Videotape also works for hitters in slumps.
As it looks like we'll find out who will be playing the Phillies in the World Series this year, it might be interesting to take a quick look at some of the technologies that benefit baseball players. There are a lot of technologies focused on pitchers, however the hitters have not been ignored. One of the most amazing pitching machines ever developed
is the Abner Batter Training System. The the machine is an 8-axis
industrial robot that fires regulation baseballs at speeds up to 90 mph. Two
spinning aluminum flywheels create top, bottom or sidespin, so the machine can
duplicate just about every pitch in the book. A screen in front of the machine
shows a major league pitcher in 3D animation. The hitter can even see the
pitcher's grip on the ball, just like in real life. At the moment of release, a
shutter opens in the screen as the machine fires the ball through the screen to
the batter. The shutter then closes and the screen shows the pitcher's
follow-through motion. It doesn't get any more realistic than that.
By enabling players to practice against replicas of major league pitchers they
might face during a game, Abner has the potential to revolutionize training. Professional hitters need to see the hand on the baseball all the way up to the moment of release, in order to see the finger placement on the ball. By watching how a pitcher is holding a ball, players can predict the type of pitch and the trajectory of the ball. Here is another great example of sports technology. Now I wonder, who will have used it more this weekend, the Rays or the Red Sox.
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