Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Brian Kenny from MLB Network returns to the Library to explore the role of Big Data in baseball and what it means for the future of American’s pastime.
About the program
Exit velocity. Launch angle. Spin rate. The analytics era in MLB has changed the way players and fans alike think about baseball. From Statcast—a state-of-the-art tracking technology in every ballpark—to an assortment of advanced statistical data, a slew of new metrics has become ubiquitous with players, fans, front offices, and broadcasters.
In this lively roundtable discussion, you’ll be “in the clubhouse” with MLB insiders to learn how teams gather and utilize massive amounts of baseball data.
Virtual attendance option
This program will be presented in-person at the Linda Hall Library. If you would prefer to watch this program virtually, please follow this link to register:
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE
An 8-time Emmy Award winner, Brian Kenny is the host of MLB Now on MLB Network, a show known as “The Show for the Thinking Fan.” He also hosts MLB Tonight, and calls play-by-play for both MLB Network Showcase Games, and MLB Network’s “SabrCast.”
The foremost proponent of analytics on television, Kenny has been the keynote speaker and featured panelist at both the SABR Analytics Conference, and the MIT-Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. His book, Ahead of the Curve: Inside the Baseball Revolution, won the National SABR Research Award.
Prior to MLB Network, Kenny was a SportsCenter anchor at ESPN for 14 years, earning Emmy Awards for both SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight.
Dr. Daniel Mack is Vice President, Assistant GM of Research & Development, with the Kansas City Royals. In this role, Dr. Mack oversees the quantitative analysis staff and software developers to assist with evaluation across all areas of baseball operations.
Prior to joining the Royals, Mack earned a doctorate in computer science from Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, Daniel’s dissertation focused on machine learning and anomaly detection.
Dr. Mack was a teaching assistant while completing his master’s degree in computer science with a concentration in machine learning at Columbia University in New York. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Notre Dame in 2006.
Amy Ogren is a dynamic leader at the forefront of sports technology, biomechanics, and innovation. As a Senior Product Manager at Hawk-Eye Innovations, Amy spearheads global initiatives to revolutionize baseball tracking technology. Collaborating closely with Major League Baseball (MLB), MLB Teams, and international leagues like Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), she delivers cutting-edge, client-focused optical tracking solutions that are shaping the future of the sport as we know it.
In her previous role as an Account Manager at Hawk-Eye, Amy oversaw more than 100 team-owned systems across 25 of the 30 MLB Teams, ensuring seamless implementation and operation of advanced technologies. This experience, paired with her tenure as an Assistant Biomechanist for the San Francisco Giants—where she worked directly with players and coaches to translate complex biomechanical data into actionable insights—laid the foundation for her success as a Senior Product Manager.
A former Division II collegiate basketball player, Amy earned BS and MS degrees in Kinesiology and Exercise Science: Biomechanics from Point Loma Nazarene University.
Brad Penny had a 14-year MLB playing career that included two All-Star selections and a World Series championship. After making his major league debut with the Florida Marlins in 2000, Penny helped lead the team to the organization’s second World Series championship in 2003 with a 4.13 ERA in 32 starts during the season.
He made his first All-Star Game appearance in 2006 and finished that season with a 4.33 ERA, a career-high 148 strikeouts, and a league-leading 16 wins for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander made his second All-Star Game appearance amidst a 2007 season in which he had an MLB-best .800 (16-4) win percentage and finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting.
The three-time Team USA pitching coach has been on staff at USA Baseball’s National Team Development Program and Prospect Development Pipeline League while also serving on staff at the MLB Draft Combine each year since its inception in 2021.
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