MLB is planning a change to its revolutionary Statcast system, replacing TrackMan radar with Hawk-Eye cameras to track balls.
The league expects to have the new technology in place for the 2020 season. The Athletic first reported the news, which a league source confirmed to SportTechie.
Statcast debuted in all 30 MLB ballparks for the 2015 season and has popularized the terms “exit velocity” and “launch angle.” Those metrics have codified a granular understanding that players, coaches, and fans have of offensive ability. The system uses radar to track ball flight—both the inbound pitch and the outbound batted ball—and ChyronHego’s optical tracking to record all movements by fielders and baserunners.