True Blue L.A.: Five questions to Cory Schwartz
From SABR member Craig Minami at True Blue L.A. on April 24, 2012, with SABR member Cory Schwartz:
During this past Spring Training, I attended the SABR Analytics Conference in Mesa, Arizona. There I was able to meet several people that work in baseball including Cory Schwartz. Cory is Vice President of Statistics for MLB.com and led the team that implemented the Pitch f/x system throughout baseball. He is also the co-host of the Fantasy 411 on MLB.com.
Cory was kind enough to answer 5 questions from True Blue LA.
1. Cory, can you describe a typical day at MLBAM (MLB Advanced Media) once the season starts?
Cory: There’s really no such thing… we cover over 17,000 live events per year, between the Majors, minors and winter leagues, so pretty much anything that can happen on a baseball field will happen at some point or another, and we have to deal with it. That involves everything from logistics (credentials, laptops, connectivity), to software and product development, to data validation and database management, to syndication and distribution. However, the fact that there is no “typical” day is what makes this job so great and exciting.
2. Any new features on Gameday we should look for this season?
Cory: Quite a few. The one I’ve worked on is called “Scout”, which does data-mining of Pitch-f/x and other data to generate “color commentary” style messages to complement the fact-based play-by-play. The goal if this feature is to provide more insight into what’s happening on the field, such as when the pitcher is getting tired and it might be time for a call to the bullpen… Scout will try to find that out, and more. Some of the statements might look a little simplistic at the start of the season, since there’s very little data to work with, but as the season goes on the messages will become more sophisticated and insightful… we’re very excited about this. We’ve also added interactive mid-inning games like you might see on the scoreboard at your favorite ballpark, improved the integration of multimedia and video, and updated the batter and venue graphics. We think the product looks fantastic and is a great experience in which to follow the game.
Read the full article here: http://www.truebluela.com/2012/4/24/2971246/five-questions-to-cory-schwartz-mlb-com
Originally published: April 24, 2012. Last Updated: April 24, 2012.