Technology in Baseball
Baseball has been dominated by analytics for years now and new technological developments have proven to have an immense impact on the nature of the game. New stats and algorithms have changed how players are evaluated. Meanwhile, new technologies have allowed players to completely revamp their careers along with changing the way the game is played.
History
Bill James initiated the baseball analytical movement in 1982 with his book titled ‘’The Bill James Baseball Abstracts.’’[1] The book offered a different perspective on analyzing the outcomes of each baseball “event” and jump-started the sport's fascination with numbers. James realized there was value in the static nature of baseball; the idea that each pitch and subsequent play is separate and can be recorded. He was the first to take advantage of the enormous quantity of information a game of baseball produced. This initial movement materialized in the form of multiple new stats used to evaluate players. [1].
Billy Beane was the next catalyst in the movement when he revolutionized the game with the Oakland A’s in the early 2000s by valuing stats like on base percentage over batting average. [1] Beane built off of the work of James by prioritizing numbers and recorded results over the traditional eye test of mechanics and body types. Beane’s success, accompanied by the documentation of his story by Michael Lewis, influenced a lot of other teams to start hiring more analytical minds.
Technology
General comfort with stats and analytics likely played a role in the relatively quick adoption of technology to improve performance. Around 2012, new machines capable of measuring a number of different variables on a moving baseball started to emerge throughout the major league baseball scene and drastically influence the game.
Rapsodo
Rapsodo is a leading company in this relatively new field of sport analytics technologies. They specialize in machines used for tracking movements of baseballs, softballs, and golf balls. In baseball, they have two separate machines with exceptionally high-quality cameras able to track things like spin rate, launch angle, and much more. The machines are each specialized for tracking pitches or batted balls. [1] In general, however, these machines are used more often by pitchers than hitters.
HitTrax
HitTrax is another popular company in the baseball world when it comes to producing more data on player performance. It condenses many of the capabilities of the Rapsodo machine into one device but focuses more of its collection on hitting metrics. It can calculate things like impact power and break of a pitch but also separates itself by offering simulation technology that allows players to simulate results in smaller spaces like batting cages. [1]
Player Improvement
These technologies have proven to have huge benefits for player improvement. With so much data available, players have been able to tweak very specific things in their mechanics to drastically change results. Trevor Bauer is one of the most popular examples of a pitcher using this technology to improve their performance. He, along with many others, have started to use machines from Rapsodo to increase movement on their pitches or even invent new ones.[1] Additionally, hitters use this technology to perfect their swing mechanics. They strive for maximized exit velocity and will even change their swing path looking for a more advantageous launch angle. This technology has become integral to the professional baseball player's routine and influenced major changes in the way the game is played. The emphasis on launch angle has led to an increase in home runs, while the emphasis on pitch movement also has played a role in the increase in strikeouts. These cannot be solely attributed to the new technology available to players, but certainly played some part.[2]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 James, Bill. ‘‘Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract’’. Villard Books, Random House, New York, NY, 1985.
- ↑
Ethical Implications
The dominance of technology and analytics in baseball has leveled the playing field in some ways. The emphasis on numbers slightly reduces the level of bias executives might take based on a player's physical appearance. However, the technology is very expensive (A Rapsodo machine costs anywhere between $4,000 and $9,000)that has proven to be such an important tool in improving skill
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 James, Bill. ‘‘Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract’’. Villard Books, Random House, New York, NY, 1985.
- ↑
Ethical Implications
The dominance of technology and analytics in baseball has leveled the playing field in some ways. The emphasis on numbers slightly reduces the level of bias executives might take based on a player's physical appearance. However, the technology is very expensive (A Rapsodo machine costs anywhere between $4,000 and $9,000)that has proven to be such an important tool in improving skill
References
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