When Brian Chase (MBA ’15) reflects on his career path, he still marvels that his passion and profession have finally converged. “If I told a 21-year-old me that I would have this job, it would have seemed impossible,” he says. Today, as Vice President of Baseball Systems for the Miami Marlins, Chase is helping lead the team into a new era of player evaluation and development, powered by artificial intelligence, machine learning and traditional data engineering, software development, and product management practices.

Chase grew up on Long Island with a love of sports that shaped his early life. From attending New York Mets games with his dad to cheering on the Rangers and Nets with his uncles, sports were a big part of his life. But initially he wasn’t sure how to build a career into the sports industry. After earning a computer science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Chase began as a software engineer at FactSet, and then spent time as a director of engineering at FanDuel and Major League Baseball before joining the Miami Marlins. “This role is a culmination of all my past work from building applications and managing data to eventually leading data engineering teams,” said Chase.

A shift toward business and the sports industry 

He was drawn to Stern to help him make the pivot to the sports industry. “I wanted to leverage the MBA and its network to transition into the sports industry while still keeping a strong focus on the technical side.” Stern’s Langone Part-Time MBA program would give him the breadth of business knowledge he was looking for. Courses in finance and accounting laid the groundwork for his current responsibilities overseeing technical budgets, vendor relationships, and overall optimization of their technology program.

Some experiences stand out vividly. The Power and Politics course with Professor R. Kabaliswaran ('Kabi') “is something I use every single day,” says Chase. “I learned so much about navigating business in general.” He also points to a weeklong Operations in Las Vegas course with Professor Harry Chernoff, which provided insights into industries like hospitality and gaming.

Building more objective analysis into player recruitment

Today, Chase’s role with the Marlins exemplifies how AI is reshaping baseball. His team recently built a projection system ranking every eligible player in the Major League Baseball draft. Scouts’ scores, video footage, and performance data are all integrated into a model that assigns players objective values. “In the old days, you relied more on the subjective test,” he explains. “Now we’re able to merge the qualitative with the quantitative, creating way more comfort in our predictions.”

Beyond the draft, AI is applied to player development—combining practice data, hitting sessions, and bullpens with analytics to provide targeted coaching recommendations. Chase’s team also utilizes player, ball, bat, and biomechanical tracking data from their camera tracking technology, and relies on Hawkeye and KinaTrax for evaluation at both the major league and minor league levels. For Chase, the guiding principle is simple: “AI should take on the remedial tasks so people can focus on the complex problems that require creativity and judgment.” Apart from the analytics and AI portion of his job, Chase is having fun just working for the team and interacting with the players, coaches and staff. “It’s been a highlight of my career so far,” said Chase.

Miami and the Stern community 

Moving to Miami in early 2025 marked a major life change after a lifetime in New York. He and his wife, Hannah, now live in Edgewater, minutes from both the beach and the ballpark. “The weather, the pool, the beach all year—it’s been really fun,” he says, though he admits he misses New York’s culture, museums, and food. Miami’s Stern alumni community has helped fill the gap, with fellow alum Serge Permyakoff (MBA ’15) introducing him to new connections and events.

Looking back, Chase feels both pride and gratitude. “I have a lot of pride in having gone to Stern, and I try to give back however I can: through mentoring, speaking, and connecting with students who want to break into sports.” For him, working at the intersection of sports, data, and technology isn’t just a dream realized; it’s proof that the pivot he set out to make at Stern has paid off in full.

On Sunday, September 28, 2025, Chase will join Stern alumna Caroline O’Connor (MBA ’08), president of business operations for the Miami Marlins for a Stern alumni fireside chat moderated by Serge Permyakoff.

Brian Chase (MBA ‘15), vice president of baseball systems for the Miami Marlins