Tim Gibbons - TruMedia Baseball Professional Services Lead

Tim Gibbons is TruMedia’s baseball professional services lead, dealing with players, agencies and facliities. He previously worked as a minor-league hitting coach in the Orioles system. In this episode, Tim talks about…

His career path to becoming a hitting coach
What a minor-league hitting coach does
Data available to minor-league teams
How a minor-league team’s approach is influenced by the parent club
Communicating data to players
Mixing data with coaching of mechanics
How facilities and agencies use data
New baseball data points available to coaches

Follow Tim on Twitter: @LineDrivePro

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValuePaul CarrApril 11, 2024BaseballComment

Allison Loucks - ESPN Director, Business Development & Innovation

Allison Loucks is the Director of Business Development and Innovation at ESPN, where she oversees ESPN’s Analytics group. Her team has created ESPN metrics including their Total QBR, Basketball Power Index and pass rush win rate. In this conversation, Allison talks about…

What she does as a director of the analytics group and what a typical day looks like
How ESPN creates proprietary metrics
Challenges of using complex metrics in simple ways
How sports betting has affected her team’s work
Common misconceptions about ESPN metrics
What’s on the horizon for the analytics team
What she looks for when hiring
Her ESPN career and journalism background
Meeting one of her sports heroes

Show links

ESPN Analytics home page

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValuePaul CarrMarch 27, 2024ESPNComment

Matt Chang - NFL Big Data Bowl winner

Matt Chang and his team won the 2024 NFL Big Data Bowl, an analytics competition with a $25,000 first prize. In this episode, Matt will discuss…

His team’s submission, entitled Uncovering Missed Tackle Opportunities
What the Big Data Bowl is and how he and his team became interested
The data and question provided by the NFL
Attacking that question through trial and error
Creating a metric and its components
Making the outputs easy to understand
Ideal next steps with their metric
Advice for anyone looking to enter contests like the Big Data Bowl

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValuePaul CarrMarch 12, 2024Football, NFLComment

Ben Zauzmer - Oscarmetrics

Ben Zauzmer is an assistant general manager with the New York Mets, and he’s better known publicly for his book Oscarmetrics and his Twitter account @BensOscarMath, where he uses data to project winners of the Academy Awards. With this year’s Oscars ceremony coming on March 10, Ben joins Expected Value to talk about…

How he got into the Oscars predictions business
Creating an Oscars model from scratch
The variables that go into his calculations
Projecting nominees vs projecting winners
Explaining probability to people
Factoring in betting markets
Reaction from the film community
Majoring in applied mathematics at Harvard
Courses and skills recommended to aspiring analysts
His favorite movie and favorite Best Picture winner

Show links

@BensOscarMath on Twitter
Buy Oscarmetrics on Bookshop or Amazon

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValuePaul CarrFebruary 27, 2024Comment

Bobby Bandelow - Coordinator of Advance Scouting, Texas Rangers

Bobby Bandelow is the coordinator of advance scouting for the world champion Texas Rangers. During his decade-long career, he’s worked with the Astros, the then-Indians and the Rangers, in roles ranging from video intern to major-league analyst. In this conversation, Bobby talks about…

Winning the 2023 World Series
What an advance scout does for an MLB team
How he presents data to Bruce Bochy and the Rangers staff
Adapting to MLB rule changes
Dealing with small sample sizes
His career path with three MLB teams
Advice for aspiring sports analysts

Show Links

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValuePaul CarrFebruary 13, 2024BaseballComment

Wes Johnson - Head Baseball Coach, University of Georgia

Wes Johnson was named Head Baseball Coach for the University of Georgia on June 5th. Prior to taking the job in Athens, Wes served as the Pitching Coach for LSU, where he won a national championship earlier this year. He also has MLB experience, having served as the Pitching Coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2019-2022. His previous stops at Mississippi State and Arkansas add on to his SEC experience, in addition to his past as a high school baseball coach, among other stops. In this conversation, Wes talks about…

Balancing his responsibilities of being LSU’s pitching coach in the midst of a national championship run with his duties as Georgia’s head coach.
His career path and how he got into coaching in the first place.
An SEC school’s resources from a data perspective.
Coaching in MLB vs coaching at the collegiate level, including the different levels of preparation.
How stats factor in his approach to the transfer portal.
Communicating information to players vs a staff member.
Players to watch at Georgia and around the SEC next year.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Wes.

