The Expected Value podcast takes you inside the sports analytics world, by talking with people who work for teams, media and other organizations. Conversations ...
Trevor May - ESPN Statcast Analyst, Former MLB Pitcher
Trevor May is an ESPN Statcast analyst, podcaster, and former MLB pitcher
for the Twins, Mets, and Athletics. He pitched professionally from
2008-2023, originally being drafted by the Phillies. Since retiring, he has
done various podcasts, founded an Esports Lab applying sabermetric
principles to gaming, and continued to grow his online presence through
various media. In this episode he discusses…
* Available data early in his playing career and the evolution of
Statcast
* Learning metrics to understand his and others successes
* Differences between being a starter and a reliever at the big league
level
* Opponent preparation and how he approached various hitters
* Transitioning from player to analyst and becoming more involved on
the media side
* The learning curve of ESPN’s Statcast broadcast and hopes for it
moving forward
* Communicating data to a large audience and ways to make it digestible
* Starting an Esports lab to evaluate Overwatch teams and bringing more
data to the industry
* Favorite video games, baseball movies, highlights of career, and much
more
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Zach Stovall - Director of Analytics, University of Tennessee Baseball
Zach Stovall is the Director of Analytics for the University of Tennessee
baseball team who just won their first College World Series. He studied at
UT while also working for the baseball team as a student manager. After
three seasons with the Texas Rangers at their various minor league
affiliates, he returned to the Volunteers for the 2024 season. In this
episode, he discusses…
* Balancing schoolwork while working for a D1 baseball program
* Winning a College World Series vs a Major League World Series
* Interning at the Cape Cod League and studying under various scouts
* The differences between player development at the college and pro
ball levels
* Communicating data to players of various ages and experience
* Pathway to pro ball and transitioning from college
* The evolution of baseball technology at the college level
* Barbecue food, best ballparks, highlight moments thus far, and much
more
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Lance Brozdowski - Marquee Sports Network, Player Development Analyst
Lance Brozdowski is a Player Development Analyst at Marquee Sports Network,
the regional sports network for the Chicago Cubs. He brings an analytical
insight and makes it more digestible for baseball fans. In this episode, he
discusses…
* Methods he utilizes to evaluate and breakdown MLB players and
prospects
* What a player development analyst does for a regional sports network
* Thoughts about the new, publicly available bat tracking data
* Working with and debating former big league players and managers
* Analytics and metrics that he hopes to have more access to in the
future
* Pathway to getting here from an accounting background
* Communicating complex topics on air
* Under the radar prospects, favorite current pitch, who he’d start a
franchise with, and much more
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Tom Bliss - NFL, Senior Manager, Football Operations Data Scientist
Tom Bliss is a Senior Manager of Football Operations Data Scientist for the
NFL. He and his team work to improve the game for fans, players, and
organizations through data analysis. They are constantly researching new
ways to make the game more entertaining and safer. In this interview he
discusses…
* NFL rule changes including the expectations around the new kickoff
rule
* The schedule release and the various considerations the league looks
at
* His day-to-day responsibilities and what programming is utilized in
his role
* NGS, PFF, and various player tracking tools
* Big Data Bowl and what leads to successful entries
* Statistics that are likely to become publicly available for this
season
* Pairing his physics/astronomy major with his current position
* Highlights of his career journey thus far
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Curtis Goss - USA Swimming, Performance Support Specialist
Dr. Curtis Goss is a Performance Support Specialist for USA Swimming where
he is currently prepping for the Olympic trials and the 2024 Summer
Olympics. He was a collegiate swimmer at Indiana University where he also
completed his PhD in Human Performance. In this interview he discusses…
* The current landscape of data and tech within the sport of swimming
* U.S. Trials and the anticipation for potential record breaking races
* Communicating data to swimmers of various ages and experience
* The ups and downs of current technology and the manual aspects to
data collection
* Evaluating swimmer performance and identifying areas of improvement
* Swimming techniques and philosophies
* His path to working for USA Swimming and his drastically different
career plan
* Working with Katie Ledecky, Caeleb Dressel, Kate Douglass, etc.
* Highlights of his career journey thus far
The Expected Value podcast takes you inside the sports analytics world, by talking with people who work for teams, media and other organizations. Conversations focus on what they do, how they do it, and how they got there. Baseball, football, soccer, basketball and more sports will be covered. Please subscribe and enjoy!
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