Here's The Pitch For ... Joining The IBWAA!

New IBWAA co-director makes his pitch for why Here's the Pitch readers should consider joining the IBWAA if they haven't already.

IBWAA members love to write about baseball. So much so, we've decided to create our own newsletter about it! Subscribe to Here's the Pitch to expand your love of baseball, discover new voices, and support independent writing. Original content six days a week, straight to your inbox and straight from the hearts of baseball fans.

Pregame Pepper: IBWAA Info You May Need

• Our website homepage: https://ibwaa.com/

• X/Twitter handle: https://x.com/IBWAA

• Other contact info for IBWAA and its co-directors: https://ibwaa.com/contact/

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Leading Off

Why Should I Participate In The IBWAA?

By Benjamin Chase

If you are receiving this newsletter, you’re at least familiar with the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, commonly known as the IBWAA.

Those who have been long-time members remember when the organization was run under Howard Cole. In 2020, Dan Epstein and Jonathan Becker took over leadership for the organization. At the beginning of October, Dan stepped back and Elizabeth Muratore and I joined the leadership team with Jonathan.

Elizabeth and I introduced ourselves at the beginning of the month, and we’ve hit the ground running. Presently, we are looking for at least one newsletter editor to allow us to focus on the administrative side of IBWAA rather than our current roles as editors for two days of the Here’s the Pitch newsletter each.

So, back to the title question. Why, exactly, would YOU want to be an active member in IBWAA – and moreover, why should you want to invite your fellow baseball friends and colleagues to join IBWAA?

First and foremost, this is one of the best networking groups in baseball – if you use it that way. Certainly, a few years back, the ability to have your stories promoted on Twitter/X was a much bigger pull, but that is still something we do as an organization. IBWAA members received an email update yesterday that included an invitation to a new members-only Discord server that will host chatting about baseball along with the opportunity to network and talk about baseball writing in a group with people who certainly understand what you’re going through as you construct stories and articles about the game.

That’s another pull for IBWAA. No shade thrown against BBWAA, but you must work for specific organizations and do so for a set amount of time in order to earn your BBWAA membership card, and certainly to earn the right to vote in their awards voting and Hall of Fame voting.

IBWAA is open to anyone who covers the game, whether that’s at a more traditional baseball coverage location like a beat reporter for a team or an analyst writer for places like ESPN, MLB.com, FOX Sports, etc., or someone who covers their local high school team for an area newspaper. Those who write for fan blog websites are certainly encouraged to join IBWAA, as are those who host podcasts. Plenty of IBWAA writers do their primary baseball writing on their own Substack or Medium site. To put it bluntly, if you love baseball and sharing your views/analysis/input on the game with an audience, IBWAA is for you!

Please feel free to invite in anyone who fits that bill, because we absolutely want their input!

So what are the benefits for a member?

You have the opportunity from day one as a member to vote on All-Star rosters, postseason awards, and Hall of Fame voting each year. Awards balloting is complete at this point, and the results will be revealed alongside the corresponding MLB awards. A link will be sent in the offseason to place your Hall of Fame voting, and IBWAA has a few wrinkles that are unique to our HOF ballot compared to BBWAA’s ballot.

In the discussions we’ve had as Elizabeth and I transitioned into leadership with Jonathan, engagement among the members continued to come up. To that end, we launched the new Discord server this week and are certainly open to other get-together opportunities that could take place with or without the leadership present.

So how do you become a member of IBWAA?

The quick, easy, and painless (well, a small amount of “pain” to your pocketbook) way to join IBWAA is through the IBWAA website. There is a one-time $75 fee for a lifetime membership, and you get a membership card that you can display proudly!

More than anything, IBWAA is YOUR writers’ association, so we ask that you email ibwaa2020@gmail.com or contact one of the co-directors on Twitter/X (Ben – @biggentleben, Elizabeth – @elizmuratore, or Jonathan – @grousehaus) with any suggestions you may have!

Benjamin Chase is the co-director of IBWAA. His “day job” is as a newspaper reporter in rural South Dakota, and he has worked in multiple roles for multiple baseball sites over the years. Currently, his primary baseball coverage is on the Pallazzo Podcast prospects show. You can find Ben on most social media platforms under the username @biggentleben.

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Extra Innings: Other Benefits Of IBWAA Membership

• The opportunity to participate in this mentorship program

• Partnership with SABR, which extends to SABR membership, SABR Awards voting opportunities, and more

• Experience that positions you well for other job opportunities — multiple members (and newsletter editors!) have gotten full-time jobs and other gigs in baseball in part due to IBWAA involvement