Show Links

To check Wes’ biography, click here.
To read Wes’ interview with On3 about his MLB experience, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserJuly 12, 2023MLB, Baseball, College Baseball, CWSComment

Brandon Ally - Co-Founder, S2 Cognition

Brandon Ally is the Co-Founder of S2 Cognition, a performance evaluation company that is revolutionizing the way professional teams asses prospective players. He is also S2 Cognition’s Chief Business Development Officer and Director of Football. His educational background stands up again the brightest minds in sports. He has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, a PhD in Neuropsychology from Southern Miss, and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University & Boston University, working in the Geriatric Neuropsychology Laboratory and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, respectively. He also has a background in academia, having served as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Boston University and Vanderbilt University. In addition to his roles at S2 Cognition, he currently serves as Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville. In this conversation, Brandon talks about…

His academic background and what a PhD in Neuropsychology encompasses.
His athletic background at the University of Tennessee.
S2 Cognition’s origin story & what S2 Cognition does.
What they used to develop the primary S2 test and what the exam provides NFL teams.
How things in an athlete’s past influence how well they perform on the S2 test.
Misconceptions between the S2 test and the Wonderlick exam.
How his professional knowledge influences his coaching.
His favorite John Wick movie, and shaming Paul for not having seen it.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Brandon.

Show Links

Follow Brandon on Twitter: @brandonally3
Follow S2 Cognition on Twitter: @S2Cognition
To check out S2 Cognition’s website, click here.
To check out what the S2 Cognition test said about the 2023 NFL Draft QB class, click here.
To read The Athletic’s piece on the S2 Cognition test, click here.
To read The Athletic’s piece on how the S2 Cognition test pointed to Brock Purdy’s NFL success, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserJune 28, 2023NFL, FootballComment

Alison Lukan - On-Air Analyst & Writer, Seattle Kraken

Alison Lukan is an On-Air Analyst & Writer for the Seattle Kraken. In her role, she provides analysis for the Seattle Kraken’s local broadcasts on Root Sports Northwest, with her team winning a Regional Sports Emmy for their coverage this season. She holds a degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and has previously worked as a consultant in Washington D.C. and has a background in journalism, where she is one of the faces of the hockey analytics revolution. She has also written for The Athletic. In this conversation, Alison talks about…

Her academic and career path to get to where she is now.
How she caught the hockey bug and why she dove into hockey analytics.
What data is available at the NHL level, and her access to hockey data.
Her preparation and in-game process as an On-Air Analyst.
The challenges of communicating data on TV and the key to doing it clearly.
How her corporate background informs what she does now.
What an NHL team’s analytics staff looks like.
Where to get started if someone is looking to get into hockey analytics.
Her time as Spidey, the University of Richmond’s mascot.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Alison.

Show Links

Follow Alison on Twitter: @AlisonL
To read Darren Brown’s piece on Alison’s first season with the Kraken, click here.
To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic’s piece on her time as Spidey, click here.
To read Alison’s piece on NHL players’ relationship with their sticks, click here.
To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic on the “Hockey Analytics Conference” (HAC), click here.
To read Bill West’s piece on Alison and hockey analytics, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserJune 14, 2023Hockey, NHLComment

John Taormina - Director of Football Strategy, TruMedia

John Taormina is TruMedia’s Director of Football Strategy, overseeing TruMedia’s football related business. Prior to joining us at TruMedia, John spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. He started as a Football Analyst before becoming Manager of Football Analytics. His final role with the Falcons was Director of Football Data & Analytics. He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Penn State, along with a Master of Science in Analytics from Villanova. In this conversation, John talks about…

His academic path and what led him to pursue a career in sports analytics.
His time with the Atlanta Falcons and how his responsibilities changed with each role.
What a typical NFL analytics department looks like from the inside.
How an NFL analytics department works with the coaching staff.
A first-hand perspective of what it’s like to be inside the war room during the NFL Draft.
Working with cap specialists and what the analytics department does during the off-season.
How he aided the Falcons decision makers with a massive trade.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with John.

