SABR Analytics Conference

2013 SABR Analytics Conference Speakers

Here is a list of speakers, panelists and moderators from the second annual SABR Analytics Conference, March 7-9, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Stan Kasten President and CEO Los Angeles Dodgers	Bill James Sr. Advisor on Baseball Ops Boston Red Sox	Joe Posnanski National Columnist NBC Sports
Jon Daniels General Manager Texas Rangers	Rick Hahn Sr. VP/General Manager Chicago White Sox	Jed Hoyer Exec. VP/General Manager Chicago Cubs
Jerry Dipoto Sr. VP/General Manager L.A. Angels of Anaheim	Vince Gennaro President SABR	Brian Kenny Host MLB Network
Tyrone Brooks Director, Player Personnel Pittsburgh Pirates	Derek Falvey Director, Baseball Ops Cleveland Indians	Yeshayah Goldfarb Director, Minor Lg Ops/ Quantitative Analysis San Francisco Giants
Brandon McCarthy Pitcher Arizona Diamondbacks		Javier Lopez Pitcher San Francisco Giants

Click the links below to listen to audio from these sessions at the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference.

Featured Speaker: Brian Kenny: Brian Kenny, host of MLB Network’s “Clubhouse Confidential,” felt right at home speaking to what he called the critical thinkers of baseball at the SABR Analytics Conference on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at the ASU Cronkite School. Kenny addressed how his show has evolved, where he sees it going, and the questions that he continues to ask himself while analyzing the game. Click here to listen to Brian’s speech, which opened the 2013 conference.

Featured Speaker: Joe Posnanski: Joe Posnanski is driven by the power of narrative. He spoke at the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at the ASU Cronkite School on how he tries to combine stats and stories as a writer and how he’s less certain of what he knows about sports than ever before. Click here to listen to Joe’s speech from the 2013 conference.

Player Panel: How has analytics changed major league players’ approach to the game, their preparation and their performance? Join us to find out. Held Thursday, March 7 at the ASU Cronkite School.

• Brandon McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon is a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, signing a two-year free agent deal with the club in December 2012. He was the Oakland Athletics’ Opening Day starter in 2012 and finished 8-6 with a 3.24 ERA in 18 starts. His season was cut short in September when he took a line drive to the head and was forced to undergo surgery to relieve cranial pressure. He recovered to join his A’s teammates in the dugout during their magical stretch run to an AL West title. Brandon had a breakout season in 2011, when he set career highs in wins (9), starts (25), complete games (5), innings pitched (170.2) and strikeouts (123); he also shattered an A’s franchise record with a 4.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• Javier Lopez, San Francisco Giants: Javier was one of the Giants’ best relievers in their 2010 and 2012 World Series runs. He was acquired at the trade deadline in July 2010 and has put up a stellar 2.42 ERA in 167 appearances for the Giants since. He made five scoreless appearances in the 2012 postseason — he and his wife Renee also welcomed their second child, Christian, prior to Game 3 of the World Series. In his 10-year MLB career, Javier has held left-handed hitters to a .219 batting average.
• Moderator: Steve Berthiaume, Fox Sports Arizona: Steve was recently hired to be the Arizona Diamondbacks play-by-play broadcaster beginning with the 2013 season. He spent more than a decade working for ESPN, where he was a familiar face as a host on “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight.” He has also worked for SportsNet New York, CNNSI and WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut.

Bloomberg Sports—Next Generation of Team Analytics: Bill Squadron, head of Bloomberg Sports, will demonstrate the one-stop-shop system now being used by almost all Major League clubs for their front office operations. It will show the new Bloomberg Sports Pro 2.0 platform, just launched in January 2013. Bill will be joined by Jerry Dipoto, who will discuss how the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim use technology and data analytics in their scouting and other areas, and how they work closely with Bloomberg Sports to maximize their capabilities and efficiency in these pursuits. Held Thursday, March 7 at the ASU Cronkite School.

• Bill Squadron, Bloomberg Sports: Bill is head of Bloomberg Sports, which provides data, statistical analysis and visualizations for sports professionals and fans. From 1997 to 2003, he was co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Sportvision, pushing for television innovations such as the yellow first down marker in football, NASCAR Race f/x and the “K Zone” baseball tracking system.
• Jerry Dipoto, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Jerry is entering his second season as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He previously spent six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, most recently as the Senior Vice President, Scouting & Player Development.

