Episodes
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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
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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
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Episodes manquant?
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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 -
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 -
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 -
Tim Gibbons is TruMedia’s baseball professional services lead, dealing with players, agencies and facilities. He previously worked as a minor-league hitting coach in the Orioles system. In this episode, Tim talks about…
- His career path to becoming a hitting coach
- What a minor-league hitting coach does
- Data available to minor-league teams
- How a minor-league team’s approach is influenced by the parent club
- Communicating data to players
- Mixing data with coaching of mechanics
- How facilities and agencies use data
- New baseball data points available to coaches
- Follow Tim on Twitter: @LineDrivePro
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Allison Loucks is the Director of Business Development and Innovation at ESPN, where she oversees ESPN’s Analytics group. Her team has created ESPN metrics including their Total QBR, Basketball Power Index and pass rush win rate. In this conversation, Allison talks about…
- What she does as a director of the analytics group and what a typical day looks like
- How ESPN creates proprietary metrics
- Challenges of using complex metrics in simple ways
- How sports betting has affected her team’s work
- Common misconceptions about ESPN metrics
- What’s on the horizon for the analytics team
- What she looks for when hiring
- Her ESPN career and journalism background
- Meeting one of her sports heroes
Show links
- ESPN Analytics home page
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Matt Chang and his team won the 2024 NFL Big Data Bowl, an analytics competition with a $25,000 first prize. In this episode, Matt will discuss…
- His team’s submission, entitled Uncovering Missed Tackle Opportunities
- What the Big Data Bowl is and how he and his team became interested
- The data and question provided by the NFL
- Attacking that question through trial and error
- Creating a metric and its components
- Making the outputs easy to understand
- Ideal next steps with their metric
- Advice for anyone looking to enter contests like the Big Data Bowl
Show Links
- Kaggle notebook for Matt’s team’s winning submission
- Video of Matt’s team’s presentation
- Matt’s advice for future Big Data Bowl contestants
- Big Data Bowl home page
- Big Data Bowl Kaggle home page
- Matt’s transition from hardware to machine learning
- Follow Matt on Twitter and LinkedIn
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Ben Zauzmer is an assistant general manager with the New York Mets, and he’s better known publicly for his book Oscarmetrics and his Twitter account @BensOscarMath, where he uses data to project winners of the Academy Awards. With this year’s Oscars ceremony coming on March 10, Ben joins Expected Value to talk about…
- How he got into the Oscars predictions business
- Creating an Oscars model from scratch
- The variables that go into his calculations
- Projecting nominees vs projecting winners
- Explaining probability
- Factoring in betting markets
- Reaction from the film community
- Majoring in applied mathematics at Harvard
- Course and skills recommended to aspiring analysts
- His favorite movie and favorite Best Picture winner
Show links
- @BensOscarMath on Twitter
- Buy Oscarmetrics on Bookshop or Amazon
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Bobby Bandelow is the coordinator of advance scouting for the world champion Texas Rangers. During his decade-long career, he’s worked with the Astros, the then-Indians and the Rangers, in roles ranging from video intern to major-league analyst. In this conversation, Bobby talks about…
- Winning the 2023 World Series
- What an advance scout does for an MLB team
- How he presents data to Bruce Bochy and the Rangers staff
- Adapting to MLB rule changes
- Dealing with small sample sizes
- His career path with three MLB teams
- Advice for aspiring sports analysts
Show Links
- Follow Bobby on Twitter
- Bruce Bochy doesn’t miss a thing
- How the Rangers improved their defense
- The Patriotic Pig
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Wes Johnson was named Head Baseball Coach for the University of Georgia on June 5th. Prior to taking the job in Athens, Wes served as the Pitching Coach for LSU, where he won a national championship earlier this year. He also has MLB experience, having served as the Pitching Coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2019-2022. His previous stops at Mississippi State and Arkansas add on to his SEC experience, in addition to his past as a high school baseball coach, among other stops. In this conversation, Wes talks about…
Balancing his responsibilities of being LSU’s pitching coach in the midst of a national championship run with his duties as Georgia’s head coach.
His career path and how he got into coaching in the first place.
An SEC school’s resources from a data perspective.
Coaching in MLB vs coaching at the collegiate level, including the different levels of preparation.
How stats factor in his approach to the transfer portal.
Communicating information to players vs a staff member.
Players to watch at Georgia and around the SEC next year.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Wes.
Show Links
To check Wes’ biography, click here.
