Statcast is a high-speed, high-accuracy, automated tool developed to analyze player movements and athletic abilities in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB).
Statcast was introduced to all thirty
MLB stadiums
There are 30 stadiums in use by Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The oldest ballpark is Fenway Park in Boston, home of the Boston Red Sox, which opened in 1912. The newest stadium is Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rang ...
in 2015, a year now considered the beginning of the Statcast era especially by media outlets that extensively cover baseball. The Statcast brand is also licensed to
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, which uses it to brand alternate statistical simulcasts of
the network's games on
ESPN2 and
ESPN+
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
Usage
Each MLB organization now has an analytics team, using Statcast data to gain a competitive advantage. Clubs are unwilling to disclose exactly how they are using the data, engaging in an "arms race" of data analysis.
Player accounts suggest Statcast data has replaced traditional metrics. For example, on the first day of spring training,
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
hitters are told they will be measured by batted-ball
exit velocity
In baseball statistics, exit velocity (EV) is the estimated speed at which a batted ball is travelling as it is coming off the player's bat. Batters generally aim for a higher exit velocity in order to give opposing fielders less time to react ...
, not batting average. Also,
Kris Bryant credits his improved performance in 2016 with changes he made in the off-season to adjust the launch angle of his hits.
Statcast data can be used to prevent injuries by tracking physical performance metrics through the course of the season. Data can also be extended to team performance metrics. For example, analysts can chart a defensive team's ability to throw runners out at home from various points on the field, accounting for relay throw efficiency and speed. A third base coach armed with this information should have a heightened degree of situational awareness, which ultimately affects their decision to hold a runner at third or send them home. This should reduce the number of runners needlessly cut down at home; but one must also take into account the fact that this information may lead to overly cautious decisions during situations when the reward outweighs the risks.
MLBAM also has a team of analysts that peruse the data and figure out what it means. This provides an additional resource for teams, resulting in queries from front office executives and even players.
Broadcasters use Statcast to showcase player talents. The Statistics page on
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
now lists Statcast superlatives alongside the traditional hitting, pitching, and fielding metrics.
History
![Trevor Story on March 5, 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Trevor_Story_on_March_5%2C_2016.jpg)
The
PITCHf/x PITCHf/x is a system created and maintained by Sportvision that tracks the speeds and trajectories of pitched baseballs. This system, which made its debut in the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, is installed in every MLB stadium. The ...
system, first used in the 2006
MLB postseason
The Major League Baseball postseason is an elimination tournament held after the conclusion of the Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. Starting in 2022, the playoffs for each league—American and National—consist of two best-of-three ...
, is a camera-based system that can measure the trajectory, speed, spin, break, and location of a pitched ball. This provides objective data that can be used in combination with statistical outcomes to better predict the effectiveness of a pitcher or batter.
Statcast was first unveiled at the
MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (SSAC) is an annual event that provides a forum for industry professionals (executives and leading researchers) and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the sports industry. The conferen ...
. It won the Alpha Award for best Analytics Innovation/Technology at the 2015 conference. The system saw limited use during the
2014 MLB season
The 2014 Major League Baseball season began on March 22 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The North American part of the season started on March 30 and ended on Septem ...
, as it was tested in three stadiums. It was installed in all 30 Major League ballparks beginning with the 2015 season.
This technology integrates doppler radar and high definition video to measure the speed, acceleration, and other aspects for every player on the field.
In the 2016 season,
MLB Network aired "MLB Plus" companion broadcasts for its ''MLB Network Showcase'' games, which feature advanced analytics and usage of Statcast data.
For the 2017 season, the
TrackMan
The TrackMan is a radar system that uses Doppler technology to track and record 3D characteristics of a sports ball in motion.
History
TrackMan was created in 2003 by golfers Klaus (CEO) and Morten Eldrup-Jørgensen and radar engineer Fredri ...
component of Statcast replaced the previous
PITCHf/x PITCHf/x is a system created and maintained by Sportvision that tracks the speeds and trajectories of pitched baseballs. This system, which made its debut in the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, is installed in every MLB stadium. The ...
system for official measurements of pitch speed. As official pitch speed readings are now based on maximum velocity (typically from the release of the pitch), rather than the speed measured 55 feet from home plate, there have been notable discrepancies in pitch speed reports between those reported in 2016 and 2017, with some pitches registering slightly higher speeds than with the previous system.
In 2017, Statcast won a
Technology & Engineering Emmy Award
The Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, or Technology and Engineering Emmys, are one of two sets of Emmy Awards that are presented for outstanding achievement in engineering development in the television industry. The Technology and Engineer ...
.
Terminology
These are the relevant terms and definitions for Statcast output data.
Pitching
*Release: Measures the time from pitcher's first movement out of the stretch to the release point of the pitch.
*Extension: Measures the distance of the release point of the pitch from the front edge of the pitching rubber.
*Velocity: Measures the peak velocity of a pitch at any point from its release to the front edge of home plate.
*Perceived velocity: Velocity of the pitch at the release point normalized to the average release point for MLB pitchers. For example, a 90-mph pitch at a 54-inch release point will seem slower to the batter than a pitch of the same velocity thrown from a 56-inch release point.
*Spin rate: Measures the spin rate of the ball at the point of the release from the pitcher's hand.
Hitting
*
Exit velocity
In baseball statistics, exit velocity (EV) is the estimated speed at which a batted ball is travelling as it is coming off the player's bat. Batters generally aim for a higher exit velocity in order to give opposing fielders less time to react ...