General Managers Panel: On how major league front offices are using analytics to develop a competitive edge and stay ahead of their competition. Held Friday, March 9 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

• Jon Daniels, President of Baseball Operations/General Manager, Texas Rangers: Jon has served as General Manager of the Rangers since October 2005, leading the club to the World Series in 2010 and 2011 after a dramatic overhaul of the farm system and developing an organizational philosophy based on strong scouting and player development. He was selected as Baseball America’s 2010 Major League Executive of the Year. He joined the Rangers in 2002 as a baseball operations assistant and was promoted to Director of Baseball Operations in October 2003 and Assistant General Manager in July 2004. He was the youngest GM in baseball history at the time of his appointment in 2005.
• Rick Hahn, Senior VP/General Manager, Chicago White Sox: Entering his 13th season with the Chicago White Sox, Rick was named as the team’s general manager in October 2012. Previously, he served as Vice President/Assistant General Manager under Ken Williams, helping to determine the club’s roster composition, player acquisitions, talent evaluations and contract negotiations. Prior to joining the White Sox, he spent two years as an associate at Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, California.
• Jed Hoyer, Executive VP/General Manager, Chicago Cubs: Jed joined the Cubs in November 2011 after serving two seasons as the Executive VP/General Manager with the San Diego Padres. He worked in the Boston Red Sox front office with Theo Epstein from 2002-09, helping guide the club to two world championships in 2004 and 2007. His 2010 Padres team finished 90-72 despite the lowest payroll in baseball and the organization’s farm system was ranked the best in baseball by ESPN.com the following year.
• Moderator: Brian Kenny, Host, MLB Network. Brian is the host of MLB Network’s critically acclaimed “Clubhouse Confidential,” where he incorporates sabermetrics into the day’s baseball news. A 25-year national TV and radio veteran, Brian joined MLB Network from ESPN, where he was a “SportsCenter” anchor, host of the Brian Kenny Show on ESPN Radio and an Emmy Award-winning anchor for “Baseball Tonight.”

One on One: Stan Kasten: Stan Kasten has spent a lifetime building successful baseball teams. He became the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new President and CEO, as well as a part-owner, when the team was sold to Guggenheim Baseball Management in May 2012. He served as President of the Washington Nationals from 2006 to 2010. He was an executive with the Atlanta Braves organization from 1987 to 2003, spearheading the team’s dynastic run to 12 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2003. He oversaw the construction of Turner Field and Philips Arena, and also served as president of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers. He was interviewed on Friday, March 8 at the SABR Analytics Conference by SABR President Vince Gennaro. Click here to listen to their session.

Keynote Speaker: Bill James: Bill James entitled his SABR Analytics Conference keynote speech “Wonderful Ignorance,” an oxymoronic title for a man who coined the word sabermetrics. It was that action which SABR President Vince Gennaro credited with keeping the Society for American Baseball Research in the minds of the public and baseball community. James is Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. He is the best known baseball analyst in the world and a prolific author of many books, including the Bill James Baseball Abstracts, the Historical Baseball Abstract, Win Shares, Politics of Glory, The Bill James Gold Mine and the annual Bill James Handbook. Click here to listen to his keynote speech on Friday, March 8 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

Clubhouse Confidential Panel: Our panelists appear regularly on MLB Network’s signature sabermetrics program, “Clubhouse Confidential” (airing at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily). You will have the opportunity to ask them questions related to baseball analytics, value projection and other topics. Held Friday, March 8 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

• Dave Cameron, FanGraphs: Dave is Managing Editor and a Senior Writer at FanGraphs. He was the co-founder of the U.S.S. Mariner blog and previously worked at Baseball Prospectus.
• Vince Gennaro, SABR: Vince is the President of SABR and author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball. He is a consultant to MLB teams, and he teaches in the graduate programs at Columbia University and Manhattanville College.
• Rob Neyer, Baseball Nation: Rob is the National Baseball Editor for SB Nation. He previously worked with Bill James, STATS, Inc. and ESPN.com. He has also written or co-written six baseball books, including The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers (with Bill James), winner of the Sporting News/SABR Baseball Research Award.
• Moderator: Brian Kenny, Host, MLB Network. Brian is the host of MLB Network’s critically acclaimed “Clubhouse Confidential,” where he incorporates sabermetrics into the day’s baseball news. A 25-year national TV and radio veteran, Brian joined MLB Network from ESPN, where he was a “SportsCenter” anchor, host of the Brian Kenny Show on ESPN Radio and an Emmy Award-winning anchor for “Baseball Tonight.”

