Orioles looking for Baseball Analytics Intern

[srock]

I doubt the Orioles will ask an unpaid intern to maintain their dataservers, but I guess you never know. It sounds like they are looking for someone to create targeted datasets and perform some data manipulation and simple modeling.

I remember reading a quote from Theo Epstein a while back about the use of stats in Boston. He said something along the lines of, "before I became GM I didn't know what a beta coefficient was. I learned".

The SQL, data manipulation stuff is the easy, dull, make the unpaid intern do it, type of stuff. For example, given the retrosheet data, its pretty easy to re-create baseball-reference. Once you can do that, you can probably do all the data manipulation stuff.

If you don't know what a "statistical model" is, then I think you'd be in trouble.

My guess is the Orioels have all the pitch f/x data compiled in a SQL Server database. Then they have all the normal stuff one would see on BBRef in another database, and then some proprietary stuff (maybe there on WAR calculation etc). They need someone to create and run reports on all this data.

At a very high level, they simple type of task might be: Duquette says, I need a 2B that can get on base, someone has to go write a SQL script to identify all the 2B's who can get on base then start whittling them down by other criteria. Then you generate a pretty report (MS Reporting Services most likely).

A more complex task could be something comparative: Compare runs created for all middle infielders over the last 10 years contrasting those who walk a lot with those that don't. Now your in a world of hurt if you don't have the coding chops or don't know how statistical models work.

Then it an get really advanced and you might need to generate statistical evidence on when its a good idea to hit and run. Like this guy did. I would look into hiring this guy actually

I have background in this stuff and I currently write code for a living. But I'm not qualified for stuff like this. In no small part because I find data analysis incredibly boring and tedious! It takes a special type of nerd to be good at.

[Frobby]

Nah, that's cool because that sounds like what they want. And that is VERY COOL because the 20th Century Orioles want that (of course at a 19th Century robber baron price...)

Uh, Scott, just checking.....you're aware that we're more than a decade in to the 21st Century now, right?

[Sports Guy]

And, by the way, created a gorgeous platinum diamond setting for weams to present to me just about 3 years ago today

3 years already? Damn, time flies!

[DrungoHazewood]

Uh, Scott, just checking.....you're aware that we're more than a decade in to the 21st Century now, right?

This is the Orioles we're talking about. Even the Senators and Browns had conceded that they needed a farm system by the 1950s, but the O's haven't had one for years!!

[byrdz]

Man, if I didn't already have 18 years in as an engineer, and have a wife, two young kids, and a mortgage to support I'd be all over this.

If I was in college, I'd take this job in a heartbeat. But out of college and making good money, so wouldn't do this.

Sounds fun!

You could be this guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Stevens

[DrungoHazewood]

You could be this guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Stevens

Yea, but he was 24 when he quit his job. Couldn't the O's have advertised for this position back in '95?

[scOtt]

Uh, Scott, just checking.....you're aware that we're more than a decade in to the 21st Century now, right?

Yes, WE are. The Orioles? Not so much...