Biomechanics alumni find careers in Major League Baseball

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 19, 2025) — For Megan and Ethan Stewart, studying biomechanics at the University of Kentucky not only shaped their careers — it brought them together.  

From the start, it centered on baseball. 

Today, both work in Major League Baseball, applying biomechanics to enhance player performance and reduce injuries. Megan is lead strategist of movement solutions for the Milwaukee Brewers and Ethan is lead sport scientist and biomechanist for the Athletics, based in West Sacramento, California.

They met while pursuing their master’s degrees in the UK College of Education Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, where they studied under Professor Emeritus Robert Shapiro, Ph.D., a pioneering figure in baseball biomechanics. Shapiro, collaborating with the Chicago White Sox in the 1980s and ’90s, was among the first to apply biomechanics research with a professional baseball team. 

In Shapiro’s class, Ethan noticed Megan and asked if she had taken a class with the professor before. He was sure she was new, but the question sparked a conversation.   

They soon realized they not only shared a passion for baseball, but also for Harry Potter. At the time, Megan was interning with the Lexington Legends, and the team happened to be hosting a Harry Potter night. That event sparked a desire to want to get to know each other more.    

“We started spending more time together after that,” Ethan recalled. “It fit seamlessly. We could talk baseball, and then we could talk biomechanics.”  

Now married, they try to limit work talk at home, but sharing a profession allows them to understand and support each other’s demanding schedules, especially during spring training and the regular season. 

During spring training, a typical day for Megan starts at about 5:30 a.m. She collaborates with coaches and staff to plan for the season, as well as meets with players, staff and coaches to discuss their off-season progress and season goals. She gets baseline measurements at the Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training Complex and works with various departments such as player development; player health, strength and conditioning; and research and development to help create player plans.      

“On a nongame day, we typically complete our desk work either very early in the morning or in the late evening, processing data, analyzing data and creating player/staff feedback,” she said.   

Ethan’s schedule largely resembles Megan’s, but with some variations. 

“If you had a bird’s eye view of every single team and could see what was going on, all of us are doing things a little bit differently, but using very similar technologies,” Ethan said. 

Biomechanics is gaining traction in professional baseball, though not all teams have a biomechanist.   

“There are teams that are just now getting into it, but it’s really exciting to see the growth,” Ethan said. “Our role is to provide objective data so the numbers can be used to help make decisions. Every day is a new challenge, because you’re trying to find the one thing for each player that can push them over the hump.” 

Different teams emphasize different aspects of biomechanics — some prioritize injury prevention, while others focus on performance enhancement. Biomechanics can refine nearly every aspect of baseball, from pitching mechanics and batting efficiency to base running and outfield work. 

Neither Megan nor Ethan set out to pursue biomechanics. In fact, both expected to go to graduate school for physical therapy. However, their undergraduate programs introduced them to biomechanics, opening doors to careers that combined their love of sports and science. 

“I fell in love with the idea of being able to work with athletes before injury — helping them avoid physical therapy,” Ethan said. “When I was deciding on grad school, it was a no-brainer to stay at UK and study with Dr. Shapiro, one of the first-ever to work with a Major League Baseball team.” 

Though biomechanics was new to them, sports had been part of their lives for years. 

Megan came home from the hospital as a newborn in Cincinnati Reds gear. When her family moved to Japan, they still flew back for the sole purpose of catching Reds games. She played on baseball teams during childhood and later became a competitive swimmer until an injury shifted her focus. She completed her undergraduate degree in applied sciences (exercise science) at the University of Mississippi, where she interned with teams using biomechanics. 

Ethan played basketball and baseball throughout high school in Carrollton, Kentucky. Although he could have played for some colleges, an academic scholarship drew him to UK, where he majored in exercise science as an undergraduate and played on UK’s club baseball team. 

Ethan’s professional career began with the Baltimore Orioles, where he spent two seasons as the player performance facilitator. In 2022, he worked as the applied biomechanist for the Cincinnati Reds. During his studies, he spent two seasons as a sports science intern in the Gulf Coast League for the Tampa Bay Rays, and also taught biomechanics at the collegiate level. 

Megan previously worked as a sports biomechanist at the American Sports Medicine Institute. During her studies, she was elected as the International Society of Biomechanics student representative from 2019-21 and has served on committees for the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports and Advancing Women in Biomechanics. She completed her Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance with an emphasis in Sports Biomechanics at Concordia University Chicago.    

Both Megan and Ethan hope to see biomechanics continue to grow in baseball and want to encourage students pursuing similar careers. 

“I get a lot of questions from students, especially female students, who don’t know how to break into the sports world,” she said. “I encourage anyone interested — whether it’s in business operations, human resources or baseball operations — to apply. Teams are always looking for different perspectives. Most of the time I’m the only woman in the room, which was intimidating at first. But I bring a viewpoint that others may not have. You never know what opportunities will open up for you if you take the first step.”