Player Development Panel: On how information and data has altered the the development path for players and the methods teams are using to evaluate and advance players through their system and measure their readiness for advancement. Held Saturday, March 9 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

• Tyrone Brooks, Pittsburgh Pirates: Tyrone is Director of Player Personnel for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before being named to his current position, he was the club’s Director of Baseball Operation for two years. Previously, he was a Professional Scout for the Cleveland Indians in the Pacific Coast, Texas and California leagues. He worked with the Atlanta Braves for 11 years while serving as their Director of Baseball Admissions. Brooks is also the founder of the Baseball Industry Network, which covers the full gamut of people working in the industry of baseball.
• Derek Falvey, Cleveland Indians: Derek is entering his sixth season with the Indians and second as the Director of Baseball Operations after being named to the position in December 2011. In his role Derek, focuses primarily on player personnel and professional and amateur player acquisitions. He spent the 2011 season in the position of Assistant Director of Baseball Operations where he assisted Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff and the Baseball Operations staff in the day-to-day operations of the club along with all aspects of player procurement. In his first three years with the club, Derek assisted in both the Amateur and International Scouting Departments. Falvey’s tenure with the Indians started in November 2007 when he began an internship in Baseball Operations.
• Yeshayah Goldfarb, San Francisco Giants: Yeshayah is entering his 13th season in the Giants baseball operations department, where he serves as Director of Minor League Operations/Quantitative Analysis. He helps run the minor league operations on a day-to-day basis, including spring training camp, roster formation, player evaluation, budget management and affiliate team liaison. Additionally he provides statistical analysis on major league, minor league, and amateur players for purposes of roster construction, player acquisition and development. He is also responsible for seeking out and incorporating new technologies and data into baseball operations information systems. Goldfarb graduated Cum Laude and pitched for the University of California, San Diego.
• Moderator: Rob Neyer, Baseball Nation. Rob is the National Baseball Editor for SB Nation. He previously worked with Bill James, STATS, Inc. and ESPN.com. He has also written or co-written six baseball books, including The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers (with Bill James), winner of the Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award.

Player Agent Panel: On how the growth in data and information has impacted the role of the agent in baseball, implications of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and how the landscape has changed for agents over the past 10 years. Held Saturday, March 9 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.

• Gregg Clifton, Jackson Lewis, LLP: Gregg is the Managing Partner of the Phoenix, Arizona, department of Jackson Lewis, LLP, and Co-Chair of the firm’s Collegiate and Professional Sports Industry Group. He has worked with many Major League Baseball teams in their salary arbitration hearings and represented NCAA and NAIA collegiate clients regarding rules compliance, investigatory matters and in disciplinary hearings. Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Team Sports for Gaylord Sports Management. He also was the President of Athlete and Entertainment Division for Woolf Associates.
• Casey Close, Excel Sports Management: Casey heads the baseball division at Excel Sports Management, where he represents many athletes including Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Gordon and Michael Cuddyer. He previously worked for Creative Artists Agency and IMG. He was an All-American outfielder and pitcher for the University of Michigan, and holds several all-time career records at the school. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1986 and played five seasons for the Yankees organization.
• Rex Gary, Turner-Gary Sports: Rex is a lawyer and a co-owner of Turner-Gary Sports. His company has represented numerous baseball players over the years, including Ryne Sandberg, Joe Carter, Brad Lidge, Shaun Marcum and Will Venable. Rex has been preparing and presenting salary arbitration cases in professional sports, both baseball and hockey, for more than twenty years. In addition, he represents NCAA coaches in contract negotiations and amateur athletes in NCAA eligibility matters.
• Moderator: Dan Migala, PCG. Dan is the founding partner of Property Consulting Group, a Chicago-based team marketing advisory firm and publisher of The Migala Report, a sports business monthly periodical. He has helped design some of baseball’s most innovative revenue-generating concepts. He is a co-owner with Mike Veeck of the Class A Fort Myers Miracle and author of three sports marketing texts.

Also, check out the panelists and speakers from our Business of Baseball Analytics Session, held Saturday, March 9 at sabr.org/analytics/business/2013.

For more coverage of the 2013 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics/2013.