BU and edX Are Bringing Back their Sabermetrics 101 Course

Let’s be honest. Learning new stuff as an adult is hard. Without the regiment of formal schooling (and without curriculum provided by experienced professionals), getting a grasp on a new topic can be very challenging. This might be more true of the technology field than any other. If you want to bone up on your history or math skills, many times you can pick up a few books and gain knowledge. But unless you’re researching the history of BASIC, books aren’t always the most helpful thing for learning new technologies. Sure, I can buy a few books that promise to teach me Python (I have) and do all the exercises (I have), but the subject matter is so wide, it’s hard to feel like you have a real good grasp on the subject (I don’t) even after you’ve finished the books. That’s why places that offer Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) like edX are so great. You get curriculum and direct instruction and are able to interact with other students and instructors when you get stuck.

Learning the underlying technology of baseball analytics is no easy task either. There’s scripting and database work involved. You need a firm grasp on SQL and R and other languages to be able to do what you want. It’s easy to get stuck, and that’s assuming you knew where to start in the first place. Well, edX has a solution for that as well. Boston University is once again offering their Sabermetrics 101 course through edX, and it’s the perfect place to start your understanding of everything that goes into being a good baseball analyst. Oh, and you can take it for free.

Our FanGraphs colleague/spirit animal Paul Swydan did a great writeup of the course when it was offered the first time around. The course starts with some history and basics of sabermetrics, and then moves on to teaching some of the technological tools needed to do one’s own research. You will learn the basics of SQL and R, but, more importantly, how to use these languages for the specific needs of baseball research. Though I didn’t have the bandwidth to take the course the first time around, I did poke around a little, and the offerings are both in depth yet totally approachable for seemingly anyone. All it takes is (very basic) computer skills and a willingness to learn.

Dr. Andy Andres, a senior lecturer at BU and the instructor for the course, told me that even more is in store for version two.

“We have re-vamped the second half of the course, making sure we do justice to WAR as much as we can in an introductory course — we cover not just hitting now, but cover the basics of fielding and pitching. And we have completely re-worked our R curriculum, hopefully having more success is learners getting through some intro programming skills.”

A while back, I presented some how-tos on getting a Retrosheet SQL database onto your machine. Many of you asked for help in querying the thing, which is a reasonable request. However, every time I tried to write one, I got stuck. Sure I could have supplied some sample queries, but to really be able to use the database, one needs understanding of how SQL structure works. If you got through building the database, but still aren’t quite sure how to use it, this is the course for you.

If you didn’t build a database, you can still use the course, however. One of the best parts about Sabermetrics 101 is that all work is done in hosted sandboxes. You don’t need SQL or R installed on your computer to partake in the learning. edX hosts the necessary machines for you. All you need is an internet browser. Sure, you can work on the exercises on your local machine if you wish, but the sandboxing option ensures that any user has access to the proper tools and takes away any apprehension one might have of wrecking their system while they’re trying out new things.

Class starts on July 7, and is certainly worth a look for anyone looking to improve their baseball analysis skills. You can take the course for free, or pay $25 if you want to receive the verified certificate. You won’t learn everything (Andres says that a 201 course is in the works), but you will walk away confident enough to use Google and other tools to find answers that actually make sense.

I encourage any and every TechGraphs reader to take part. I’m fully committing to this session and look forward to seeing all of you in the forums.