Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on ALT 105.7 - New Baseball Tech

Play Ball!

Baseball season is right around the corner.. college baseball is in full swing.

Rick has been in California and Arizona this week covering some Spring Training action. He and Sully talk about what is new on the baseball tech front.
Have a listen:

1. Ball Coach Radar by Pocket Radar - first up is something for us...
www.pocketradar.com

Pocket Radar is a compact radar gun for sports like baseball, volleyball and softball.
Designed to measure the fastest speed of a ball in flight. Works great for baseball, softball, tennis, volleyball, lacrosse, hockey, and cricket. Easy trigger capabilities eliminate any timing requirements: Simply hold the button down well before the ball is in flight, and release once the speed is displayed. Enter Constant-On Mode to provide automatic triggering without the press of a button. Ball Coach measures from 25 mph to 130 mph and is accurate to within +/- 1 mph (+/- 2 kph), has 120 feet of range on a baseball and 25 deep memory. Includes soft-shell belt holster case, wrist strap, 2 AAA alkaline batteries, illustrated quick start guide and 2 year warranty. Visit PocketRadar.com/BallCoach for more information.
 

2. HitTrax
www.hittraxbaseball.com

HitTrax is a hitting service that helps track how and where hitters are putting the ball on the field.
It’ll tell players if the ball they whacked was a hit or an out, and it also measures exit velocity, launch angle, spray charts and the players’ line drive, fly ball and ground ball percentages.

For pitchers, it tracks pitch velocity, spin rate break measurements, percentage of strikes and a strike zone analysis.
 

3. MLB partners with Mitel to improve communications technology on and off the field

Major League Baseball has announced details of a new partnership with Mitel, a global leader in business communications, to power the league's communications tools and connections across the 30 MLB ballparks.
The new partnership will transform the existing 30 independent platforms for dugout, bullpen, video review rooms and press box communications into a common, unified system featuring enhanced security and call recording capabilities. This new system will provide the capability to record and monitor all communications conducted on the phone lines to ensure compliance with all Major League Baseball rules and regulations.
Mitel has already begun working with MLB and Club technology departments to begin installations at all 30 ballparks. The new systems and procedures are scheduled to be in place by Opening Day -- March 29, 2018 -- the first time since 1968 that every team across the Majors will open on the same date.
 


4. New Stats to look at

No sport is more statistically driven than baseball.
There are some new stats to keep track of:
a. Exit Velocity - the speed of the ball off the bat
b. Hitting with Infield Shifts - pretty self-expanatory
c. Launch Angle - Angle of ball coming off the bat

 

5. Diamond Kinetics
www.diamondkinetics.com

The Pittsburgh-based startup launched in 2013, initially using technology to properly fit amateur baseball players with the correct bat. That idea evolved over the past five years as Diamond Kinetics developed bat sensors to help analyze a batter’s swing. The product is used by more than 15 MLB teams and 52 NCAA programs, in addition to thousands of younger players.

6. Protective Netting to all MLB Ballparks

Major League Baseball announced that all 30 ballparks will have expanded protective netting installed by Opening Day on March 29.

MLB said in a statement that netting will extend to at least the ends of both dugouts. Most teams have gone further than that to try to prevent a repeat of disturbing incidents in which fans have been hit by foul balls.