Which outfielders take the most efficient routes to a fly ball? Which pitcher’s curve ball has the highest spin rate? Which batter has the fastest speed to first base?
Major League Baseball believes it has the answers to those questions and many more with Statcast, a system combining two technologies — radar and optical-tracking using ultra-high-resolution cameras — that is installed in all 30 ballparks. By quantifying almost every on-field movement, Statcast holds the promise of changing the way fans watch the game and how teams evaluate and pay players, measure performance and find undervalued talent.
Statcast is the offspring of nine-year-old Pitch f/x system, which shows the location and trajectories of every pitch and is a featured element of baseball’s immensely popular AtBat app.