Keene: Talkin’ baseball analytics with SABR member Shane Piesik
From Keene State College on October 4, 2016, with SABR member Shane Piesik:
Shane Piesik’s parents own a popular restaurant in Hampton, New Hampshire, where his father Andy’s motto is “Whatever it takes to get the job done.” So it comes as no surprise that the younger Piesik ’16 would follow in his father’s footsteps, adopting the same sentiment in pursuing his career.
Coming to the conclusion that his road to the Major Leagues wasn’t going to be on the field as a player, the recent Keene State graduate decided he would try to make it to the majors by cashing in on the latest explosion of data that has hit the game – analytic statistics. “Teams are using analytics to gain a competitive edge,” he said. “The owners know that there’s a lot of money and profits at stake and you have to use all the information that’s available.”
Instead of just evaluating a player’s performance, Piesik devised a formula that measures a pitcher’s performance as it equates to team revenues.
Piesik first espoused his theory in a presentation entitled “Monetary Mound,” last semester at the Eastern Economics Association Conference in Washington, DC. Piesik was encouraged by Professor Marie Duggan and the entire Keene State Economics Department. “They all helped me immensely with that project; I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.
Coming to Keene State to study econometrics, Piesik felt the welcoming faculty and small class size enabled him to thrive. “I took a lot of classes that were critical and crucial to my development,” said Piesik. “The faculty was very dedicated and caring and helped me every step of the way.”
Later in the summer, he made a presentation at the SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Conference in Miami and served as a volunteer at the ‘Saberseminar’ in Boston, where he got to rub shoulders with some of the top front-office people in MLB.
Read the full article here: http://www.keene.edu/news/stories/detail/1475607038574/
Originally published: October 4, 2016. Last Updated: October 4, 2016.