To read Wes’ interview with On3 about his MLB experience, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Brandon Ally is the Co-Founder of S2 Cognition, a performance evaluation company that is revolutionizing the way professional teams asses prospective players. He is also S2 Cognition’s Chief Business Development Officer and Director of Football. His educational background stands up again the brightest minds in sports. He has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, a PhD in Neuropsychology from Southern Miss, and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University & Boston University, working in the Geriatric Neuropsychology Laboratory and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, respectively. He also has a background in academia, having served as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Boston University and Vanderbilt University. In addition to his roles at S2 Cognition, he currently serves as Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville. In this conversation, Brandon talks about…
His academic background and what a PhD in Neuropsychology encompasses.
His athletic background at the University of Tennessee.
S2 Cognition’s origin story & what S2 Cognition does.
What they used to develop the primary S2 test and what the exam provides NFL teams.
How things in an athlete’s past influence how well they perform on the S2 test.
Misconceptions between the S2 test and the Wonderlic exam.
How his professional knowledge influences his coaching.
His favorite John Wick movie, and shaming Paul for not having seen it.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Brandon.
Show Links
Follow Brandon on Twitter: @brandonally3
Follow S2 Cognition on Twitter: @S2Cognition
To check out S2 Cognition’s website, click here.
To check out what the S2 Cognition test said about the 2023 NFL Draft QB class, click here.
To read The Athletic’s piece on the S2 Cognition test, click here.
To read The Athletic’s piece on how the S2 Cognition test pointed to Brock Purdy’s NFL success, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Alison Lukan is an On-Air Analyst & Writer for the Seattle Kraken. In her role, she provides analysis for the Seattle Kraken’s local broadcasts on Root Sports Northwest, with her team winning a Regional Sports Emmy for their coverage this season. She holds a degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and has previously worked as a consultant in Washington D.C. and has a background in journalism, where she is one of the faces of the hockey analytics revolution. She has also written for The Athletic. In this conversation, Alison talks about…
Her academic and career path to get to where she is now.
How she caught the hockey bug and why she dove into hockey analytics.
What data is available at the NHL level, and her access to hockey data.
Her preparation and in-game process as an On-Air Analyst.
The challenges of communicating data on TV and the key to doing it clearly.
How her corporate background informs what she does now.
What an NHL team’s analytics staff looks like.
Where to get started if someone is looking to get into hockey analytics.
Her time as Spidey, the University of Richmond’s mascot.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Alison.
Show Links
Follow Alison on Twitter: @AlisonL
To read Darren Brown’s piece on Alison’s first season with the Kraken, click here.
To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic’s piece on her time as Spidey, click here.
To read Alison’s piece on NHL players’ relationship with their sticks, click here.
To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic on the “Hockey Analytics Conference” (HAC), click here.
To read Bill West’s piece on Alison and hockey analytics, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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John Taormina is TruMedia’s Director of Football Strategy, overseeing TruMedia’s football related business. Prior to joining us at TruMedia, John spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. He started as a Football Analyst before becoming Manager of Football Analytics. His final role with the Falcons was Director of Football Data & Analytics. He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Penn State, along with a Master of Science in Analytics from Villanova. In this conversation, John talks about…
His academic path and what led him to pursue a career in sports analytics.
His time with the Atlanta Falcons and how his responsibilities changed with each role.
What a typical NFL analytics department looks like from the inside.
How an NFL analytics department works with the coaching staff.
A first-hand perspective of what it’s like to be inside the war room during the NFL Draft.
Working with cap specialists and what the analytics department does during the off-season.
How he aided the Falcons decision makers with a massive trade.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with John.
Show Links
Follow John on Twitter: @TheRealPapaJohn
To check out Championship Analytics, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Amelia Probst is a Data Scientist & Writer for Pro Football Focus (PFF). Despite being just 22 years old, the Cornell graduate has already worked in football, baseball, and lacrosse, including internships with the New York Mets and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). In this conversation, Amelia talks about…
How she became interested in sports analytics.
How she applies what she learned at Cornell to working in sports analytics.
Her time with Cornell’s Sports Analytics club.
Interning with the Mets & the PLL.
What’s being done in collegiate lacrosse from a data perspective.
Joining PFF, what PFF does, and her role at the company.
What she has learned about football analytics while at PFF.
The difference between working in football, baseball, and lacrosse.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Amelia.
Show Links
Follow Amelia on Twitter: @ameliaprobst.
To check out Amelia’s writing at PFF, click here.
To check out Amelia’s PFF piece on Offensive Linemen Volatility, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Paul Hembekides, aka Hembo, is a Content Producer for ESPN and got his start in the Stats & Information department, working with Expected Value host Paul Carr in the ESPN research room. Currently, Hembo works on Get Up and #Greeny, Mike Greenberg’s daily ESPN Radio show. He also partnered with Greenberg to co-author “Got Your Number”, a New York Times Bestseller that explores sports history through the lens of who “owns” each number in sports. In this conversation, Hembo talks about…
The origin of “Got Your Number” and he and Greenberg’s process for choosing the numbers.