Show Links

Follow John on Twitter: @TheRealPapaJohn
To check out Championship Analytics, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserJune 8, 2023NFL, Football, TruMediaComment

Amelia Probst - Data Scientist & Writer, Pro Football Focus

Amelia Probst is a Data Scientist & Writer for Pro Football Focus (PFF). Despite being just 22 years old, the Cornell graduate has already worked in football, baseball, and lacrosse, including internships with the New York Mets and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). In this conversation, Amelia talks about…

How she became interested in sports analytics.
How she applies what she learned at Cornell to working in sports analytics.
Her time with Cornell’s Sports Analytics club.
Interning with the Mets & the PLL.
What’s being done in collegiate lacrosse from a data perspective.
Joining PFF, what PFF does, and her role at the company.
What she has learned about football analytics while at PFF.
The difference between working in football, baseball, and lacrosse.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Amelia.

Show Links

Follow Amelia on Twitter: @ameliaprobst.
To check out Amelia’s writing at PFF, click here.
To check out Amelia’s PFF piece on Offensive Linemen Volatility, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserMay 10, 2023PFF, FootballComment

Paul Hembekides - Content Producer, ESPN

Paul Hembikedes, aka Hembo, is a Content Producer for ESPN and got his start in the Stats & Information department, working with Expected Value host Paul Carr in the ESPN research room. Currently, Hembo works on Get Up and #Greeny, Mike Greenberg’s daily ESPN Radio show. He also partnered with Greenberg to co-author “Got Your Number”, a New York Times Bestseller that explores sports history through the lens of who “owns” each number in sports. In this conversation, Hembo talks about…

The origin of “Got Your Number” and he and Greenberg’s process for choosing the numbers.
How he put together the stats and facts for each athlete.
How he balances stats and words in the book.
Biggest surprise when researching and writing the book.
His path and how he got to his current ESPN role.
What he had to learn to adapt his sports passion and knowledge to TV & Radio.
A look inside a researchers mindset & how he approaches the “give me the best stat” question.
Tips & advice for getting into sports research.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hembo.

Show Links

To purchase “Got Your Number”, click here.
Follow Hembo on Twitter: @PaulHembo.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserMay 3, 2023ESPNComment

Cory Jez - Founder, Tour IQ Golf Analytics

Cory Jez is the Founder of Tour IQ, a golf analytics platform dedicated to providing PGA Tour players an the resources they need for the first time in golf history. He also has a unique resume, having worked for FanDuel, the Utah Jazz, Austin FC, and an an on-air analyst for the Portland Trailblazers. In this conversation, Cory talks about…

His time as an Analytics Manager with FanDuel.
His role as Director of Basketball Analytics with the Utah Jazz.
His time with Austin FC as the Director of Sport Science and Analytics.
The differences of coming into a job vs building a department from scratch.
His role as an On-Air Analytics Insider with the Portland TrailBlazers.
What Tour IQ is and how it can help golfers improve their game.
Transactional vs Transformational in the analytics process.
Building trust with “non-data” types.
Keys to communicating analytics concepts to athletes, front-office personnel, and a TV audience.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Cory.

