a. Propose an analytics project that you think would be of assistance to a Major League Baseball's (MLB) front office. Be as specific as possible. What question would you be attempting to answer? What data would you use? How would you go about collecting that data? What programs and statistical techniques would you use to ana-lyze the data? How do you foresee this project helping the front office?

b. What area represents the next potential source of competitive advantage for MLB front offices? Just identify it and explain it briefly.

c. We worry that some pitchers may be able to have success in the minor leagues and put up good numbers, but that that success won't transfer to the major leagues. How can we find out if that is the case?

d. With the availability and success of black box models like boosted trees/forests and ensemble models in compe-titions like the Netflix prize, how does that affect the choice of models we use in baseball?