SABR Analytics Conference Schedule
The SABR Analytics Conference will be held March 8-10, 2024, at the Beus Center for Law and Society, 111 E. Taylor St., on Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix Campus in Phoenix, Arizona.
Here is the full schedule for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. Click here to find details on all virtual Student Programming at the bottom of this page.
Note: All general sessions will be held in the Beus Center Great Hall, except where indicated below. Times listed are local times in Arizona (Mountain Standard Time).
Friday, March 8
- 8:30-8:50 a.m.: Introduction to Diamond Dollars Case Competition
Vince Gennaro will introduce the 2024 Diamond Dollars Case Competition in the Beus Center Great Hall, with presentations to follow. - 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Diamond Dollars Case Competition
Presentations of the Diamond Dollars Case Competition in Beus Center classrooms. - 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Registration Open
(Beus Center Plaza)
You can pick up your SABR Analytics Conference registration packet in the Beus Center Plaza. - 12:00-12:45 p.m.: Lunch
(Beus Center Plaza)
Analytics Conference registration includes lunch, which will be served in the Beus Center Plaza.
Session 1: Presented by KinaTrax
- 1:00-1:05 p.m.: Conference Welcome
SABR CEO Scott Bush welcomes attendees in the Beus Center Great Hall. - 1:05-1:20 p.m.: Analytics Now
Brian Kenny, MLB Network - 1:20-2:20 p.m.: State of Baseball Biomechanics Industry
Panelists: Arnel Aguinaldo, Point Loma Nazarene University; James Buffi, Reboot Motion; Adam Nebel, Auburn University; Michael Sonne, Chicago Cubs. Moderator: Ethan Stewart, Oakland Athletics. - 2:25-2:55 p.m.: RP1: The Carrot and the Stick: Cleaning Up PED Use in Minor League Baseball
Scott Brave and Levi Bognar - 2:55-3:25 p.m.: RP2: Regression Based Approach for Predicting Ground Reaction Forces in Pitching
Tim Niiler - 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Rule Changes: Pitching and Baserunning Panel
Panelists: Vince Gennaro, SABR; Javy Guerra, former major-league pitcher; Eno Sarris, The Athletic. Moderator: Rob Mains, Baseball Prospectus. - 4:45-7:00 p.m.: Networking Reception with Baseball Industry Network, presented by Baseball-Reference.com
(The Pub at Thunderbird)
The networking reception is an opportunity for conference attendees to meet some of our panelists, speakers, writers and others working throughout the baseball industry. Light hors d’oeuvres served with a cash bar. Located next door in The Pub at Thunderbird, 401 N. 1st Street, 5th floor.
Saturday, March 9
- 8:15-8:45 a.m.: Networking Coffee Talk, presented by Cleat Street Capital
(Beus Center Mezzanine, 2nd floor)
Grab a cup of coffee while we discuss career paths and network. Networking coffee talks are for industry executives and students looking to get into the game and will include industry job postings. Located in the Beus Center Mezzanine on the 2nd floor.
Session 2: Presented by SMT
- 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Rule Changes: Hitting and Defense Panel
Panelists: Meg Rowley, FanGraphs; Bobby Scales, Sports Info Solutions; Mark Simon, Sports Info Solutions. Moderator: Brian Kenny, MLB Network. - 10:00-10:15 a.m.: Student RP1: Bringing Pitching+ to DIII Baseball: The Art of W.A.R. Model
Henry Gliedman and Benjamin Reinhard
- 10:15-10:30 a.m.: Student RP2: How Did the Pitch Clock Affect Pitcher Performance?”
Thomas Stanton - 10:35-10:50 a.m.: Student RP3: Influence of Leverage Index on Pitching Biomechanics
Adam Nebel
- 10:50-11:05 a.m.: Student RP4: Optimizing Lineup Simulators with Ball Tracking Data
Reece Calvin - 11:05-11:20 a.m.: Student RP5: Kenny Lofton Portfolio for Induction Into the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Erick Figueroa, John Nunez, Renee Brown, Pamela Carbajal, Nogales High School Sports Analytics Club - 11:25-11:55 a.m.: Diamond Dollars Case Competition
Encore presentation from the winning team of the Diamond Dollars Case Competition. - 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunch
(Beus Center Plaza)
Analytics Conference registration includes lunch, which will be served in the Beus Center Plaza.
Session 3: Presented by Simi
- 1:15-1:30 p.m.: SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards presentation
SABR CEO Scott Bush will recognize the winners of the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference Research Awards. - 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Baseball’s Current and Future Application of AI Panel
Panelists: Christopher Bitetto, MLB; Joe Rosales, Sports Info Solutions; Amod Sahasrabudhe, Gemini Sports Analytics. Moderator: Brian Hall, AlphaPlay. - 2:30-3:00 p.m.: RP3: Is Less More? A Validation in Baseball Pitching Comparing a 4 vs 8 Camera Setup
James Wright
- 3:00-3:30 p.m.: RP4: Refining Baseball Pitching Accuracy: Assessing the Impact of Immediate Feedback on Pitching Precision
Takafumi Hayashi, Takaaki Nara, and Takehiko Sano - 3:30-4:00 p.m.: RP5: Do Pitchers Learn How to Avoid the Third-Time-Through-the-Order Penalty?
Rob Mains
- 4:15-5:15 p.m.: Baseball Prospectus Founders Panel
Panelists: Clay Davenport, Gary Huckabay, Rany Jazayerli, Christina Kahrl, Joe Sheehan. Moderator: Will Carroll.
Sunday, March 10
- 8:15-8:45 a.m.: Networking Coffee Talk, presented by Cleat Street Capital
(Beus Center Mezzanine, 2nd floor)
Grab a cup of coffee while we discuss career paths and network. Networking coffee talks are for industry executives and students looking to get into the game and will include industry job postings. Located in the Beus Center Mezzanine on the 2nd floor.
Session 4: Presented by University of the Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business
- 9:00-9:30 a.m.: RP6: Noisier Judgments: In-Game Applications of Probability Surface-Based Analysis of Umpiring Variability
Emily-Anne Patt and James Stockton - 9:30-10:00 a.m.: RP7: Changes in Minor League Umpire Tendencies With The Challenge and Automatic Ball-Strikes Systems
Jeremy Losak, Jason Maddox, and Jonah Soos - 10:00-10:30 a.m.: RP8: Predicting Pitch Sequences Using Conditional At-Bat Modeling and Neural Networks
Connor Turner - 10:35-11:35 a.m.: MLB Statcast Updates: Weather and Bat Tracking
Panelists: David Adler, Jason Bernard, Graham Goldbeck, Clay Nunnally, and Mike Petriello from Major League Baseball - 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: RP9: Weighted Bullpen Management Score Plus: Quantifying MLB Pitching Change Decision Making
Sean Sullivan - 12:15-12:45 p.m.: RP10: Introducing Grid WAR: Rethinking WAR for Starting Pitchers
Ryan Brill and Abraham Wyner - 12:45-1:00 p.m.: Conference Wrap-Up
SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush.
Virtual Student Sessions at the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference
In addition to the complete general session program, the following virtual sessions are available on Thursday, March 7 to anyone who registers as a student for the 2024 SABR Analytics Conference. A special Zoom link, separate from the general sessions, will be sent to all students.
Currently enrolled high school or college students are eligible to attend for a special $50 registration fee. Student registration includes a one-year SABR membership ($25 value) and a complimentary Rapsodo certification course ($395 value). Students should email Scott Carter with a photo of their student ID to receive the discounted registration link. Access to Rapsodo online certification course will be delivered after conclusion of the conference.
Virtual Student Programming
All times listed are local times in Arizona (Mountain Standard Time).
Thursday, March 7
Presented by Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics
- 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Introduction to Baseball Databases
Sean Lahman, SABR - 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Working with Baseball-Reference Data
Jonah Gardner and Zoe Surma, Sports Reference - 1:30-2:00 p.m.: Working with Baseball Savant and R
Shanna Shi, Associate Data Quality Analyst, Major League Baseball - 2:00-3:00 p.m.: Forecasting: Using Historical Data with Regression Models to Predict Performance
David Hyland, Xavier University - 3:00-4:00 p.m.: SLICED with SABR
Nick Wan, Director of Analytics, Cincinnati Reds - 5:00-6:00 p.m.: Student Networking Breakout Room
We invite you to an informal breakout session with your peers. This is a great way to build connections for your network and discuss the conference with other attendees.
For more information on the SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.