Issue #5 - Part I, August 2013


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** Interview with Joe Hamrahi  **
      (interview conducted by Marc Wasserman with Joe who is the President of Baseball Prospectus.)

(Notes from the Wolfman:  For this interview we have the great honor to speak to the CEO of Baseball Prospectus, Mr. Joe Hamrahi, who similarly as we did in our April issue when we interviewed Callis of Baseball America and Davidoff of the NY Post, is also an SOM Baseball Gamer who is very connected with MLB.  Being able to speak to someone who loves Baseball as much as the rest of us and is able to make his professional work by doing what he loves is quite rare.  We wish to thank Marc Wasserman, our other managing partner of the newsletter for making time to speak to (“call him”) Joe in person and conducted this interview back in June which we are able to share with our readers in this issue. We hope you enjoy it. Interesting to note that there was another computer league I played in maybe about six or seven years ago which Joe is still a member, but we didn't have a chance to meet at that time.)

Marc:  Joe, thanks very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to give us the chance to interview a fellow SOM gamer who is able to hob-nob with people in baseball.

Joe:  "Sure no problem!"

Marc:  First Joe, have you always loved Baseball since you were young? Did you actually play in little league or high school? If so please tell us about your experiences.

Joe:  "I did play Little League baseball and also I played baseball in Junior High School.  I only played for a year in High School. I was a catcher…more of a defensive specialist type."

"But really I enjoyed playing football more. I played football mostly until I tore up my knee in between my sophomore and junior year.  I had cronic pain, and it was before the days of regular MRIs…around 1987 or so.  With a brace and the other stuff that goes along with this injury, I decided not to play anymore.  I wanted to have fun for the summer.  So lo and behold, since I couldn’t play well and support the knee, I left football even though I could have probably continued if I wanted.  I still to this day have these physical problems.  Of course, I couldn’t exactly get down behind home-plate as a catcher for Baseball either, so I became more a spectator."

"Now I like to watch my kids...2 boys, one who is 14 and the other who is 10 years old with a 15 1/2 year old girl.  I love watching them play.  My 10 year old is playing both football and baseball.  My eldest just plays football.  My daughter dances and there they are all sports fanatics...They are immersed in baseball.  I talk and analyze baseball with my eldest son.  He has a SOM team in PSBL (Author’s Note: the PSBL is known as the Pastime Strat-o-matic Baseball League and Wolfman participated in this league for two years around 2005 or 2006) as well as I do.  It’s so much fun."

"We also both play the SOM board game together.  When the special edition of the SOM Baseball game came out 5 years ago we played it too.  We started with board game then played a lot with the Hall of Fame cards where we'd have a series of games.  We had a great a time, playing and learning the history of the game of baseball together through Strat-o-matic."

(Note from Marc: - Joe started to play SOM baseball at the age of 12. He bought the game in Long Island at Kay-bee Toys and Hobby's.  He loved the 1982 Braves with Dale Murphy and the Texas Rangers with Jim Sundberg.)

Marc:  What were your favorite team or teams when you were younger and which professional MLB players did you like the most?

Joe:  "I was a N.Y. Met’s fan when I grew up.  I went with my grandfather and dad to their ballgames.  Guys like J. Youngblood, Mazzilli, and Ellis Valentine were some of the players I loved.  Willie Montanez was one of my other favorites briefly for his glove flips, batting motions and being a hot dog. I even purchase a Willie Montanez baseball glove, LOL!  It was so much fun to watch him play. (despite that he was labeled a hot dog). I also loved Dave Kingman too who I even had the chance to meet as a kid.  He was so tall to me at about t 6'6". There was also Steve 'Hendu' Hederson."  

(Note from Marc: During this interview Joe and I wound up sharing some great NY Mets stories and particularly linked to Dave Kingman and his prodigious power hitting and bat.)

Marc:  If you were a professional player, what position would you have played?

(Here Joe and I spoke at length about our mutual sports interests.  Please find below some of the excerpts from our discussion.)

