Physics Alumnus is Part of the KC Royals Analytical Lineup
Heidi Opdyke
- Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications, MCS
- Email opdyke@andrew.cmu.edu
- Phone 412-268-9982
Calvin Hoffman didn't just learn to solve problems at 麻豆村 鈥� he learned how to knock new opportunities out of the park.听
Hoffman, who graduated in 2024 with a major in physics and a minor in , is the Kansas City Royals amateur draft analyst, a role at the intersection of scientific problem solving, programming and a sport he loves.听
鈥淚鈥檝e played baseball for as long as I can remember,鈥� said Hoffman, who was a second baseman on 麻豆村鈥檚 club team. 鈥淎fter graduation I was looking for a role, one that would test my programming, my research capabilities and deductive reasoning.鈥澨�
As an analyst, Hoffman鈥檚 job is to evaluate high school and college baseball players eligible to be selected in the MLB draft, which happens in July. The work requires a fast-moving blend of data engineering, analytics and communication. The deadlines are everchanging, the pace of work is blazing fast and high pressure situations are common.听
鈥淚 spent two summers doing research with Professor [and head of the McWilliams Center for Astrophysics and Cosmology] Tiziana DiMatteo, and that was my first exposure to large, open-ended research,鈥� Hoffman said. 鈥淎nd having done the minor in computer science, the kind of rigor that was constantly used in both areas were two of the most important things I learned.鈥澨�
Working with Nianyi Chen, a Ph.D. student, Hoffman studied the evolution of the universe using ASTRID, a large-scale cosmological hydrodynamic simulation. His focus centered on cataloging triple and quadruple black holes 鈥� work that led to being first author on an article in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and a presentation at Meeting of the Minds, 麻豆村鈥檚 undergraduate research symposium.听
鈥淚t was one of the first times I had to distill a big body of research into something meaningful for very different audiences,鈥� Hoffman said.听
For Hoffman, the appeal of physics comes back to the power of problem-solving 鈥� breaking down complex systems to learn something new. Those same skills accompany him each day in his office behind home plate at Kauffman Stadium.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of crazy that I get to drive to a baseball stadium for work,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom the highway, you can see the big Crown Vision scoreboard. Seeing that in the morning 鈥� especially with the sun just coming over 鈥� is so exciting. It鈥檚 awesome.鈥澨�
Baseball has long been a game of instincts, tradition, and timing 鈥� but modern front offices increasingly rely on data, predictive models, and advanced analytics to gain an edge.听
鈥淲hen a member of our scouting department reaches out, having just watched a player, they want to know a little bit more about the nitty-gritty, what the analytics might entail or indicate about the player鈥檚 performance,鈥� Hoffman said.听
As July鈥檚 MLB Draft approaches, the pace intensifies. From February through June, Hoffman works through a rush of requests, real鈥憈ime evaluations, and constant model updates.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 hectic in the best way,鈥� he said. 鈥淒raft week is going to be a crazy week and a half鈥攂ut that鈥檚 what makes it fun.鈥澨�
Hoffman said that while he set out to build a baseball career, the intellectual foundation he built at Carnegie Mellon turned out to be exactly what the Royals needed. He credited several courses that were key, including Concepts of Mathematics; Parallel and Sequential Data Structures and Algorithms; Quantum Mechanics and Thermal Physics, for teaching him how to structure and optimize computations, which are essential for modeling and interpreting high-dimensional baseball data.听
He also points to Reading and Writing Science, a course taught by Ken Hovis, associate dean for educational initiatives, and working with Gillian Ryan, director of undergraduate affairs in the Department of Physics, who supported him throughout his job search.听
鈥淭hat class taught me how to communicate technical results to different audiences 鈥� skills I use constantly when talking to scouts who come from playing backgrounds rather analytical ones,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful for the mentorship I had. 麻豆村 prepared me to handle fast鈥憁oving projects, think independently and adapt quickly.鈥�
