{"id":1117,"date":"2025-05-02T17:06:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/the-people-powering-michigan-baseballs-analytics\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T17:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:06:32","slug":"the-people-powering-michigan-baseballs-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/the-people-powering-michigan-baseballs-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"The people powering Michigan baseball\u2019s analytics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Favoring an old-school approach, Michigan coach Tracy Smith wasn\u2019t an early adopter of new-wave analytics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was some time between 2013 and 2014, before Smith was the head coach for the Wolverines, when he met this wave of change. Then, he was coaching a powerhouse Indiana team to a College World Series <a href=\"https:\/\/iuhoosiers.com\/news\/2013\/6\/9\/DESTINATION_OMAHA_Hoosiers_Advance_to_College_World_Series\">run<\/a>. Talented and confident, but largely stuck in their ways, Smith and his team were indifferent to the emerging world of baseball analytics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re playing at Texas Tech,\u201d Smith told The Michigan Daily. \u201cThree weeks earlier they reached out, some data analytics companies, about \u2018Hey, we plot all the bats and shifts and things like that.\u2019 I remember I was like \u2018We don\u2019t need that. Why do we need that stuff? We know where guys are going to hit.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith carried that mindset into the weekend. Meanwhile, other programs evolved in this new analytics-driven era, finding a leg up. As his team got picked apart by position shifts and well-placed defense, the cost of his ignorance became painfully clear \u2014 and it stung.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cThey were doing all these massive shifts based on the analytics and things,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThey obviously had the software. \u2026 We dropped four baseball games. I remember flying back and I go \u2018We are ordering that data analytics stuff.\u2019 And we literally did it the next week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over a decade later, Smith is now head coach at Michigan in a program \u2014 and a sport \u2014 where data analysis is deeply ingrained. Baseball is a numbers game, there\u2019s no denying that, and data analytics has cemented itself as a vital tool.<\/p>\n<p>But while numbers are the foundation of analytics, their implementation is what matters.<\/p>\n<p>If wielded correctly, the numbers can carve out victory. But wield them with too heavy a hand and you risk cutting away the nuance, the instinct and the feel that has always guided the game. That\u2019s where the people come in \u2014 they are the balance between spreadsheets and instincts, between code and context, between numbers and the athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re a fool to ignore it,\u201d Smith said of the role of data analysis. \u201cBut I still think the human elements are important. It\u2019s a combination.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s that balance and combination that defines the role of people like Hunter Satterthwaite, the Wolverines\u2019 Director of Data Analytics and Video Systems. He mixes interpretation and innovation, and is the invisible hand behind many decisions. Satterthwaite is tasked with finding the equilibrium between hard metrics and the unpredictable reality of student-athletes on the field.<\/p>\n<p>Behind him is a team of student assistants and managers that are in charge of collecting data, setting up TrackMan, creating reports and so much more. They\u2019re the ones setting up equipment well before a game and the ones sitting behind laptops long after practice ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While it makes it look like just a neatly labeled spreadsheet, each one carries a story. Decisions aren\u2019t made in a vacuum, rather, they are forged from real human judgements and at the core every number are people who gathered it, interpreted it, and made it matter.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>Before he was the Director of Data Analytics and Video Systems, Satterthwaite was just another data science major at Michigan with a passion for baseball. And like many of the student managers now under his wing, he didn\u2019t wait for an invitation to get involved.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI reached out to (a mentor) and I was like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019d love to help out the baseball team,\u2019 \u201d Satterthwaite told The Daily. \u201cAnd so I started my sophomore year just being a student manager.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What started as helping set up for practices, catching bullpens and doing whatever the team required quickly evolved. Working under then-pitching coach Chris Fetter and assistant coach Michael Brdar, Satterthwaite was introduced to a new frontier: How numbers, code and analysis could pave the way for a new understanding of baseball.<\/p>\n<p>With TrackMan technology having been recently installed, Satterthwaite utilized his background to translate the data into something useful. His education aligned perfectly with his passions and curiosity, and he found mentors in Fetter and Brdar that valued the same balance that he now preaches \u2014 analysis and interpretation with a human touch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were super smart, super passionate and really, really good with blending the analytics and baseball and kind of every facet into one easy and actionable message for the players,\u201d Satterthwaite said. \u201cI think the reason I enjoyed working with them so much is they would always come into the office and be like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ve been thinking about this. I want to test that theory, can you help run the numbers on it.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The process evolved as the years went on. Now, Satterthwaite is the one guiding students through the same process \u2014 testing theories, finding patterns and building systems that turn raw information into something meaningful.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>One such student manager is Karlyle Yarema. Yarema found his way to the baseball team in a similar fashion to Satterthwaite, wanting to stay close to the world of baseball even if he wasn\u2019t playing. Four years later, he is the head student manager.