Job Posting: Pirates Quantitative Analyst
Reports to: Director of Baseball Systems Development
Location: Bradenton Florida
Job Summary
This position will focus on creating and analyzing baseball data sets through the use of advanced statistical analysis with the tasks of creating, implementing, and maintaining predictive models to aid in the decision making process. The position will report to the Director of Baseball Systems Development and act as a resource to other staff on the proper use and implementation of statistical techniques and their suitability for baseball analysis.
Primary Responsibilities
• Design, test, implement and maintain advanced baseball metrics and predictive models using statistical tools and analysis.
• Interface with the baseball Operations leadership on player evaluation and valuation, in-game strategy and transactions by presenting the results of analysis in a clear, understandable fashion using a variety of avenues.
• Advise other staff on the proper use and implementation of statistical techniques, algorithms and tools.
• Keep abreast on development in statistical fields, related to techniques, algorithms and tools applicable to baseball research and recommend/implement them where applicable.
• Keep abreast of sabermetric research in order to integrate new models and processes into the existing infrastructure.
• Other duties as assigned by Director of Baseball Systems Development.
• Maintain and extend the current information infrastructure through the use of SQL, SQL Reporting Services, R and C#.
• Work with the Director of Baseball Systems Development and Data Architect to maintain the long term information and systems architecture for Baseball Operations.
• Assist in one-off research projects to answer specific questions for the baseball Operations staff.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Operations research, mathematics, Computer Science or a related quantitative field.
• Experience with statistical tools and packages such as R, STATA, Decision Tools, SPSS, or SAS.
• Experience with relational database systems and some knowledge of SQL.
• Deep knowledge of baseball including familiarity with all domains of sabermetrics.
• Demonstrated ability to present complex models and ideas to business level users using oral, written and presentation skills.
Desired Qualifications
• Masters degree in Statistics, operations Research, mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field.
• Ability to mentor and teach other staff members.
• Experience in object-oriented or a 3GL programming languages such as C++, C#, or Visual Basic.
• Experience in the baseball industry.
David Appelman is the creator of FanGraphs.
I have to wonder: why Bradenton? I know their spring training complex is there, but wouldn’t Pittsburgh be more appropriate?
Income tax?
Is the law more favorable to employers in FL than PA?
Are they poaching some talent from the Tampa front office?
More stats people available for hire in Florida where there are fewer stats jobs, than in the North East where there are stats jobs everywhere.
… one of those market inefficiencies we like to discuss at Fan Graphs…
That doesn’t make allot of sense, talent tends to cluster around where the jobs are. Hence why you see allot more tech start ups on the west coast than, say Oklahoma.
It’s more likely a tax dodge.
You also have to remember that in Bradenton is where their minor leagues are run and their Hi-A and rookie teams are located. It is a good base of operations if your job is in regards to drafting, scouting, and predicting.
Why Bradenton? Simple. These are stat geeks that will never watch a Major League game and instead be counted on to make up new stats like WAR, VORP, BABIP, BLORG%, QXZ7^5 ratings, or whatever the “flavor of the month” stat is. How do you calculate WAR exactly? Fangraphs and Baseball Reference can’t even agree.