9781422285237 - Analytics: Sports Stats & More

The Jacksonville Jaguars (left) are one of the NFL teams that has embraced the potential of sports analytics.

role you can think of in the front office,” says Kaplan. “From player and roster evaluations, to payroll information, from major-league practices to opening training academies in the Dominican Republic. “One of the most fun things is helping the team and the coaching staff prepare for a game—sitting down and coming up with a game plan. Let’s say, with the opposing pitcher: How are we expected to do? How is he against the lineup the first, second, third, fourth time? When should each of the relievers and the closer come in? That is part of game planning.” The NBA now has SportVU, a creation of STATS LLC that is being used in every NBA arena. The data it captures can help answer almost any type of question regarding the players:

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