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the role revolves around what you may expect of a student manager, such as setting up practice and coordinating field setup. But he carries an additional responsibility in handling tools like TrackMan and BATS, two data systems that track every pitch\u2019s movement, velocity and spin, along with multi-angle video. Staff relies on data collection and it\u2019s the student managers who get the job done.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s definitely something behind the scenes that not everybody knows about,\u201d Yarema told The Daily. \u201cWe have a lot to do with helping, making sure everything is running properly whether it\u2019s making sure drills are set up the way they are supposed to be or collecting the data properly so Hunter can actually use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many do not know about, or even acknowledge, this commitment, but without the work of students like Yarema, the systems don\u2019t run and the numbers lose their meaning.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-5    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>It isn\u2019t just the creation of data models and analytic tools that require a human touch \u2014 it\u2019s their application as well. Understanding every player and every aspect of the team is a huge piece of things. Satterthwaite\u2019s job covers everything from player development and lineup creation to scouting and even recruitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we\u2019re making a lineup for the weekend\u2026we sit and talk about \u2018Are there any outliers and statistics that I maybe just don\u2019t see visually?\u2019 \u201d Smith said. \u201cSo all of that material is assembled, and then they use that\u2026and then watching with your eyes if a guy\u2019s having a good at-bat you may go a little against the data. It\u2019s a combination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This combination and balance is central to the way Michigan baseball uses analytics. Conversations pre-game and in-game allow for the constant adjusting of strategies based on what is happening live. Whether it\u2019s evaluating how a hitter matches up against a tough closer or deciding whether to stick with a pitcher mid-inning, these decisions are shaped by both the numbers and the on-field situation.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the data work for the team centers around pitching, where a player\u2019s control over movement and velocity allows for the most optimization. But even here, the staff makes sure to not let information become a burden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s some players that can think really analytically, that enjoy looking at that and can also perform,\u201d Satterthwaite said. \u201cThere\u2019s also some players who, if they get too heavy or too deep into the numbers, it\u2019s paralysis by analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-6    \">\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>This philosophy threads through the entirety of Michigan\u2019s analytics approach. Rather than drowning players in metrics, the staff filters information based on an individual\u2019s learning style and mindset. While some respond to detailed breakdowns and pitch movement charts, others improve through visual cues or direct feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll make it available to them\u2026 and we can use it for teaching points, but we don\u2019t overwhelm them with it,\u201d Smith said. \u201cAnd we don\u2019t overwhelm ourselves with it as a staff as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A huge part of the job is the personalization, the understanding of who needs what and when. The numbers aren\u2019t gospel, they are just a tool to be interpreted, questioned and molded whenever necessary.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t just a computer in a room that runs the numbers. It\u2019s people that drive the analysis and that drives the team\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Satterthwaite pores over data from behind his laptop, while student managers like Yarema work around the clock, setting up gear and logging every pitch. And all of their contributions, plus a lot of conventional baseball wisdom, materialize into Smith\u2019s decisions. Looking at just the intellect or just the data renders the picture incomplete.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes you\u2019ll make a pitching change and righty (versus) left-handed matchups are traditionally the old eyeball test,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBut sometimes you\u2019ll make a change and bring a right-hander to face a right-hander. You\u2019ll hear the crowd yelling \u2018Oh what are you doing?\u2019\u2026 Well the data says he is a reverse split guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s decisions like this \u2014 decisions that those watching may not understand \u2014 that show just how collaborative, personal and nuanced this work is. Behind the numbers, there\u2019s an intricate balance between technology and humanity. For Michigan, that balance is embodied by people like Satterthwaite, who bridge the gap between raw data and real-world application. And the Wolverines\u2019 success is not from the numbers itself, but from those who understand how to harness them \u2014 blending intuition, experience and teamwork to make every decision count.<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related articles<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Favoring an old-school approach, Michigan coach Tracy Smith wasn\u2019t an early adopter of new-wave analytics.\u00a0 It was some time between 2013 and 2014, before Smith was the head coach for the Wolverines, when he met this wave of change. Then, he was coaching a powerhouse Indiana team to a College World Series run. Talented and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1245,1244,222,1242,1243],"class_list":{"0":"post-1117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-analytics","9":"tag-baseballs","10":"tag-michigan","11":"tag-people","12":"tag-powering"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1119,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions\/1119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}