Show Links

Follow Cory on Twitter: @JezData
Follow TourIQ on Twitter: @tour_IQ
To check out Cory on LinkedIn, click here.
To check out Cory’s website, click here.
To check out TourIQ’s website, click here.
To read Sports Illustrated’s feature on TourIQ, click here.
To read UpRoxx’s feature on the Blazers’ analytics integration on their broadcasts, click here.
For more on the Tobacco Road golf course, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserApril 26, 2023Basketball, NBA, Golf, Soccer, MLSComment

Tegan Ashby - Philadelphia Phillies, Assistant Director, Software Engineering

Tegan Ashby is the Assistant Director of Software Engineering for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, she worked in the NBA as a Senior Developer of Basketball Systems for the Brooklyn Nets, and as a Developer of Research & Development for the Philadelphia 76ers.. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Penn, and took classes at Cal Berkeley’s Ancient Neat Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Graduate Studies program. In this conversation, Tegan talks about…

What a software engineer does and how it applies to a baseball team.
What kinds and volumes of data MLB teams deal with.
The difference between a development job with an NBA team compared to an MLB team.
What NBA engineering looks like.
Her background in Linguistics and how it helps her in her profession.
Advice on sports-specific tools for someone learning software engineering.
Co-founding the Women In Sports Data and how people can support the initiative.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Tegan.

Show Links

Follow Tegan on Twitter: @bunsushi
Follow Women in Sports Data on Twitter: @WinSportsData
For more on Women in Sports Data, click here.
For more on SportsDataVerse, click here.
To check out Tegan’s website, click here.
To check out Tegan on LinkedIn, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserApril 12, 2023Baseball, Basketball, MLB, NBAComment

Carlos Muñoz - Former Houston Astros & Team USA Bullpen Catcher & Coach

Carlos Muñoz is a former bullpen catcher who spent nine years with the Houston Astros (2009-2017) and, most recently, served as a bullpen catcher and coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He has also spent time as a scout and instructor throughout his career. In this conversation, Carlos talks about…

His Team USA & World Baseball Classic experience.
His path from Venezuela to where he is today.
What a bullpen catcher does.
Framing metrics and what goes into a being a good framer.
Robot umpires, and how they would affect catchers.
How Latino players use data differently than American players.
Why baseball is so big in Venezuela compared to other South American countries.
The recent MLB rule changes.
Our ‘Playing Favorites’ segment, including Carlos’ love for Venezuelan arepas.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Carlos.

Show Links

Follow Carlos on Twitter: @Carlos96munoz
Follow Carlos on Instagram: @carlos96munoz
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserApril 5, 2023Baseball, MLB, WBCComment

Hassan Inayatali - 2023 Big Data Bowl Champion

Hassan Inayatali is a rising senior at the University of Toronto and part of the 2023 Big Data Bowl winning team, along with his partners Aaron White and Daniel Hocevar. Their project, “Between the Lines: How Do We Measure Pressure?” bested over 300 submissions to win the competition. In this conversation, Hassan talks about…

What data they had access to.
How they attacked their topic, where the data took them, and what idea had in mind.
What to say when pitching a coach on their model.
What they would do if they had more time and access to more data.
How he got into sports analytics.
Advice for anyone looking to get into sports analytics.

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hassan.

Show Links

To check out Hassan & his team’s project on how to measure pressure, click here.
To read the Toronto Sun article about Hassan & his team, click here.
To read the University of Toronto Engineering News piece on Hassan & his team, click here.
For more on the NFL’s Big Data Bowl Finalists, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserMarch 13, 2023Football, NFLComment

Matt Doyle - Senior Writer & Analyst, MLSsoccer.com

Matt Doyle is a Senior Writer for MLSsoccer.com and has been covering the league for over a decade. His ‘Armchair Analyst’ column is considered required reading for MLS fans around the globe. He also appears on ‘Extratime’, an MLSsoccer.com podcast that covers the league in depth twice a week. In this conversation, Matt talks about…

The 2023 MLS season
MLS’s new Apple TV deal and what his role will look like
How he got into soccer & soccer writing
How he uses data in his writing and analysis
What to do when the numbers don’t match the ‘eye test’
Soccer stats he’s not fond of
Advice for using numbers in writing
His favorite episode of ‘Firefly’

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Matt.

