Just to be clear, there are three positions here.

Position: Sports Info Solutions Operations Associate

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

SIS is currently seeking candidates for the position of full-time Associate in our Operations Department. This is a salaried position based in our office in the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania.

The Operations Associate will be involved in all facets of the data collection operation at SIS. In addition to the training and supervision of our video scouts, he or she will be heavily involved in the implementation of quality control measures to ensure the highest level of accuracy in the industry. The Associate will work closely with other departments to help coordinate projects involving data collection. The position requires a highly motivated self-starter with an ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Scout baseball and football games from video and record relevant information using internal applications.
• Train and supervise seasonal video scouting staff.
• Create and organize quality control measures involving data collection.
• Improve efficiency of day-to-day operations.
• Prepare and analyze statistical data for delivery to customers.
• Assist with the planning and development of new operations as necessary.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must be able to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office beginning in August 2016.
• Thorough knowledge of sports players, teams, rules, and scorekeeping.
• 3+ years baseball or football scouting, video scouting, and/or coaching experience.
• High school or college baseball or football playing experience is preferred.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with current sports analytics research.
• Must be able to work nights and weekends.
• Strong academic background and overall aptitude.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• High attention to detail with an ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Computer proficiency and the ability to quickly learn new software.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

…

Position: Sports Info Solutions Business Development Associate

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

Would you be interested in working closely with a small team to bring sabermetrics to a larger audience? Sports Info Solutions is seeking a full-time Business Development Associate to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office. This is a great opportunity in a casual office environment with the leading provider of in-depth baseball statistics.

The candidate will develop new sales opportunities as well as help maintain existing client relationships. Strong candidates will possess a self-motivated attitude, great communication skills, and be able to work in a collaborative team environment or independently as needed.

Responsibilities:

• Build new business relationships independently or as part of a sales team.
• Maintain and expand existing client relationships.
• Assist with marketing efforts and represent the company in professional settings.
• Communicate with clients and prospects in-person, over the phone, and via email.
• Educate current and future clients on cutting-edge data and analytics from SIS.
• Collaborate with SIS Operations, R&D, and IT colleagues to build new products and fulfill customer needs.
• Travel to meet with clients as needed.

Qualifications:

• A track record (1-2 years) working in a sales environment.
• A firm grasp on the baseball, fantasy sports, and sports media industries, including the latest sabermetric research.
• Open-minded approach and ability to think creatively to anticipate client and industry demands.
• Outgoing personality and flexible sales style to engage with a wide variety of prospective clients.
• Professional demeanor with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills as well as diligence and high attention to detail.
• Initiative to voluntarily commit long hours, night, and weekends as when needed.
• Proficient in Microsoft software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

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Position: Sports Info Solutions 2016 Video Scouting Internship for Football Season

Location: Coplay, Pa.

Description:

Sports Info Solutions (SIS) is looking for highly motivated individuals with a desire to work in the football industry. Video Scouts will have a chance to make an immediate impression on the company. Each Video Scout will be collecting data that is directly used by SIS clients for advance scouting and evaluation purposes. Not only will the Video Scouts become more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of hundreds of amateur and professional players, but they will also learn about the ins and outs of the football analytics industry. Numerous Video Scouts have gone on to succeed in jobs with professional sports teams and with SIS in a full-time capacity.

Strong candidates will possess great attention to detail, basic knowledge about NFL rules and be able to work in a collaborative team environment or independently as needed.

Duration:
SIS Video Scouts will report to the SIS office to begin training on August 22nd, 2016. The position will last for a period of six months.

Responsibilities:

• Score NFL and amateur football games using specialized computer software.
• Review the accuracy and validity of data.
• Prepare and analyze statistical data for delivery to customers.
• Assist with additional projects as instructed by full-time staff.
• Provide administrative support to the full-time staff.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of NFL and NCAA rules.
• Ability to identify and differentiate between players.
• Computer proficiency and the ability to quickly learn new software.
• High attention to detail.
• High school or college football playing experience is preferred but not necessary.
• Football coaching and/or scouting experience is a plus.
• Must be able to work nights and weekends.
• Must be able to work out of our Lehigh Valley, PA office.

This position is compensated.

To Apply:
For more information or to apply, please submit your résumé and cover letter to Carol Olsen at careers@baseballinfosolutions.com.

Zach Putnam threw 20 pitches on Monday night, and 15 of them were splitters. Many were balls. The White Sox reliever walked all three batters he faced in the ninth inning of a tie game at Fenway Park. Dennis Eckersley, doing color on the Red Sox TV broadcast wasn’t impressed. In his opinion, Putnam “deserves to lose” because he was throwing so many splitters.

Results aside, was it a mistake to throw that many? Putnam has utilized the pitch 68.3% of the time this year — the highest percentage in baseball — and he boasts a 2.30 ERA, striking out 9.9 batters per nine innings over 25 appearances.

Extreme splitter usage isn’t unique to Putnam. Koji Uehara lives and dies by the pitch. Last season, Uehara had a four-game stretch where he threw 52 splitters and just six fastballs. (Broadcasting in Boston, Eckersley presumably knows this.)

I wasn’t able to ask Putnam about his outing, as he left town after the game to have his elbow examined. (He was placed on the disabled list with ulnar neuritis.) I did check in with his catcher, Alex Avila, and his pitching coach, Don Cooper. Both defended the split-heavy ratio.

“His fastball isn’t the reason he’s in the big leagues,” Cooper told me. “If we’re going to win or lose a game, it’s going to be on the split more often than not. His best pitch is a split. He’s been striking out a batter per inning, and he hasn’t been doing it with fastballs. His fastball is to keep hitters honest.”

“We did throw fastballs,” added Avila. “On the walk to Hanley (Ramirez) we threw a 3-2 fastball and almost got him looking, because I think he was thinking splitter. It really has nothing to do with the percentage of times you’re throwing it. The game, the player, the situation, dictates that, as well as what the the pitcher is comfortable throwing. He’s comfortable throwing his split.”