We are calling all baseball fans, general managers, front office personnel, data scientists, and machine learning experts who are interested in baseball analytics. For those interested in analyzing data sets on the whole game of baseball, from player performance to batting averages, then a sabermetrics course is a career home run.
What Is Sabermetrics?
Sabermetrics is a scientific and objective analysis of the game of baseball. It is the study of baseball through observation and experimentation, using data analytics to gain insights. Bill James coined the term in 1980 by tacking the word metrics onto the acronym for the Society of American Baseball Research. Thus SABR-metrics, or sabermetrics, was born.
Sabermetrics gets to the heart of what makes a player able to hit a curveball, how individual players perform through time, and other extensive baseball performance knowledge. Sabermetricians gain insight into the game of baseball not through consensus, nor by relying on conventional wisdom, but by searching for objective knowledge in the stats.
What Is Sabermetrics Used For?
Here are just some ways baseball analytics is implemented in the industry. The exciting thing about it is, as time goes on, and as the technology evolves, the greater the possibilities will be in the future.
- Data Recording. Today’s technology can help record players’ batting strength, how far the ball is hit, launch angles, running speeds, and so much more.
- Analysis of Baseball. In-game analysis produces baseball statistics, which can then be used in various ways.
- Development of Players. Once gathered, the data can help teams improve their performance and efficiency. It can show, for example, whether a player has fully healed from previous injuries, or simply highlight the best players.
- Signing New Players. Using statistics to assess a player’s strengths and weaknesses will make signing players much easier. Sabermetrics can identify, for example, which pitchers have the most amazing curveballs, and then use the data to decide which player to pick up.
Types of Sabermetrics Terms
To help you understand the fundamentals of this evolving field, let’s define some common metrics.
AB – At Bats
This refers to the total number of times a batter comes to the plate minus walks. This is the denominator in the calculation for batting average and slugging percentage, and also plays a role in on-base percentage.
BABIP – Batting Average on Balls in Play
Also known as the Hit Rate (H%), it measures luck in a batter’s performance. Taking home runs and strikeouts out of the equation, BABIP isolates the percentage of balls hit into the field of play that actually result in hits.
HR – Home Runs
In case you don’t know, home runs are when a batter makes contact with a pitch, and the ball flies out of the park in fair territory, allowing the batter a free trip around the bases.
WAR – Wins Above Replacement
WAR is a summary of a player’s total contribution to their team’s performance shown in one statistic.
Learning Sabermetrics
To learn sabermetrics, you will first need to know programming languages and data statistics or a similar field. Once you have all the foundational knowledge, you can take a sabermetrics course to learn how to analyze baseball games.
Students can supplement a college-level sabermetrics course with statistics, computer science, or machine learning courses. These will usually teach you regression techniques and clustering algorithms.
Learning this specialization also involves learning things like statistics, math, probability, Bayesian thinking, and even Markov Chain Monte Carlo. Other core concepts include probability distributions, hypothesis testing, and regression.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Sabermetrics?
Sabermetrics courses can last between ten hours and eight weeks in learning time. With no experience in data science, it can take a few years to learn sabermetrics. Plus, programming languages can vary in learning time depending on whether you do a coding Bootcamp, a computer science degree, or take online courses.
How to Learn Sabermetrics: Step-by-Step
Sabermetrics can seem challenging figuring out where to start your learning, as people from different fields can get into it in different ways. Here is a simple beginner’s guide to developing the skills you need to compete with other sabermetrics professionals.
- Core Math and Statistics. Learning statistics and probability is a wonderful place to begin. Learning additional machine learning mathematical courses is also a great idea. If you didn’t do great at these in school, then take some online courses to bring your knowledge up to scratch.
- Computer Programming. Coding will also be a critical skill to learn, in particular languages like Python and R. Start with these two, as they focus on data and will be a solid foundation for sabermetrics.
- Bayesian Principles. Bayesian thinking is the process of updating models as additional data is collected, and it’s a core part of machine learning.
- Statistical Machine Learning. The relatively new wave of machine learning isn’t essential, but it is wise to read up on this topic. There are also plenty of machine learning courses for students to choose from.
- Sabermetrics. Lastly, you can apply all of this knowledge to baseball. A sabermetrics course will take you in-depth on player statistics, provide you with the tools used to make calculations, and prepare you for an industry job.
The Best Sabermetrics Courses and Training
Whether you are a fan of the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, or any other team, here are some fantastic courses to start analyzing baseball statistics. There are options for those who want to study in-person, online, or for free.
In-Person Sabermetrics Classes
Due to COVID-19, it is becoming difficult to find shorter in-person courses. However, here are some exciting degree programs for students to browse. For those seeking a faster or cheaper course, the online section is a better match for you.
BA with a Major in Sport Management and a Major Concentration in Sport Analytics
- School: Rice University, Houston, Texas
- Time: 3-4 Years
- Delivery Method: in-person
During this program, students will learn a range of sports analytics. Students will gain skills in statistical analysis, data mining, and data visualization. Students will learn how to give advice based on statistics, produce marketing plans, and earn fantastic internships.
BS in Sports Analytics
- School: California Baptist University
- Time: 1 Year
- Delivery Method: In-Person
- Price: $1,358.49
This program is a combination of math and sports, and it is a fun option for those interested in sports of any kind. Interdisciplinary in nature, it helps students develop their analytical skills and mathematical talent while hitting a home run in computer science proficiency.