Joe:  "Going back, I'd say, as I mentioned before in High School, I would have become a catcher. I still hold this position in high regard. I love watching guys like the Molina's and Posey’s play, who are probably the best catchers today.  I have always liked that a catcher is so completely involved in the game.  Then there was Piazza, and I loved Bob Boone. Then there is Gary Carter’s enthusiasm linked to his catching ability. Gary Carter was an under-rated base runner too."

Marc:  Now tell us a little bit about your work with Baseball Prospectus. Did you actually help to create this organization?  How did it start? What is the goal of your organization?  What type of information
do you share?

(Again please find below a composite of our conversation based upon these questions and the answers which Joe gave.)

Joe:  "I didn’t start Baseball Prospectus (BP). It was started by 5 other very smart individuals in the mid 90's.  They were all into the usenet groups that dealt with baseball analysis.  They took a different approach to the game as they followed and analyzed statistics in the footsteps of the legendary Bill James.  As Mr. James was starting to wind up and complete his unique baseball abstracts, all of sudden the internet boomed, causing more research and think tanks to emerge.”  And so, BP emerged at the forefront of those, taking the lead and has growing into an amazing organization now."

"We work with a number of MLB teams on analytical projects. Sometimes the MLB teams want larger data samples or specific statistics from our books or our PECOTA projections.  BP provides scouting reports and player analysis used by some in the industry.  We also put out an annual analytical book that has now has been published for 18 years. The goal of BP is to provide cutting edge scouting and statistical analysis for public and industry consumption."

Marc:  Can you define for our readers what is the PECOTA projections and how are these projections used?

Joe:  "PECOTA, an acronym for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, is a sabermetric system for forecasting Major League Baseball player performance. The word is based on the name of journeyman major league player Bill Pecota. PECOTA was developed by Nate Silver in 2002-2003 and introduced to the public in the book Baseball Prospectus 2003."

"PECOTA forecasts a player's performance in all of the major categories used in typical fantasy baseball games; it also forecasts production in advanced sabermetric categories developed by Baseball Prospectus (e.g., VORP and EqA). In addition, PECOTA forecasts several summary diagnostics such as breakout rates, improve rates, and attrition rates, as well as the market values of the players." 

( Marc: A continuation of a composite of our conversation based upon the questions asked early about BP.  Again, Joe spoke at length. )

Joe:  "I’d say that 50% or more of the members of BP play or have played SOM, which pops up in conversations during the day.  Many of our workers are game fanatics like myself.  So much of the statistical parts linked to SOM have been an impetus for myself and others in our organization to delve into statistical analysis."

"I owned all the early editions of the Bill James abstracts and I was so into Mr. James books that my dad joked with me that if ‘I spent as much time on my schoolwork as I did with SOM and baseball statistics, that I could have been at the head of my class in school" or something like thates, LOL.   The SOM baseball game absolutely helped me with my schoolwork and totally helped me in math.  I loved Math because of SOM and baseball statistics. I even went to college and studied to be an accountant, and eventually became a CPA. I never stopped playing SOM through college though.  I got my Bachelor’s Degree from Binghamton University N.Y. and my MBA from Baruch College in NY."

Marc:  Now Joe, tell us about the travels you are able to take through the work you do for BP that allows you to go to games, to meet the professional players and to speak to managers and coaches, What is this lifestyle like? Why do the ML baseball teams trust and work with you?

Joe:  "BP has enabled me to work in an industry that I love. I have regular relationships with a number of the front office people linked to the Major League Clubs and personnel from around the league. Our products are reliable, cutting edge and analytical, and has great use for the Major League Teams so they continue to trust us."

Marc:  What is your daily life at work for BP – what are your duties? Can you take us through a day working at BP? 

Joe:  "I’m essentially responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the organization. That means everything from making sure the site is running to deciding on writers and content to planning events. All strategic decisions and planning go through me, and I’m responsible for all events, marketing, and staff credentials."

Marc:  Now turning to SOM which is the basis of our newsletter, how did you first become interested in the baseball game - can you tell us your story?

