/mlb-data

name: mlb-data
description: |
  MLB data via ESPN public endpoints and the official MLB Stats API — scores, standings, rosters, schedules, game summaries, injuries, leaders, and news, plus an analytics backend: pitch-level velocity/spin/exit-velocity, career splits by stat group, league leaders, and schedules to 1901. Zero config, no API keys.

  Use when: user asks about MLB scores, standings, team rosters, schedules, game stats, box scores, play-by-play, injuries, transactions, depth charts, team/player statistics, MLB news, pitch speeds/spin/exit velocity, career stats, league leaders, or historical MLB seasons.
  Don't use when: user asks about minor league baseball, college baseball, or international baseball. For other sports use: nfl-data (NFL), nba-data (NBA), wnba-data (WNBA), nhl-data (NHL), football-data (soccer), tennis-data (tennis), golf-data (golf), cricket-data (cricket), cfb-data (college football), cbb-data (college basketball), fastf1 (F1). For betting odds use polymarket or kalshi. For news use sports-news.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: machina-sports
  version: "0.1.0"

MLB Data

Before writing queries, consult `references/api-reference.md` for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If `pip install` fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills mlb get_scoreboard
sports-skills mlb get_standings --season=2025
sports-skills mlb get_teams

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

• Season year is derived from the system prompt's `currentDate` — never hardcoded.
• If only a team name is provided, call `get_teams` to resolve the team ID before using team-specific commands.

Choosing the Season

Derive the active season from the system prompt's date — not just the calendar year.

• **If the user specifies a season**, use it as-is.
• **If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify**: The MLB season runs late March/April through October. If the current month is January–March, the last completed season was the prior calendar year. From April onward, use the current calendar year.

Commands

| Command | Description | |---|---| | `get_scoreboard` | Live/recent MLB scores | | `get_standings` | Standings by league and division | | `get_teams` | All 30 MLB teams | | `get_team_roster` | Full roster for a team | | `get_team_schedule` | Schedule for a specific team | | `get_game_summary` | Detailed box score and scoring plays | | `get_leaders` | MLB statistical leaders | | `get_news` | MLB news articles | | `get_play_by_play` | Full play-by-play for a game | | `get_win_probability` | Win probability chart data | | `get_schedule` | Schedule for a specific date or season | | `get_injuries` | Injury reports across all teams | | `get_transactions` | Recent transactions | | `get_futures` | Futures/odds markets | | `get_depth_chart` | Depth chart for a team | | `get_team_stats` | Team statistical profile | | `get_player_stats` | Player statistical profile | | `find_mlb_player` | Search MLB's player registry by name | | `get_mlbstats_schedule` | Games via the MLB Stats API — history to 1901, carries gamePk ids | | `get_mlbstats_player_stats` | Season/career/year-by-year splits by stat group via MLB Stats API | | `get_mlbstats_play_by_play` | Pitch-level PBP — velocity, spin, plate coords, exit velo, launch angle | | `get_mlbstats_boxscore` | Full box score with per-player batting/pitching via MLB Stats API | | `get_mlbstats_standings` | Standings by division via MLB Stats API | | `get_mlbstats_leaders` | League leaders for any stat category via MLB Stats API |

See `references/api-reference.md` for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Shaping Play-by-Play Results

`get_mlbstats_play_by_play` accepts `sort_by`, `descending`, `limit` and `fields`. `fields` is the quickest way to drop the per-pitch lists when you only need the at-bat outcomes:

sports-skills mlb get_mlbstats_play_by_play --game_pk=775296 --fields=event,rbi

• `sort_by`: one column to sort by. Numbers (and numeric strings) sort numerically; missing values always go last.
• `descending`: `true` (default) or `false`; only used with `sort_by`.
• `limit`: positive integer, applied after sorting.
• `fields`: comma-separated keep-list. `inning`, `half`, `batter`, `pitcher` and the `sort_by` column are always kept.
• An unknown `sort_by`/`fields` column returns an error listing the valid columns.
• With any of these set, the response adds `total_rows` (matching rows before `limit`) and `returned_rows`. With none set, output is unchanged. They are applied after the fetch, so they never change the upstream request or its replay entry.

Using ESPN and the MLB Stats API Together

The `get_mlbstats_*` commands read statsapi.mlb.com — MLB's own open API. It carries the analytics layer ESPN does not: per-pitch velocity/spin/location, exit velocity and launch angle on balls in play, career splits by stat group, and schedules back to 1901. The two sources use unrelated id systems:

• **Game ids.** MLB uses `gamePk` (e.g. `775296`); ESPN uses event ids

(e.g. `401570367`). No shared column — join on the game date plus teams.

• **Team abbreviations.** Two teams differ: ESPN `ARI`/`CHW` vs MLB `AZ`/`CWS`.

Every `get_mlbstats_*` team filter accepts either spelling, and rows carry both (`team_abbreviation`, `team_abbreviation_espn`).

• **Player ids.** MLB person ids (`660271`) and ESPN athlete ids are unrelated.

Resolve names with `find_mlb_player`; ASCII spellings matc