Master of Science in Sports Analytics and Management
- American University, Washington, DC
- Time: 1 Year
- Platform: Online
This is an online Master of Science in Sports Analytics and Management. The program ensures students gain skills highly sought by employers by guiding them through a proprietary curriculum called Professional Studies Experience (PSE).
Online Sabermetrics Courses
These online courses cover the theory you will need for the emerging science of sabermetrics. They also cover all the relevant courses to take before heading full steam into sabermetrics, such as data science, math, and Bayesian statistics.
MicroMasters in Statistics and Data Science
- Provider: MIT (edX)
- Time: 1 Year
- Platform: Online
- Price: $1,358.49
In this MOOC MicroMasters, students will learn the core concepts needed to move onto sabermetrics. Students will learn the foundations of data science, statistics, and machine learning. Topics covered include big data, probabilistic modeling, statistical inference, machine learning algorithms, deep neural networks, and more.
Professional Certificate in Data Science
- Provider: Harvard University (edX)
- Time: 1 Year 5 Months
- Platform: Online
- Price: $800
Harvard University has created a professional certificate for those looking to change their career. This program offers R programming skills, statistics, data visualizations, machine learning algorithms, wrangling, tools like Unix, Linux, Github, and more.
Math behind Moneyball
- Provider: The University of Houston (Coursera)
- Time: 65 Hours
- Platform: Online
- Price: Varies
This course focuses on the probability, math, and statistics you will need. This course’s most significant advantage is it can be applied to baseball, football, and basketball teams, thus giving students a range of sports analysis options.
Statistics with R: Bayesian Statistics
- Provider: Duke University – Coursera
- Time: 35 Hours
- Platform: Online
- Price: Varies
Duke University provides an excellent short course using Bayes’ rule to transform prior probabilities into posterior probabilities. The course also covers the Bayesian paradigm, which entails building models to elicit prior probabilities and implementing it in R.
Free Sabermetrics Courses
For complete sabermetrics beginners, some free courses will take your knowledge from minor to the major leagues. They include free coding tutorials, machine learning, and sabermetrics 101.
Computer Programming
- Provider: Khan Academy
- Time: Self-paced
- Platform: Online
- Price: Free
Khan Academy is perfect for those who want to learn the basics of programming and computer science for free. It offers lessons on SQL, Java, HTML, and CSS. It also has modules on data, which are perfect for complete beginners who want to get into sabermetrics.
Baseball Analytics Course
- Provider: Sports Management WorldWide
- Time: 8 Weeks
- Platform: Online
- Price: Free
Ari Kaplan teaches this course with Dan Evans occasionally pinch hitting. Evans is also a SABR member, which provides students with insider insights. This short course will teach you how to do advanced scouting, R, SQL, Python, statistics, arbitration, forecasting, defensive metrics, and much more.
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Sabermetrics 101: Introduction to Baseball Analytics
- Provider: Boston University – edX
- Time: 4 Weeks
- Platform: Online
- Price: Free, or $30 with a certificate
The course is a great introduction to data science basics, which requires skills in statistics, and computation. Topics covered include baseball data, the basics of statistical regression, the R Language, SQL, and more.
Sabermetrics Books
Although it may seem counterintuitive to read about a computer-based subject, the opposite is true. Some fantastic books can help you grasp concepts written by experts in the field, including Bill James himself.
Analyzing Baseball Data with R, Max Marchi, Benjamin S. Baumer & Jim Albert
This book equips readers with the skills and software knowledge to perform all the common analysis steps. The steps start with importing the data and end with transforming them into a visual format like data graphs.
It discusses popular sabermetrics topics like the Pythagorean formula, catcher framing, run expectancy, career trajectories, game simulations, launch angles, and exit velocities.
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James
The acclaimed godfather of sabermetrics, Bill James wrote this holy book of baseball for anyone interested in pursuing this career. Discover the top players at each position in the major leagues and stats-based rankings called Win Shares. Learn how to calculate the abilities of pitchers, catchers, infielders, and outfielders.
A Fan’s Guide to Baseball Analytics, Anthony Castrovince
Anthony Castrovince takes on the explainer’s role to help fans learn about the game’s stats and data. Read this to learn more about WAR, WHIP, wOBA, and more modern baseball metrics. Readers will also know where current stats came from, what they mean, and how to use them to evaluate players of the present, past, and future.
Online Sabermetrics Resources
Online guides are another great tool to supplement your learning. Here you will find exciting articles and videos that teach you the basics, show you player stats, or brush up your baseball data analytics knowledge.
FanGraphs Library
Do you want to find player statistics in the major leagues, read baseball articles, look at player leaderboards, or play fantasy baseball? Then FanGraphs is the place for you, with tons of content on sabermetrics and useful or fun pages to browse through.
YouTube
For those who want to see interviews with Bill James, hear expert talks, or find general videos about sabermetrics, then YouTube is perfect. Click on the link above to watch an interesting interview with Bill James and browse related content in the sidebar.
Should You Study Sabermetrics?
Whether you are just a big baseball fan, plan on pursuing sports management, or love data and statistics, consider sabermetrics courses. This exciting interdisciplinary field takes math skills, computational skills, coding skills, and a keen eye for everything on the baseball diamond, as well as a passion for the sport.
Learning the fundamentals of this emerging field is also a smart career move. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Data Scientists and Mathematical Science Occupations can earn a median salary of $100,560, with athlete managers making a median of $97,170.
If you want to expand your knowledge of baseball performance, the knowledge is there for the taking. So step up to the plate and knock one out of the park.
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