Daily MLB Matchup Analysis to Sheets and Telegram - n8n Workflow

Data-driven Fantasy Sports Analysts or Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) players.
Sports bettors seeking automated matchup advantage data.
Users looking for advanced n8n templates involving complex API integrations and custom scripting.
Developers needing an example of using the n8n node for batch HTTP requests and data aggregation.

This powerful n8n workflow provides a fully automated solution for daily MLB matchup analysis. It leverages the MLB Stats API to fetch real-time game schedules, probable pitchers, and player lineups. The core value lies in its proprietary filtering logic: it identifies the top 9 pitchers with the highest ERA and then extracts their top 3 opposing batters based on OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging), generating a highly curated list of approximately 27 high-leverage matchups.

Running multiple times daily via an n8n trigger, this automation ensures data is available as soon as lineups are confirmed. The final output is written to Google Sheets for detailed tracking and reported via Telegram for immediate notification. This complex use of the n8n node structure demonstrates how to turn raw API data into actionable business intelligence, making this a prime example of effective n8n templates.

This n8n workflow is initiated by two schedule triggers.

1. Sheet Preparation (9am Clear): The 9am Clear n8n trigger runs early morning to execute the Clear your Sheet Google Sheets operation, ensuring a clean slate for the day's data.


2. Daily Data Run (11:02 - 8:02): The main n8n trigger runs hourly between 11 AM and 8 PM (server time).


3. Fetch Schedule: The 2. Get Daily Games n8n node uses an HTTP Request to pull today’s schedule, pitchers, and lineups from the MLB API.


4. Identify Players: The 3. Extract All Player IDs n8n node (a Code node) parses the schedule data to create a comma-separated list of IDs for every relevant pitcher and batter.


5. Batch Stats: The 4. Get Batched Player Stats n8n node uses a second HTTP Request to efficiently retrieve detailed season stats (pitching, hitting) for all players identified in the previous step.


6. Create Matchups: The 5. Create Final Matchup Rows n8n node aggregates the game structure and player stats into comprehensive pitcher-vs-batter rows.


7. Filter and Sort: The 6. Filter for Top Matchups n8n node applies the strict filtering logic (ERA > 3.33, Top 9 Pitchers, Top 3 Batters by OPS) and converts game times to Eastern Time, significantly curating the data.


8. Format Data: The Column Order n8n node standardizes the column structure, formats numerical fields (e.g., rounding AVG/OPS to .000), and performs a final time-based sort.


9. Sheets Update: The 7. Update Your Sheet n8n node commits the processed data to Google Sheets using an appendOrUpdate operation.


10. Telegram Formatting: The 8. 21 Hitters n8n node sorts the entire filtered list by OPS and formats the top 21 players into a Markdown message.


11. Notify: The 9. sendToTelegramChatbot Telegram n8n node sends the compiled message, providing instant access to the daily premium matchups identified by the n8n workflow.

To deploy this automated n8n workflow, follow these steps:

1. Import: Copy the entire JSON code provided and paste it into your n8n instance using the 'Import from JSON' function.


2. Google Sheets Setup:

1. Activation: Ensure all n8n node credentials are set correctly and then activate the entire n8n workflow. The schedule triggers will handle subsequent executions automatically.

This n8n workflow relies heavily on custom scripting and API integration using specialized n8n nodes:

11:02 - 8:02 (Schedule Trigger): The main n8n trigger for daily execution, running hourly during peak game scheduling times.
2. Get Daily Games (HTTP Request n8n node): Function: Fetches today's MLB schedule. Key Configuration: Uses an expression ={{ $now.toFormat('yyyy-MM-dd') }} for the date query parameter and hydrate=probablePitcher,lineups to get detailed preliminary game data.
3. Extract All Player IDs (Code n8n node): Function: Parses the schedule response and extracts all unique player IDs (pitchers and batters) into a single comma-separated string (playerIdsString) for batched API lookup.
4. Get Batched Player Stats (HTTP Request n8n node): Function: Retrieves comprehensive season stats for all identified players in one call. Key Configuration: The personIds query parameter uses the expression ={{$json.playerIdsString}}.
5. Create Final Matchup Rows (Code n8n node): Function: Merges game context with player statistics to create structured pitch-vs-batter records. It utilizes $() to reference data from the 3. Extract All Player IDs n8n node.
6. Filter for Top Matchups (Code n8n node): Function: Implements the complex business logic (ERA/OPS filtering, Top 9 Pitchers, Top 3 Batters) and ensures time conversion to Eastern Time (ET). This sophisticated filtering logic is the core of the n8n template.
7. Update Your Sheet (Google Sheets n8n node): Function: Appends or updates the curated matchup data in Google Sheets, ensuring a persistent record.
8. 21 Hitters (Code n8n node): Function: Selects the top 21 batters based on OPS from the final dataset and formats them into a single Telegram message using Markdown syntax.

• 9. sendToTelegramChatbot (Telegram n8n node): Function: Dispatches the final, formatted alert message to the specified Telegram chat ID.