wonderful organization. It speaks to how well baseball captures the imagination of fans (and nerds) around the world, its historical importance, and the unique aspects of its design as a game that lend it to statistical revelations before any advanced camera-tracking technology was available. While I’m sure my involvement will fluctuate, I’m comfortable saying that my relatively inexpensive membership will be renewed for years to come.
