Skip to main content

Major League Mindset

January 30, 2025 Erica Hulse
Michael Voltmer holds the 2024 World Series trophy

Alumnus Michael Voltmer Shares World Series Experiences and Strategies

With multiple World Series wins on his scorecard, former Director of Baseball Strategy and Information for the Los Angeles Dodgers and University of Louisville College of Business alumnus Michael Voltmer knows a thing or two about baseball analytics. From humble beginnings as the Student Manager for the UofL baseball team to his current role as Vice President of Pro Player Evaluation and Baseball Strategy for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Voltmer has experienced many of the same challenges that impact baseball players, managers and coaches from collegiate to World Series-winning teams, and applies that knowledge to leverage his rapidly-growing career in major league baseball.

Training Season

Growing up in a sports-focused home in Princeton, New Jersey, Voltmer developed a passion for baseball at an early age and was “interested in the intersection of sports and numbers that corresponded with “Money Ball,” the book [that had just come out]. I read that and saw that there were actual jobs out there, newly formed jobs at that time, working in sports and crunching numbers in order to help win baseball games. I [thought], ‘Wow, that’s perfect. That’s right up my alley.’” 

After looking at several prospective colleges, Voltmer knew UofL was the right choice. “I realized it checked a lot of boxes, and I took that opportunity to reach out to the baseball team. I thought I had a shot at becoming a student manager with them, which is what ended up happening.” Voltmer credits the experience of working with the UofL baseball program and Coach Dan McDonnell with first providing him a chance to gain real-world experience and insight into the world of collegiate baseball, with much of what he learned still serving him in his career.

Once at UofL, Voltmer became student manager for the university’s baseball team and sought to pursue a degree program aligned with his passion for sports and data. Originally enrolled as a sports administration major, he soon realized that “a lot of the coursework in that area was not necessarily leading to working in an analytic space in a front office. While it would lead to a lot of opportunities in sports…it was not what I was looking for specifically.” After enrolling in his Introduction to Microeconomics course with Professor Jose Fernandez, he realized there was “a more quantitative path that I could take that would have a lot of overlap in more of the hard skills that would be needed for a job in the analytics space in baseball,” and decided to work toward a degree in business economics. Taking every course taught by Fernandez, along with a database course taught by now Interim Dean Jeff Guan, he shared the importance of the practical application of his business courses in his day-to-day work. “I use SQL on a daily basis,” he shared. “I’m referring to that database class in one form or another.”

Running the Data

After landing his first position as a baseball operations analyst with the Dodgers in 2017, Voltmer spent most of his time writing code and building a projection model that would help evaluate talent from data and numbers rather than scouts who were out in the field watching the games. Soon after settling into that role, he moved up the ranks within the organization to a position that aligned more with his interests and allowed him to work more closely with the coaching staff on game preparation. “That was the point in my career where I was able to take on a lot of responsibilities. I owned our run prevention efforts – the way we approached defensive positioning. I was the first analyst that had direct access to the clubhouse and the major league coaches.”

Of Voltmer’s significant achievements and growth, contributing to the 2020 and 2024 World Series wins for the Dodgers remains the highlight of Voltmer’s professional career. “It was incredibly satisfying because there’s a lot of jobs where you can pour hours of your time and effort into something, and [if] you see the returns on it, it happens months or years later,” he reflected. “For me, I was pouring in hours of my day and saw the results of that work that night. It was really fun to have direct access and see the impact of [my] work on the field.”

Home Run Help

With many business students considering how they can break into the field of sports analytics, Voltmer recommends taking quantitative-oriented, computing-based courses. “I minored in computer information systems. I [would not have been] well positioned for a job in sports in the analytics space without those skills.” Additionally, he encourages using class projects as a tool to implement sports data analytics that could aid in strategizing whether a team might win or evaluate players, for example.

Finding and growing their professional networks through campus athletic connections and alumni meetups is another avenue Voltmer encourages sports data-minded students and alumni to consider. “Find a way to talk to people, get involved with the college [and] the sports teams at UofL. That’s a great way to get to know people who know people through their coaches and through other support staff. They’re tackling problems that are similar to what we’re tackling at the professional level.”

Are you passionate about sports and data analytics and want to begin your academic journey in economics? We have programs and minors aligned with your unique goals. Learn more at https://business.louisville.edu/academics-programs/undergraduate-programs/economics/


About the UofL College of Business:

Founded in 1953, the UofL College of Business fosters intellectual and economic vitality in our city, region, and the global business landscape. Our academic programs, research, community outreach initiatives, and commitment to student success inspire lives and businesses to flourish through entrepreneurship, innovation, critical thinking, diversity, and the power of people.

Connect with the CoB by following us on LinkedInFacebookInstagramTikTok and Xor by visiting our website.