Big Data Baseball: Math, Miracles, and the End of a 20-Year Losing Streak - Softcover

SAWCHIK, TRAVIS

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250094259 ISBN 13: 9781250094254

Publisher: Flatiron Books, 2016

Synopsis

Big Data Baseball provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Pittsburgh Pirates used big data strategies to end the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history.

New York Times Bestseller

After twenty consecutive losing seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, team morale was low, the club's payroll ranked near the bottom of the sport, game attendance was down, and the city was becoming increasingly disenchanted with its team. Big Data Baseball is the story of how the 2013 Pirates, mired in the longest losing streak in North American pro sports history, adopted drastic big-data strategies to end the drought, make the playoffs, and turn around the franchise's fortunes.

Big Data Baseball is Moneyball for a new generation. Award-winning journalist Travis Sawchik takes you behind the scenes to expertly weave together the stories of the key figures who changed the way the Pirates played the game, revealing how a culture of collaboration and creativity flourished as whiz-kid analysts worked alongside graybeard coaches to revolutionize the sport and uncover groundbreaking insights for how to win more games without spending a dime.

From pitch framing to on-field shifts, this entertaining and enlightening underdog story closely examines baseball's burgeoning big data movement and demonstrates how the millions of data points which aren't immediately visible to players and spectators, are the bit of magic that led the Pirates to finish the 2013 season in second place and brought an end to a twenty-year losing streak.

About this title

About the Author

TRAVIS SAWCHIK covers the Pirates and Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Sawchik has won national Associated Press Sports Editor awards for enterprise writing and numerous state-level awards. Sawchik's work been featured or referenced on ESPN, Grantland.com, and MLB Network. He is the author of Big Data Baseball.

Edition details

• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250094259
• ISBN 13: 9781250094254
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 258