PITTSBURGH — When it comes to software, Dan Fox is knowledgeable.

When it comes to baseball, he’s a fan.

Since 2008, the Marshall Township resident has been able to combine the two to make his living — and the Pittsburgh Pirates are the beneficiary of that merger.

Fox, 44, is the organization’s Director of Baseball Systems Development, a position created for him four years ago. His responsibilities are for the architecture and development of information systems to support the Pirates’ Baseball Operations department.

In other words, he crunches data — big time.

“I’ve always been a baseball guy, analyzing stats in some way,” Fox said. “It’s been a hobby for years.

“While I wasn’t working in baseball, I decided to delve into the numbers on my own, at a deeper level than most, just out of curiosity.”

Before joining the Pirates, Fox served as a software architect at Compassion International, an organization based in Colorado Springs that helped children in need.

He also wrote columns for Baseball Prospectus and The Hardball Times.

“Available player data dated back to the 1950s, so you can develop metrics that disclose fairly reliable trends,” he said of breaking down baseball statistics.

After ample research, Fox discovered that an elite base runner can add 10 to 15 runs to a major league team in a season while a bad base runner can cost his team five to 10 runs.

“I determined that a good base running team can add three wins in a season and a bad one can cost a team three games,” Fox said. “That alone can make the difference between making the postseason and being left out.

“I did a lot of work in fielding metrics as well. That data is a lot more subjective, but you can still get a pretty good idea on the value of a particular player defensively.”

Through his columns in national publications, Fox’s skills in working with baseball data became well-known. When the Pirates decided they wanted to form their own department in that area, his name was on their list.

And when Fox saw the Pirates advertising the position, he inquired.

He’s been working for the Bucs ever since.

“It’s interesting, fascinating work to me,” Fox said. “But there’s endless amounts of information out there. My hours depend on what time of year we’re in, but I’m working quite a bit.

“Just about every major league team has a department in this area now. Quantitative analysis is a big part of the game today.”

Fox works with four others in the Pirate organization in the information systems area. With the MLB trade deadline looming, his focus of late has been developing in-depth profiles on players the Pirates may have interest in acquiring.

“There are 9,000 players in professional baseball and we’re probably doing profiles on 200 of them outside of the Pirate organization,” Fox said. “We gather information on a player’s service time, contract history, options, scouting reports, statistics, medical history, articles, video, how he’s performed lately, what he’s done long term, how his future projects, etc.

“For pitchers, we look at arm slot, release points, durability, velocity ... for hitters, it’s speed of the bat through the zone, how hard he hits the ball.”

Fox said his work days in July may start at 9 a.m. and not end until midnight.

“When we have a home game, some nights I stay. Some nights, I have to take a break,” he admitted.

Similar player profiles have been done on every player in the Pirate orga nization. During the offseason, such work is done on potential free agents as well.

Fox’s department also compiles in-depth scouting reports on upcoming teams on the Pirate schedule.

“(Manager) Clint Hurdle and the coaches need that stuff in time to communicate information to the players before a series,” Fox said. “We figure out what pitchers we’ll be facing and get stuff put together on them, too.

“In a nutshell, this job is all about gathering information and using it to the organization’s advantage.”

Fox won’t say how long he’ll remain with the Pirates in this capacity, but he relishes his work at PNC Park.

“This is fun for me,” he said. “The Pirate organization, the staff, the people I work with, we’re a good fit.”