/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_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.

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 match accented names ("acuna" finds "Ronald Acuña Jr.").

• **Leaders come grouped.** A category like `homeRuns` exists for hitting,

catching, and pitching (home runs *allowed*); rows are labelled with `stat_group` — pass `stat_group=` to get just one.

Responses include MLB's `copyright` notice, passed through from the API.

Examples

Example 1: Today's scores User says: "What are today's MLB scores?" Actions: 1. Call `get_scoreboard()` Result: All live and recent MLB games with scores by inning and status

Example 2: Division standings User says: "Show me the AL East standings" Actions: 1. Derive season year from `currentDate` 2. Call `get_standings(season=<derived_year>)` 3. Filter results for American League East Result: AL East standings with W-L, PCT, GB, run differential

Example 3: Team roster User says: "Who's on the Yankees roster?" Actions: 1. Call `get_team_roster(team_id="10")` Result: Full Yankees roster with name, position, bats/throws, height, weight

Example 4: Game box score User says: "Show m