As the human race advances and develops, we are always coming up with ways to improve our life and technology has played a huge role in our advancement over time. After years of development and testing, we have adopted it in every phase of our life as a second sister.
With technological advancement, we have opened up new avenues even in the world of sports as well. Traditional sports like cricket, basketball, baseball, football have all welcomed this era with open arms. While the essence of the sport itself has stayed the same, with time, technology has made it more relevant than ever.
If we talk specifically about just baseball, which has been a staple in the US for more than 100 years, several technological advancements have been made which has revolutionized the sport. It has become a part of our life whether we use it to entertain ourselves, or our whole career depends on it. Today, Baseball has found its way into our conversations as well. And the development of sports owes most of it to technological advancements. Major League Baseball has relied on tech to make the sports more engaging for the audience and improve players' performance. How has that happened? let's take a look:
Pitchers’ form has undergone a phenomenal shift, earlier on an average, a pitcher would only throw 80 to 89 mph fastballs today that number has improved to 90 plus. With the help of detailed video-based pitch analysis, which provides insights about the speed, spin, and angle of the ball giving coaches and players a host of data they could use to develop further. Sensors are being placed in the vests as well which can track the body movement and motion-tracking cameras help paint the whole picture.
In the old days, we would see players practicing their swing all the time but with the right tech, we have been able to significantly help baseball players improve their swing by using Swing Trackers. It is an attached sensor on the baseball bat and can capture data regarding the swing motion and give you access to the range of motion in real-time. With personalized metrics, players can get the right data and focus on improving.
When we talk about technology, we can't ignore the impact of VR. Virtual reality has improved the effectiveness of practice by manifolds. While earlier putting words to action on the main day of the tournament was tough, now the training model can simulate real games and thus athletes can hone their skills in real-time. The immersive tech can help players prepare effectively.
VR is also being used to engage the audience as well, through VR, fans would get a unique view into what the player is seeing as well as making the game even more immersive.
For Batters, cutting-edge batting practice cages were developed. Here the aim is to offer solutions to batters of all levels and cages are developed to be more functional and bring the best out of players. Modern cages can be virtually present anywhere. Providing convenience to players and coaches to practice their swing anytime and anywhere. Here, with tracking technology, one can keep track of the player’s performance and high-tech cameras and sensors would pick up even minute little details.
Improving the pitch or the swing won't matter much if the player consistently keeps on picking up an injury. Even though the risk of injury in baseball is less but it is not nonexistent with balls coming as fast as 90mph, it could injure the player on the field if it hits them. Thus, the question arises how much safety gear is enough? With technology, we are able to develop better gear, helmets, padding that would do their work but not restrict the movement of players.
Tracking Data in-game, the unlimited potential of data is not a secret anymore but to perform the analysis we need in-depth data of the player’s performance not just during practice but in-game as well. Many tools have been adopted which can analyze pitches and swings on a real-time basis. With the help of advanced radar and camera systems, we can add more layers of data to our database which can be studied to improve performance. Such data can even be used to lure the audience in and engage them as well.
The next one is dedicated to fans all over the world. In Baseball technology is being used to engage baseball fans all over the world with better broadcasting tech and delivery mechanism that provides an immersive experience to the viewers. With livestreaming services baseball games are now not restricted to the stadiums but can be streamed live with our idiot boxes.
Bio Trackers for tracking player’s health. With wearable tech coaches can track player’s movement and health throughout the day with extensive data which includes sleep cycles, recovery, and exertion. Trainers can focus on specific workouts and physical therapy, that would suit the player the most. MLB uses wristbands produced by WHOOP for the same purpose and can help the player improve their performance in the end.
Even after all this advancement, we are just getting started on this journey. What the future holds remains to be explored. What we can move forward with is by knowing that baseball data feed would form the backbone for all the analysis and technological advancements.
Data Analytics now plays a huge role in strategy formation. Thus, creating a need for a trustworthy and consistent source of data. Such sports content solutions can be sourced from Data Sports Group. One of the best in the field their coverage includes comprehensive data of over 23 competitions with detailed player and match stats that could be further used for analysis. Just as tech has enriched our daily lives it has elevated sports performance as well. Making them more interactive with the audience. While earlier we relied on just past performance to improve, we now also need a host of data that can help us in real-time as well. This is where DSG comes in with their Baseball stats API facility making historical and live data available for consumption.
