Job Posting: Pittsburgh Pirates – Biomechanist Openings

Direct links to applications (please see job details below): Applied Biomechanist – Coaching and Player Development Applied Biomechanist – Major League Applied Biomechanist – Coaching and Player Development The Pirates Why The Pittsburgh Pirates are a storied franchise in Major League Baseball who are reinventing themselves on every level. Boldly and relentlessly pursuing excellence by: purposefully developing a player and people-centered culture; deeply connecting with our fans, partners, and colleagues; passionately creating lifetime memories for generations of families and friends; and meaningfully impacting our communities and the game of baseball. At the Pirates, we believe in the power of a diverse workforce and strive to create an inclusive culture centered in Passion, Innovation, Respect, Accountability, Teamwork, Empathy, and Service. Job Summary Operate the biomechanics lab and support player analysis within Coaching and Player Development (CPD) and Player Analysis Departments. This role will ensure reliable data collection, process and organize movement and performance data, and provide analysis that helps staff understand and develop players. Hitting will be the primary focus, with opportunities to support pitching and other player analysis needs. The successful candidate will bring hands-on experience with lab technology, strong attention to detail, and the ability to turn data into useful information. Working with coaches, Research and Development (R&D), and performance staff, this analyst will support daily lab operations, player assessments, and applied research. Responsibilities: Operate and maintain the biomechanics lab, including markerless motion capture systems, force plates, and supporting video equipment for hitting and pitching assessments. Prepare and run lab sessions, including equipment setup, calibration, synchronization, and troubleshooting; follow consistent protocols to collect high-quality data. Coordinate assessments with coaches, players, and performance staff; maintain clear schedules, session records, and equipment readiness. Process, organize, and quality-check lab data; identify collection or processing issues, document limitations, and maintain reliable datasets for analysis. Support player analysis using lab data, in-game tracking data, and video, with hitting as the primary area of focus. Examine player tendencies and performance trends to help identify development opportunities. Contribute to research projects using lab and in-game data to better understand player movement and performance, with a primary emphasis on hitting. Prepare clear reports and visualizations for coaches, Player Analysis, and CPD leadership; communicate findings in practical language and account for data quality, sample size, and context. Work with coaches, R&D, and performance staff to track player progress, answer development questions, and identify useful follow-up assessments or analysis. Maintain documented workflows and reproducible code in organizational systems; help improve the efficiency of recurring lab and reporting processes and handle player information with discretion. Support Spring Training, camps, offseason assessments, and broader Player Analysis projects as assigned, adapting to organizational priorities while maintaining a primary focus on hitting. Qualifications Required: Bachelor’s degree in biomechanics, kinesiology, engineering, sports science, a quantitative field, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience. Demonstrated experience operating a motion capture lab or comparable human performance testing environment, including equipment setup, data collection, and troubleshooting. Working knowledge of biomechanics, measurement reliability, and data quality practices for movement assessments. Working proficiency in Python or R for data processing, analysis, and visualization, with the ability to build repeatable workflows. Understanding of basic statistical analysis, sample size, variability, and uncertainty when interpreting performance data. Ability to explain technical findings clearly and work effectively with coaches, analysts, and other performance staff. Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through; an interest in baseball and a willingness to learn and apply analytical skills to player development. Availability to support the baseball schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and travel as required by the role. Desired: Experience with markerless motion capture, force plates, or biomechanical analysis software such as Visual3D. Experience analyzing baseball performance data, particularly hitting, or a demonstrated interest in developing expertise in this area. Familiarity with SQL, Git-based version control, automated reporting, or combining data from multiple sources. Experience supporting athlete assessments or applied research in collaboration with coaches or sports performance staff. Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are integral to who we are as an organization. We believe that our workforce should reflect the vast diversity of the communities we serve and that diverse voices should be elevated and intentionally integrated into our work. Even if you feel as if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications, we still strongly encourage you to apply. To Apply To apply, please follow this link. Applied Biomechanist – Major League The Pirates Why The Pittsburgh Pirates are a storied franchise in Major League Baseball who are reinventing themselves on every level. Boldly and relentlessly pursuing excellence by: purposefully developing a player and people-centered culture; deeply connecting with our fans, partners, and colleagues; passionately creating lifetime memories for generations of families and friends; and meaningfully impacting our communities and the game of baseball. At the Pirates, we believe in the power of a diverse workforce and strive to create an inclusive culture centered in Passion, Innovation, Respect, Accountability, Teamwork, Empathy, and Service. Job Summary The Pittsburgh Pirates are seeking an Applied Biomechanist to work directly with our Major League team and advance how biomechanics informs player development and performance. This person will own and operate biomechanics data collection, partner with coaches and performance staff to turn data into actionable insights, and work with R&D to identify new ways biomechanics can help answer important baseball questions. The ideal candidate combines a strong foundation in human movement and biomechanics with the ability to operate effectively in an applied baseball environment. They should be comfortable moving between technical biomechanics concepts and practical conversations with coaches and players, understanding that the value of the data comes from helping people make better decisions, not simply producing more information. Responsibilities Operate, calibrate, troubleshoot, and maintain motion capture and biomechanics technologies. Manage biomechanics data collection and ensure consistent, high-quality outputs. Partner with Major League coaches, players, performance, and medical staff to identify and answer applied biomechanics questions, incorporating other performance data where applicable. Translate complex biomechanics information into clear, actionable insights. Proactively identify opportunities to generate new insights and expand how biomechanics is used to improve player performance. Collaborate with research-oriented biomechanists and others in R&D to identify high-value research questions and improve models, metrics, reports, and tools. Qualifications Required: Authorized to work lawfully in the United States. Advanced degree in biomechanics, kinesiology, engineering, exercise science, or a related field, or equivalent experience. Demonstrated experience applying biomechanics analyses to help improve baseball performance. Experience collecting and analyzing motion capture or other biomechanical data. Demonstrated ability to analyze and visualize data with SQL, Python, R, or similar tools. Demonstrated ability to explain technical concepts to coaches, players, or non-technical stakeholders. Preferred: We don’t expect any candidate to have done all of these things. We’re interested in people who can demonstrate several of these experiences or capabilities and who have the curiosity and ability to grow into the others: Work experience in professional or collegiate sports, with a preference for baseball and softball. Demonstrated experience conducting statistical or data science research; biomechanics applications are a plus. Demonstrated ability to generate novel research ideas. Experience coaching or working directly with athletes; baseball or softball experience is a plus. Experience building a motion-capture lab from the ground up. Equal Opportunity Employer The Pittsburgh Pirates are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. To Apply To apply, please follow this link. The content in this posting was created and provided solely by the Pittsburgh Pirates. David Appelman is the creator of FanGraphs.