How he put together the stats and facts for each athlete.
How he balances stats and words in the book.
Biggest surprise when researching and writing the book.
His path and how he got to his current ESPN role.
What he had to learn to adapt his sports passion and knowledge to TV & Radio.
A look inside a researchers mindset & how he approaches the “give me the best stat” question.
Tips & advice for getting into sports research.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hembo.
Show Links
To purchase “Got Your Number”, click here.
Follow Hembo on Twitter: @PaulHembo.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Cory Jez is the Founder of Tour IQ, a golf analytics platform dedicated to providing PGA Tour players an the resources they need for the first time in golf history. He also has a unique resume, having worked for FanDuel, the Utah Jazz, Austin FC, and an an on-air analyst for the Portland Trailblazers. In this conversation, Cory talks about…
His time as an Analytics Manager with FanDuel.
His role as Director of Basketball Analytics with the Utah Jazz.
His time with Austin FC as the Director of Sport Science and Analytics.
The differences of coming into a job vs building a department from scratch.
His role as an On-Air Analytics Insider with the Portland TrailBlazers.
What Tour IQ is and how it can help golfers improve their game.
Transactional vs Transformational in the analytics process.
Building trust with “non-data” types.
Keys to communicating analytics concepts to athletes, front-office personnel, and a TV audience.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Cory.
Show Links
Follow Cory on Twitter: @JezData
Follow TourIQ on Twitter: @tour_IQ
To check out Cory on LinkedIn, click here.
To check out Cory’s website, click here.
To check out TourIQ’s website, click here.
To read Sports Illustrated’s feature on TourIQ, click here.
To read UpRoxx’s feature on the Blazers’ analytics integration on their broadcasts, click here.
For more on the Tobacco Road golf course, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Tegan Ashby is the Assistant Director of Software Engineering for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, she worked in the NBA as a Senior Developer of Basketball Systems for the Brooklyn Nets, and as a Developer of Research & Development for the Philadelphia 76ers.. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Penn, and took classes at Cal Berkeley’s Ancient Neat Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Graduate Studies program. In this conversation, Tegan talks about…
What a software engineer does and how it applies to a baseball team.
What kinds and volumes of data MLB teams deal with.
The difference between a development job with an NBA team compared to an MLB team.
What NBA engineering looks like.
Her background in Linguistics and how it helps her in her profession.
Advice on sports-specific tools for someone learning software engineering.
Co-founding the Women In Sports Data and how people can support the initiative.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Tegan.
Show Links
Follow Tegan on Twitter: @bunsushi
Follow Women in Sports Data on Twitter: @WinSportsData
For more on Women in Sports Data, click here.
For more on SportsDataVerse, click here.
To check out Tegan’s website, click here.
To check out Tegan on LinkedIn, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Carlos Muñoz is a former bullpen catcher who spent nine years with the Houston Astros (2009-2017) and, most recently, served as a bullpen catcher and coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He has also spent time as a scout and instructor throughout his career. In this conversation, Carlos talks about…
His Team USA & World Baseball Classic experience.
His path from Venezuela to where he is today.
What a bullpen catcher does.
Framing metrics and what goes into a being a good framer.
Robot umpires, and how they would affect catchers.
How Latino players use data differently than American players.
Why baseball is so big in Venezuela compared to other South American countries.
The recent MLB rule changes.
Our ‘Playing Favorites’ segment, including Carlos’ love for Venezuelan arepas.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Carlos.
Show Links
Follow Carlos on Twitter: @Carlos96munoz
Follow Carlos on Instagram: @carlos96munoz
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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Hassan Inayatali is a rising senior at the University of Toronto and part of the 2023 Big Data Bowl winning team, along with his partners Aaron White and Daniel Hocevar. Their project, “Between the Lines: How Do We Measure Pressure?” bested over 300 submissions to win the competition. In this conversation, Hassan talks about…
What data they had access to.
How they attacked their topic, where the data took them, and what idea had in mind.
What to say when pitching a coach on their model.
What they would do if they had more time and access to more data.
How he got into sports analytics.
Advice for anyone looking to get into sports analytics.
Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hassan.
Show Links
To check out Hassan & his team’s project on how to measure pressure, click here.
To read the Toronto Sun article about Hassan & his team, click here.
To read the University of Toronto Engineering News piece on Hassan & his team, click here.
For more on the NFL’s Big Data Bowl Finalists, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.
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