We’re excited to welcome Sam Fuld, Major League Player Information Coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies, to this week’s podcast. Sam discusses his current role in disseminating analytics to players, as well as how this knowledge would have impacted his MLB career.

A special thanks to this show’s sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to https://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you’ll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.

Show Outline

• How Sam was recruited to play at Stanford University as a position player from the Northeast
• How was Sam able to hit the ground running at Stanford and find success at the plate as a freshman despite not having as many ABs against legit arms as his teammates from warmer climates
• Why Sam was drafted late largely due to his lack of height and why baseball is moving away from height bias as athletes like Jose Altuve and Dustin Pedroia thrive
• What recommendations Sam would make to individuals looking to maximize their defensive abilities as an outfielder
• How aware Sam was of the front-office, analytical approach in baseball as a player, specifically when playing for the Rays and A’s
• How Sam become the Player Information Coordinator for the Philadelphia Phillies, and what this role entails
• How baseball analytics has evolved from a tool used strictly for player evaluation and game preparation into one utilized more for player development
• How this player development approach to analytics and would have impacted Sam’s career
• What Sam’s weaknesses were as a hitter, and what information would have helped him overcome these challenges
• Why coaches need to be mindful of overwhelming or underwhelming players with information, and how coaches can individualize the information they are sharing
• How organizational culture impacts the sharing of player information and how baseball as a whole is shifting away from the stubbornness towards analytics
• How the accessibility to information in baseball is shortening the learning curve for managers and allowing younger hires to thrive on information instead of years of experience
• What key competencies ball players should aim to learn to set themselves up for a career in analytics or managing after their baseball career
• Where Sam sees the player information age headed next
• How being a type-one diabetic impacted Sam growing up, and how he used it to fuel his game and live a disciplined nutritional lifestyle

You can follow Sam on Twitter at @SamFuld5, and learn more about his sports camp for kids with Type 1 Diabetes HERE.

Sponsor Reminder

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