Baseball has often been criticized for not utilizing technology, mostly when it comes to instant replay. Tony Gwynn was one of the first players to really make use of videotape in improving his swing, but it appears the Tampa Bay Rays might have topped that.
The team has added a virtual reality system that allows their batters to experience the pitchers that they are about to face, according to the Tampa Bay Times. They are one of a handful of big-league teams to incorporate virtual reality training.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said outfielder Steven Souza Jr., one of the early adopters. “I think anytime you can see a pitcher before you actually get in there, it’s unbelievable. It’s like standing in the bullpen. And how many times do you honestly get to do that for the opposing team?”
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“It’s as close as you’re going to get to standing in there,” he said.
In using the technology, players put on high-tech goggles, while the pitcher they wish to practice against is shown throwing different pitches as they would in person.
“We are looking forward to learning more about the technology and how it might benefit our players,” baseball operations president Matt Silverman said Tuesday.
Brendan Reilly, an executive for EON said the tool could be big in getting the most out of training:
“Nothing can replace the at-bat experience, but our technology enables players to maximize repetitions and their performance in the batters’ box. This is invaluable technology for teams looking to gain a competitive edge against their opponents.”
Evan Longoria wasn’t quite as high on the technology as Souza was:
“I think over the next year or two we’ll see a lot of fine-tuning to it. I think it’s kind of crude right now, but I don’t dispel that there could be some benefits there. You definitely don’t not know that you’re in the cage. It’s definitely a huge step in the right direction in helping guys prepare to be better players, but I just don’t know that it’s there yet, that it’s as good as can be.”
We probably won’t know how useful the technology will be immediately, but you can also bank on it improving as the years go by. It’s in its early stages, but it certainly seems like a promising product that could become much more widespread in the future.
