BASEBALL ANALYTICS

Step onto the field! Warm up by meeting your captain, doing some general housekeeping, and getting an overview of your upcoming assignments.

• Instructor introduction
• General housekeeping
• Assignment overview

Bridge the gap between the office and the field! Your first class will give you a bird’s-eye view of the baseball operations landscape and an understanding of the role that analytics play in today’s game.

• Overview of baseball analytics
• MLB structure & solving pain points 
• Technological infrastructure & analytics in scouting, coaching, player evaluation, player development & ML operations
• The evolution of counting stats (K/BB/HR), Trackman, and Statcast
• Discussion: When analytics is useful, when it might not be, and how it makes its way onto the field

Contextualize baseball data, from environments to levels of play to age, and learn the difference between descriptive and predictive statistics.

• Introductory analytics and player statistics
• Contextualizing data: Understanding environments, park factors, level of play, age
• Difference between descriptive & predictive stats
• Introducing WAR – an all-encompassing evaluation tool
• Workshop: Ranking players based on statistics

Assignment #1: Research a chosen metric. Go on Savant and research one thing you didn't know was evaluated or factored in baseball analysis.

Take a swing at what components make a hitter successful. Explore objective and subjective approaches by looking at hit tools, power, and approach or swing decisions.

• Breaking down tools subjectively vs. objectively: hit tools, power, approach/swing decisions
• Case study: Using Exit data to merge the lenses and create synergy between the front office and scouts

Assignment #2: Blind resume: you will be given player stats without the name. Who would you choose and why? 

Discover how to maximize a pitcher's arsenal through pitch design, adding/subtracting pitches, and developing the best usage game plan. Dive into Trackman Radar data and just a bit of physics to identify the underlying characteristics that make a pitch move as they do.

• Analyzing Trackman data: Pitch movement & arsenal
• Ideal pitch sequencing & game usage trends
• Evaluating tools: Subjective vs. objective insights
• Case study: Merging front office & scout perspectives with data

Assignment #3: Choose 2 pitchers – one starter and one reliever – and break down their pitch mix and usage patterns

Defense wins championships. Uncover how new-age analytics have changed how we evaluate defense, from speed, glovework, and arm strength to the value of catchers. 

• Statcast’s impact on defensive evaluation
• Player tracking data: Measuring every move
• Outfield defense: Range, arm strength, speed, route efficiency, finishing skills
• Infield defense: Range, throwing strength & accuracy
• Catching defense: Framing, pop times, & blocking

Assignment #4: Identify what you believe is the most important aspect of defense. Is there a particular tool that is more important than the others for outfielders, infielders, and catchers?

Learn how analytics plays a powerful role in professional and amateur scouting landscapes.

• Professional landscape: Analytics & scouts' evaluations
• Amateur landscape: body type, measurements, potential & extrapolating a one-game look into a future role
• Guest speaker: Data usage & becoming a better scout

[Optional] Assignment #5: What are current blind spots with Statcast defensive evaluation? Where do the scouts still need to be relied on?

Delve into the role of analytics in coaching - from creating specialized drills to breaking down a player’s strengths and weaknesses. Learn how to create personalized developmental plans based on individual player needs.

• Using analytics to solve problems and implement solutions
• Creating an organization philosophy with an individual player focus
• Identifying player strengths, weaknesses, and improvement drills
• Demo: Walkthrough of player development plans

Once you know how to EVALUATE a player, it’s time to translate that into a VALUATION. Explore how players are financially valued and more on the economics of baseball.

• Player valuation & baseball economics
• Turning evaluation into valuation
• Front office decisions & navigating player acquisition markets

Now let’s put theory into practice! Create mock trades, roster strategy decisions, and sign free agents in a hands-on workshop.

• Workshop: Player valuations

[Optional] Assignment #6: Look at the upcoming free agent class and, based on past contracts, recommend how much each player should be signed for (based on your evaluation skills of the player and market value).

Baseball analytics has an impact in more places than just the field. Discover how baseball analytics affects multiple industries, including gaming, sponsorship, and tech.

• Latest trends in baseball analytics
• Data privacy & using data ethically
• Legal & illegal uses: motion capture, VR training, wearable tech
• Trajeckt pitching machines
• Gambling analytics & gaming industries 
• Guest speaker

You’ve reached the home base! Now where to go from here? Gain insights into approaching a career in baseball operations, which role is right for you, and how to make it big.

• Next steps: approaching a career in baseball operations & best practices
• Finding the right role for you
• Final project discussion, feedback, and Q&A

Final Project: Undervalued Player Identification and Developmental Plan
Identify a current ML player who you believe is undervalued, build their profile and break down their skillset. Develop an analytics-informed Player development strategy for this player and choose a current MLB team for your chosen player that you feel would be the ideal fit.