NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - After graduating from Belmont University in the spring of 2016, Josh Tubbs was ready to put his exercise science degree to use. He never thought about computers, movement-tracking cameras or divulging into the rapidly growing field of baseball analytics. Now, Tubbs has a front-row seat to The Show as the newest hitting analyst for the Cleveland Guardians.
On a day-to-day operations side, managers and their staff use analytics to assist in setting lineups, building scouting reports and preparing training schedules. Statistics have always been a part of baseball and will never go away. Applying new science and data tracking technology to a hitter's swing or pitcher's mechanic opens the doors to an unlimited world of possibilities for making better players.
Tubbs' new role as a major league hitting analyst will allow him to do just that. By looking at the tiniest details from video and body-tracking cameras, Tubbs and the rest of the analytics department can see everything happening during a hitter's swing. "With Hawk-Eye Innovation technology, the cameras are focused on all the body joints, movements, and little details at 300 frames-per-second," said Tubbs. "A lot of this role is working with the major league hitting staff, listening, and trying to understand their needs. Then we look for the best way to present that information to the hitting staff and players."
Relationships with players are something Tubbs will build daily with the team. His team will work throughout Spring Training and the season in any way to help players achieve more success in the batter's box. "When you're performing and you're at your best, how do we keep you at your full potential to help us win games," said Tubbs. "In what ways can I support the staff to help guys perform their best in the box, whether that's based on how guys are moving or how we may go about trying to expose an aspect of the opposing pitcher's plan."
The former Belmont pitcher began his career helping the Bruins in the weight room as a strength and conditioning coach in 2016. Following a year on the Boulevard, Tubbs worked with the Vanderbilt baseball team from 2017-2018. When the Guardians called with an opening in the Arizona Complex League, Tubbs couldn't believe it. "I didn't have on-field coaching experience, and I didn't know what I wanted to do besides work for them," said Tubbs. "I looked up to people in the Guardian's organization and heard great things about them from others around the industry. They had a track record of developing minor leaguers. Luckily, they saw me as being a part of it."
From Tennessee to Arizona, Tubbs joined the Guardians as a bench coach in the Arizona Complex League for two years. He still thought about player development and would often spend his free time sitting in the strength and conditioning coaches' offices. Tubbs said one coach always pulled him into the baseball coaches' offices; his name was Kai Correa. "He sat me in front of Pete Lauritson, the hitting coordinator at the time, which led me down the hitting path," said Tubbs."
It was there he took an interest in the analytics of the game, specifically hitting. In 2019, Tubbs found himself participating in hitting camps led by Lauritson, and current hitting coordinator Grant Fink. Both Lauritson and Fink kept pushing Tubbs toward the hitting world. "They pulled me toward aspects of video analysis, training design and coaching," said Tubbs. "I had little hitting knowledge and they always made me feel valued & that I could provide to the group"
It was then Tubbs found his future in hitting analytics. With the help of Nate Freiman, the Guardian's director of hitting, Tubbs discovered his career in baseball. Frieman's mentorship helped Tubbs learn the ins and outs of breaking down video and compiling statistics to present to the hitting staff. "He [Freiman] taught me a ton when it comes to understanding analytical concepts and played a huge part in me learning how to write code," said Tubbs. "Writing code is super useful to be able to dig in on data!"
Even long after his playing days at E.S. Rose Park, Belmont head coach
Dave Jarvis knew Tubbs would one day find himself working for an MLB team. "It's no surprise to me to see Josh, having such tremendous success at this professional level," said Jarvis. "He's such a tremendous competitor, hard worker, and great student of the game during his time here! We are just so proud and excited for him!"
Tubbs enters his seventh season with the Cleveland organization this spring. A full-circle moment for him as he's reunited with Correa who was hired by the Guardians in October as their new bench coach. His journey may be different than other hitting analysts in other organizations, but Tubbs always embraces the challenge ahead of him. "I want to experience the pressure to win on a nightly basis with these amazing athletes," said Tubbs. "I'm ready to go."
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