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2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference Schedule

The SABR Virtual Analytics Conference, presented by Major League Baseball, Rawlings, and Sports Info Solutions, was held March 11-14, 2021.

Here is the full schedule for the 2021 SABR Virtual Analytics Conference. Click on a link below to watch highlights from each session. Click here to find details on all Student Programming at the bottom of this page.

Note: All times listed are in the Eastern time zone.

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Thursday, March 11
(6:30-9:00 p.m. EST)
Presented by Baseball-Reference.com

• 6:30-7:00 p.m.: Introduction + The Year in Analytics
  SABR CEO Scott Bush will welcome attendees and MLB Network host Brian Kenny will give a talk on recent trends in baseball analytics.
• 7:00-7:30 p.m.: RP1—Rob Mains, “Lessons Learned from the National League’s DH Experiment”
• 7:30-8:00 p.m.: RP2—Matt Manocherian and John Shirley, “Modeling Injury Risk Using In-Depth Injury Data””
• 8:00-9:00 p.m.: The Use of Analytics in Contract Negotiations
  Panelists: Lonnie Murray, Sports Management Partners; Burton Rocks, C.L. Rocks Corporation; Jay Sartori, Detroit Tigers. Moderator: Brian Kenny, MLB Network.

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Friday, March 12
(6:30-9:00 p.m. EST)
Presented by KinaTrax

• 6:30-7:00 p.m.: RP3—David Gerth, “Using Kelly Criterion to Build MLB Draft Rankings”
• 7:00-8:00 p.m.: Biomechanics in MLB: The Next Competitive Edge in Analytics
  Panelists: Dr. John De Witt, Chicago Cubs; Dr. Ben Hansen, Chicago White Sox; Dr. Mike McNally, Tampa Bay Rays. Moderator: Dr. Glenn Fleisig, American Sports Medicine Institute.
• 8:00-8:30 p.m.: RP4—Nate Rowan, “The Whiff Effect: Are Pitchers More Likely to Repeat the Previous Pitch After A Swing-And-Miss?”
• 8:30-9:00 p.m.: RP5—Ben Howell, “Modeling Plate Discipline from the KBO to MLB”

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Saturday, March 13
(12:00-7:00 p.m. EST)
Presented by SMT

• 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Analyze This: The Varying Roles and Skillsets of Baseball Analysts
  Panelists: Ehsan Bokhari, Houston Astros; Maggie O’Hara, Detroit Tigers; Josh Ruffin, Minnesota Twins. Moderator: Eduardo Perez, ESPN.
• 1:00-1:30 p.m.: RP6—Meredith Wills, “The 2020 Major League Baseball: And Now, For Something Completely Different”
• 1:30-2:00 p.m.: RP7—Connor Turner, “The Pinch-Hitter Problem: Using Markov Chains to Analyze Outcomes in Pitcher-Batter Matchups”
• 2:00-2:30 p.m.: RP8—Jason Themanson, “Contextual Influences On Neural Activity to Pitches and Feedback: Psychology and Performance at the Plate”
• 2:30-2:45 p.m.: SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards presentation
  SABR CEO Scott Bush will announce the winners of the 2021 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards.
• 2:45-3:30 p.m.: Break

Presented by Rapsodo

• 3:30-4:00 p.m.: RP9—Barton Smith, “Seam Shifted Wake in MLB Pitches”
• 4:00-4:30 p.m.: RP10—Glenn Healey and Lequan Wang, “Analyzing the Elements of Pitch Movement Using Hawk-Eye Data”
• 4:30-5:00 p.m.: Statcast Pitch Tracking Methods
  MLB Baseball Scientist Clay Nunnally and Dr. Paul Hawkins of Hawk-Eye Innovations will give a talk on pitch tracking methods in the Statcast system.
• 5:00-5:30 p.m.: RP11—Alan Nathan, “What Is Hawk-Eye Teaching Us About Baseball Pitches?”
• 5:30-6:00 p.m.: RP12—Hillary Plummer, “Association Between Hip Rotational Range of Motion and Pitching Mechanics in High School Baseball Pitchers”
• 6:00-6:30 p.m.: RP13—Jeremy Losak, “MLB Home Field Advantage Without Fans”
• 6:30-7:00 p.m.: Diamond Dollars Case Competition
  Encore presentation from the winning team of the Diamond Dollars Case Competition.

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Sunday, March 14
(1:00-4:45 p.m. EDT)
Presented by Hawk-Eye Innovations

• 1:00-1:30 p.m.: RP14—Rylan Edwards and Joe Rosales, “What’s He Throw? Identifying and Analyzing Pitch Sub-Types”
• 1:30-2:00 p.m.: RP15—Glenn Fleisig, Alek Diffendaffer, Jonathan Slowik, “Key Factors in Pitching Biomechanics for Fastball Consistency”
• 2:00-2:30 p.m.: MLB Statcast Player Pose Tracking and Visualization
  Panelists: Graham Goldbeck, Marc Squire, Sid Sethupathi
• 2:30-3:00 p.m.: Break
• 3:00-3:30 p.m.: RP16—Joshua Silver and Tate Huffman, “Explainable AI for Baseball Predictions and Strategies”
• 3:30-4:00 p.m.: RP17—Adi Wyner, “Is the 3rd Time Through the Order Effect Real? Correcting for Lineup Order and Pitcher Quality Selection Bias”
• 4:00-4:30 p.m.: RP18—Kristen Faith Nicholson, “Predicting Pitching Arm Stress With Machine Learning Models”
• 4:30-4:45 p.m.: Conference Wrap-Up
  SABR CEO Scott Bush will deliver closing remarks.

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