9781422285237 - Analytics: Sports Stats & More

for the Rule V Draft and the amateur draft, so there is a kind of a rhythm to the season. So the typical day in the life changes depending on what month it is, and what decisions are coming up—if it is free-agency time, or if it is time for September call ups, what players make the most sense, things like that. “That is what is so fun. There are so many things to do, and it varies a lot. Even when it’s time to hire a new manager, I have helped prepare interview questions for managerial candidates.” On a different scale, University of Oregon student Rory Davidson learned that being around the teams adds to the skill set of analytics people. He provided stats and information to his high school’s football coaches, but he got a lot of information in return. “I didn’t learn the analytics from working with the football team, I learned those skills in classrooms,” Davidson says. “But from the football team itself, I learned how to ‘talk football.’ Not all coaches are open to all these numbers. Instead of throwing numbers at them, you have to be able to talk like them and put the information into words and terms they use. I came into it knowing a lot of football, but working with the team took it to that next level.”

36 C areers O ff the F ield • Analytics: Sports Stats and More