Show Links

Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattDoyle76
To check out ‘Armchair Analyst’ and the rest of Matt’s writing, click here.
To check out ‘Extratime’, click here.
Follow ‘Extratime’ on Twitter: @Extratime
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserFebruary 22, 2023Soccer, MLSComment

Rodrik David - Founder, Right Step Advising

Rodrick David is the founder of Right Step Advising, a company dedicated to helping agents, athletes and schools figure out the next right step for them and their football careers. Before that, he was a scout for the Atlanta Falcons. In this conversation, Rodrik talks about…

His reaction to Super Bowl LVII & how he watched the game through a scout’s lens
His career path from college to being an NFL scout
How data is used in the college scouting process
What information teams gather at events like the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and Pro Days
What part of a scout’s job is aided by data
How agents & players are using data in relation to NIL
What he would do with the No. 1 pick if he was Chicago
Standouts and sleepers in the 2023 NFL Draft

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Rodrik.

Show Links

Follow Rodrik on Twitter: @RodrikDavid
To check out Rodrik on LinkedIn, click here.
To check out Right Step Advising, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserFebruary 15, 2023NFL, FootballComment

Kalyn Kahler - Senior NFL Writer, The Athletic

Kalyn Kahler is a senior NFL writer for The Athletic, covering the league from a national perspective. She has a traditional journalism background and also likes to use numbers in her stories. She is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and has previously worked for Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and Defector Media. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Colorado Springs Gazette, among other publications. In this conversation, Kalyn talks about…

Her path from Medill to The Athletic
Her general approach to using stats in stories
What she took away from working with Peter King
The evolution of data in journalism
How coaches and players react when she brings up stats to them
Advice for someone looking to break into the sports media field
Why she’s not a fan of even numbers

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Kalyn.

Show Links

Follow Kalyn on Twitter: @kalynkahler
To see Kalyn’s work at The Athletic, click here.
To check out Kalyn’s website, click here.
To read her piece on how the Eagles used the QB rush to their advantage, click here.
To read her piece on why NFL coaches call for shotgun at the goal line, click here.
To read her piece on how a cow becomes a football, click here.
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserFebruary 8, 2023NFL, Football, The AthleticComment

Joe Hultzen - MLB Team Lead, TruMedia

Joe Hultzen recently joined TruMedia as our MLB Team Lead. His decade-long experience in MLB allows him to provide clients with the services they need to maximize TruMedia’s product. He has held roles in the Baseball Operations, Advance Video Scouting, and Player Valuation departments. In this conversation, Joe talks about…

The best thing about working for a MLB team
The challenges of working for a MLB team
The biggest surprise about working for a MLB team
How the use of data evolved over the course of his decade with MLB teams
The key to communicating data well
His approach to communicating with front offices compared to players
What skills to develop when searching for a job with a MLB team
His favorite “how-did-I-get-here” moment
Where to eat when in Pittsburgh

Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Joe.

Show Links

Follow Joe on Twitter: @JoeHultzen
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserFebruary 1, 2023BaseballComment

Cristian Perez - Former Advance Scouting Coach, Cincinnati Reds

This week, we’re doing things a bit differently on Expected Value. Producer Sergio De La Espriella has taken over Expected Value and conducted an interview in Spanish, as a way of expanding accessibility to data and analytics information to the Spanish-speaking public. Our Spanish-speaking guest is Cristian Perez. Cristian is coming off a four year stint with the Cincinnati Reds where he served as an Assistant Bullpen & Advances Scouting Coach. He also played college baseball at Duke University & the University of Southern California. In this conversation, Julio talks about…

How he ended up getting into baseball
His earliest experience with baseball analytics
Why forming relationships is such an important part of coaching
How much access Latin American players have to analytics
What can be done to make analytics more digestable to Latin American players
His favorite moments from his playing career and his time as a MLB coach
His favorite place to eat in South Florida

Show Links

Follow Cristian on Twitter: @Cris_Perez18
Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Expected ValueGuest UserNovember 2, 2022BaseballComment