The Brew Crew’s Data Diamond

Milwaukee is not a large market among cities with Major League Baseball teams, yet the Milwaukee Brewers have been one of the league's best teams the past decade thanks in large part to the organization's emphasis on analytical advantage. 

This season, Arielle Weinstein (MLDS '26) interned with the club, providing her with a behind-the-scenes look at the team's analytics arm in action.  

Arielle’s input as an associate analyst in the baseball research and development (R&D) department is an indication of just how much America’s pastime now runs on data. That input is based on the lessons she's learned in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS) program. 

“As an intern, I have the ability to talk with the entire front office, which includes the scouting and systems teams, about my projects,” said Arielle, who will return to MLDS for her final quarter this fall. “The team bases decision-making for games and players from the projections and tools that these types of projects provide.” 

That is far removed from old-school baseball that was run on gut feelings and hunches. Major League Baseball today operates on advanced metrics that have turned the game from a purely athletic endeavor into one that blends on-field skill and off-field data analysis. 

MLB teams collectively spend an estimated $150 million to $250 million annually on data analytics, according to The New York Times. R&D staff count also varies widely by team. According to Sports Business Journal, the Athletics and Colorado Rockies have about 10 R&D staffers, while the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays R&D talent roster each exceeds 40 employees.  

Arielle's fandom for baseball dates back to when she was 7 years old. As she grew up and became interested in data science, she dreamed of finding a way to bridge her two passions.  

The Brewers made that dream come true.  

As part of her role, Arielle regularly attends Brewers home games and sits behind home plate with the scouts and fellow analytics staffers. That, she said, is a thrill beyond measure for someone who has loved the game as long as she has.  

Arielle is unable to speak specifically about the projects she is working on with the Brewers—such is the level of secrecy Major League Baseball teams apply to their proprietary data analysis work. But she said she has been pleasantly surprised by the collaboration that occurs between the R&D department and the rest of the team.  

“Whether that is mentorship, code review, or just chatting with people about ideas, it is an enjoyable office to work in,” she said. “Coming to a baseball stadium to work every day is exciting, in and of itself.”  

Arielle’s journey to the data behind the diamond runs directly through the MLDS program. She came to the program with an undergraduate engineering physics degree and a desire to pivot from research into sports data analytics.  

She said she chose the MLDS program because of its depth and concentrated timeline.  

“MLDS has provided me with a large amount of hands-on experience throughout all of the courses,” she said. “The majority of the homework is project-oriented and has direct applications to the corporate world.” 

Because of that, Arielle said the transition to the Brewers’ R&D team wasn’t a challenge.  

“I felt prepared and knew what to expect about the nature of working in data science,” she said. “Before MLDS, I was less aware of specific tools and techniques that I have used this summer.” 

As of late August, the Brewers had the best record in Major League Baseball. While the team continues its push toward the postseason, Arielle is thinking about her own future.  

She said she isn’t sure where she will end up, but that she knows she wants to stay in sports data analytics. 

“This internship is giving me a taste of what the sports world is like in terms of research and development, work-life balance, day-to-day activities and workload, and a behind-the-scenes look at how a sports team operates,” she said. “Being able to connect my work with something I love and seeing the direct results of my work on the field has been very rewarding.”