Joe:  "I first heard about the game through the old advertisements in “Baseball Digest”.  The Game Company just had great ads then. I eventually wound up buying the game at a Kay Bee hobby store on Long Island. It came with two teams…the Braves and the Rangers. I think they were from 1978."

"I began playing the basic game but quickly moved on to the advanced game. I read about leagues in the old Strat-O-Matic Review and wound up a joining play-by-mail league before long."

Marc:  We understand you are in the PSBL baseball league - is this the only league you are in or have you been in others?

Joe:  "I'm in another league right now, but I have been in dozens over the years, and even was a commissioner of a couple. I've been in leagues since I was 15.  I used to read Glen Guzzo's Strat-O-Matic Review and then when it became StratFan.   I played in several leagues by mail where I sent in written directions with instructions on how to manage my team. Those were the days; It was fun. I couldn’t wait for the mail instructions of my opponents and the results of the games to come back."

Marc:  What type of team do you like to play with and manage or create via a draft? Can you describe briefly for our reader what your team would consist of?

Joe:  "The teams I like to draft are similar to the 1980 Phillies’ team, or a group like the 1986 Mets. I loved playing with the historical 1961 Yankees especially with Maris' card.  As I got more involved with a draft a team, I preferred to construct an offensive minded team. I rely more upon my offense so I will build a strong On-base, high OPS (On-base with Slugging) team of players. I can live with a few #3 starter types, as long as I have a strong Bullpen.  That’s what works for me the best."

Marc:  Have you ever played in any tournaments?

Joe:  "I've  have not played in any tournaments yet. I'd love to be able to play in a tournament." 

(Note from the Wolfman: We are inviting Joe and any member of his staff, who know SOM, if they might like to join us for the September Convention.)

Marc:  For the people we interview for our newsletter who are SOM Baseball gamers, we always ask if they have any playing tips or strategy advice for the members of our newsletter - is there something special you can share with our members?

Joe:  "I think we all know about the importance of “getting on-base”.  It is spoken about so much so there is nothing new here.  My feeling is that offensive teams play better for me.  But this also depends on various factors like the roster size."

Marc:  Due to your contact with MLB - is there something you learned with this contact that has been beneficial to help you with your SOM Game play?

Joe:  "It helps me to evaluate players.  At the same time I got here by playing SOM so it’s symbiotic.  One helps the other, helps the other."

Marc:  Does BP look at only statistics in the major leagues or do you also do something for the minor leagues too?  What type of books do you print, would these books benefit our members?

Joe:  "The web site Baseball Prospectus, contains articles, statistical reports, and fantasy baseball tools. A dozen authors write regular bylined columns on the site and numerous other writers contribute occasional articles. The site also covers baseball history as well as current issues and events, including games and series, injuries, forecasts, player profiles, and baseball finance."

"A best-selling book (current edition Baseball Prospectus 2013) is published annually and contains statistics and analysis of the past season and forecasts of the upcoming season. We have published other books as well, such as Mind Game: How the Boston Red Sox Got Smart, Won a World Series, and Created a New Blueprint for Winning (2005) and Baseball Between the Numbers (2006). The latter was chosen by the editors of Amazon.com as the best book on baseball (and third best on sports in general) published in 2006."

"On July 17, 2011, BP inaugurated an XM Sirius radio show, "MLB Roundtrip with Baseball Prospectus", and it’s now co-hosted Perfect Game’s Daron Sutton along with Sirius XM veteran Mike Ferrin and myself. Appearing every Sunday on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio channel at 11 PM eastern (XM 89, Sirius 209), the program features three hours of analysis and commentary."

Marc:  If any of our members would like to contact you what is the best way they can do this?

Joe:  "Facebook and Twitter are the best ways. I am available and completely open to talking or writing to anyone. Please feel free to also contact me at jhamrahi@baseballprospectus.com. And don’t forget to visit our website at http://www.baseballprospectus.com/ 

Marc:  Joe, thanks for taking time in your busy schedule to do this interview and be our guest on our SOM Baseball Newsletter, we wish you all the success with BP and let us know if you have any special stories to share with our members in the future. Have a great day!!