Hi there!

My name is Ben Howell, a second-year Sport Management and Economics student at the University of Texas at Austin. My primary interests are in the realm of player evaluation, acquisition, and development in MLB, the NBA, and the WNBA.

I currently work for the University of Texas Baseball team as a Research and Development Intern, building a dashboard to visualize Trackman data and creating scouting reports on opposing teams. Early this year, I charted 30,000 pitches from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) and created the KBO Wizard to host my data. As the season wound down, I translated that data into in-depth scouting reports on potential MLB players from the KBO. I’ve presented my research at the Ohio State Sports Analytics Conference and spoken with people in and around MLB regarding my insights and data.

Check out some of my writing and analysis below, as well as my resume. Or if you’re here to check out the KBO Wizard, you can do so here.

You can reach me through email at Ben.Howell@utexas.edu or on Twitter @Benhowell71

Introducing KBO Estimated xwOBA and Estimated xwOBACON
One of the main features of the KBO Wizard is the ability to view batted ball data that I have
Yang Hyun-jong, MLB Caliber or Not?
The KBO season is entering its home stretch as teams enter their final 30 games with seven teams (sorry Samsung)
Drew Rucinski Holds the Wyverns in Check
As the NC Dinos look to extend their control over the one-seed in the KBO playoff race, they turned to

Projects

Creator of the KBO Wizard

  • Tracked and tagged 30,000+ pitches from pitchers in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) and created an R Shiny tool to display my data
  • Calculated advanced stats like Whiff%, F-Strike%, Zone% to evaluate and scout KBO pitchers
  • Tracked pitch locations, velocity, and batted ball data to compile reports on pitchers

Spring 2020 Big 12 Baseball Scouting Project

  • Wrote 184 pre & post-season scouting reports on qualified Big 12 baseball players
  • Compiled postgame reports with data on velocity, swinging strikes, and batted balls from charting games
  • Used wOBA, BABIP, K%, and more to evaluate tendencies and the sustainability of individual player approaches

Experience

Texas Baseball Analytics Intern — from September 2020 to Present

  • Created tool to host Trackman data and create automated reports
  • Compiled scouting reports on opponents

First-Year Interest Group Mentor — from August 2020 to Present

  • Mentored 20 incoming freshmen to UT’s Sport Management program through a multi-month program

Texas Athletics Ticket Sales Academy — Intern from February 2020 to March 2020

  • Led intern cohort with 313 calls for 136 football season ticket renewals totaling $136,439 over a 4-week period
  • Provided phone-based customer service while managing sales and customer relationships through Salesforce CRM

Dynamic Sports Training — Intern for March 2020

  • Implemented COVID-19 safety protocols in the gym and prepared collegiate/pro-athletes for their workouts
  • Assisted with performance and measurable data collection for NFL Draft prospects

Longhorn Athletic Agency — Representative from September 2019 to February 2020

  • Acted as the voice of the student body to the University of Texas Athletic Department
  • Worked on student entrance procedures for Texas football games

Sun and Ski Sports — Sales Associate from December 2019 to January 2020 & January 2019 to August 2019

  • Worked with customers to prepare and fit them with specific gear for their ski trips
  • Learned and communicated technical details about ski apparel
  • Handled large cash and credit transactions while assisting customers with technical and logistical issues

Swimming and Diving Beat Reporter for the Daily Texan — From August 2019 to December 2019

  • Covered swimming and diving matches for the Daily Texan, writing recap and preview pieces
  • Transcribed athlete interviews into usable quotes and stories

Sports Marketing and Communication at Rice University — Intern from May 2019 to August 2019 & May 2018 to August 2018

  • Led the Tomorrow’s Leaders project; communicated with student-athletes at Rice to tell their story in a letter format
  • Generated $650 in three weeks through selling soccer/volleyball season tickets, Kid’s Club memberships, and t-shirts online and at local community events
  • Used OpenDorse to create a Twitter campaign to drive All-Star votes for Washington Nationals and former Rice 3B, Anthony Rendon, who made the roster as a reserve

Education

Sophomore at the University of Texas — Sport Management and Economics major

USA Baseball Coaches Certified

  • Completed the A, B, and C level certifications of USA Baseball’s Coaching Certification
  • Attended USA Baseball coaching clinics to further knowledge of baseball technology and how to develop baseball players

Skills

  • R and R Shiny
  • Speaks French competently
  • Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel
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