Wednesday, 8 January 2020

Three BaseBall Technologies!

A lot has happened since 2002 when the Oakland Athletics changed the face of baseball by blending “sabermetrics” into their coaching methodology. For many who aren’t aware of what sabermetrics are, it’s the use statistics to collect and summarize relevant data to answer specific questions. These questions can range from who should I scout to who should be playing in the fifth slot of the batting order. It has been a critical turning point in many Major League Baseball organizations as to how recruiters and managers alike are choosing to draft and coach their players to the Division Series and World Series.

In addition to the technology and statistics playing a role in recruiting and coaching, we’re also seeing an increased use of technology when it comes to pitching. PitchF/x is a pitch tracking system that reports everything from velocity of the pitch, release points, movement, spin, and pitch locations. This software is used for every single pitch in baseball and has been since 2006. What this ultimately allows players to do is to analyze pitches and the way pitchers pitch to a more detailed level. This absolutely changes the way the game is played and allows for players and teams to become a more strategic group.

Along with PitchF/x, StatCast is another emergence of technology that is bringing a more fine-tuned view of stats to viewers and teams alike. StatCast documents the movement of the ball, the location of the ball, and every player on the field at any given time during the game.

Finally, with the introduction of Instant Replay into sports, especially baseball, managers and teams are able to ensure that fewer calls are screwed up and bring a higher level of accountability to Umpires. The use of Instant Replay has allowed for poor calls to be overridden and has cut down considerably on bought games.

It’s technologies like these that excited Information Technology Expert James Martinos. From the time he played in his youth, to playing for Brigham Young University as their starting Short Stop in the late 70s, technology has continually improved the way players and teams train and play. As he watches technology evolve, he can only anticipate that we will start to see more AI be introduced into the future of baseball and he can’t wait to see how the game advances.

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