: Velocity of the ball off the bat on batted balls.
*Launch angle: The vertical angle at which the ball leaves the bat on a batted ball.
*Vector: Classifies the horizontal launch direction of the batted ball into five equal zones of 18 degrees each.
*Hang time: Measures the time from bat contact to the ball either hitting the ground/wall or contact by a fielder.
*Hit distance: Calculates the distance on the ground of the actual landing point of any ball hit into play, ground/wall or contact with fielder, regardless of outcome.
*Projected HR distance: Calculates the distance of projected landing point at ground level on over-the-fence home runs.
Baserunning
*Lead distance: Measures the distance between the base and the runner's center of mass at the time the pitcher goes into his windup on a pitch or pickoff attempt.
*Secondary lead: Measures the distance between the base and the runner's center of mass when the ball is released by the pitcher on a pitch or pickoff attempt.
*First step: Measures the time elapsed from time of bat-on-ball contact to the runner's first movement toward next base.
*Stealing first step: Measures the time elapsed from the pitcher's first movement in the stretch to the runner's first movement toward the next base on a steal attempt.
*Acceleration: Measures the time elapsed from time of bat-on-ball contact to the runner's max speed at any point ball is in play.
*Max speed: Measures the maximum speed at any point for all players while the ball is in play.
*Dig speed: Measures the time from bat-on-ball contact to the point where the batter-as-runner reaches first base on an infield ground ball.
*Extra bases: Measures the time of bat-on-ball contact to the point the runner advances an "extra" base (first to third or home, or second to home) on all hits (excluding over-the-fence home runs).
*Home run trot: Measures the time elapsed from time of bat-on-ball contact to the point where the batter-as-runner reaches home plate on home runs.
Fielding
*First step: Measure the time elapsed from time of bat-on-ball contact to the fielder's first movement toward the ball.
*First step efficiency: Measures the angle of deviation from a straight line to the ending point of a batted ball trajectory vs. the actual initial path taken toward the ball.
*Max speed: Measures the maximum speed at any point while tracking any ball hit into play.
*Acceleration (outfield): Measures the time elapsed from time of bat-on-ball contact to max speed at any point while pursuing any ball hit into the outfield.
*Total distance: The total distance covered from batted ball contact to fielding the ball.
*Arm strength: Measures the maximum velocity of any throw made by any fielder.
*Exchange: Measures the time from the point a fielder receives the ball to releasing a throw.
*Pop time: Measures the time elapsed from a pitch reaching catcher's glove, to throw, to receipt of the ball by fielder at the intended base on all pickoff throws and steal attempts.
*Pivot: Measures the time elapsed between receipt of the ball and release of throw on double-play attempts.
*Route efficiency (outfield): Divide the distance covered by the fielder by a straight-line distance between the player's position at batted ball contact and where the ball was fielded.
Technology
The Statcast system uses two cameras to replicate the
binocular vision of the human eye. Together, the cameras provide
depth perception
Depth perception is the ability to perceive distance to objects in the world using the visual system and visual perception. It is a major factor in perceiving the world in three dimensions. Depth perception happens primarily due to stereopsis an ...
to easily distinguish between bodies on the field. The radar system measures the data, such as the speed and route of the players on the field. By combining the camera and radar data, dozens of physical metrics relating to every aspect of the game (pitching, hitting, baserunning, and fielding) can be obtained.
For a typical Major League baseball game, Statcast generates roughly seven terabytes of data. As the intent of the system is to emphasize player superlatives, impress fans and provide player evaluation abilities to teams, much of the data in a typical game is not useful outside averaging purposes. Computers parse through the data to extract the most interesting plays.
As
Major League Baseball Advanced Media
MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball (MLB) based in New York City and is the Internet and interactive branch of the league.
Robert Bowman, former president and CEO of MLBAM, indicated in ...
CEO Bob Bowman explains "We’ve been in the tech business for 13, 14 years. Job 1 is to get what’s in front of us out clearly, quickly, and accurately. That’s a big task, and it’s not going to happen overnight. What’s the 2.0 version of this? We don’t necessarily have a clear view of what 2.0 looks like. We’ve come to believe that while the unexpected can come back to haunt you, the unplanned isn’t bad. We’ll put stuff out, see what people like, then figure out what we want 2.0 to look like."
Statcast uses
Google Cloud Google Cloud Platform offers numerous integrated cloud-computing services, including compute, network, and storage.
Products
Past and present products under the Google Cloud platform include:
Current
* Google Cloud Datastore, a NoSQL databa ...
as its cloud data and analytics partner, switching from original partner
Amazon Web Services in 2020.
Hawk-Eye Innovations provides the high-speed cameras for Statcast in MLB stadiums.
Records
Nomar Mazara
Nomar Shamir Mazara Jiminián (born April 26, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball right fielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the San ...
hit a
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
with the
Texas Rangers to set the record for the longest distance measured by Statcast in the major leagues.
Leandro Cedeño
Leandro Arturo Cedeño (born August 22, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Cedeño played in Minor League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks organizations. In 20 ...
hit a home run measured at in the minor leagues.
Giancarlo Stanton recorded the hardest hit
batted ball
In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...
, with a ground ball with a recorded exit velocity, and the then longest distance for a home run, at , measured by Statcast. On August 9, 2018, in a game against the
Texas Rangers, Stanton hit a home run with an exit velocity of , the fastest exit velocity for a home run measured by Statcast, surpassing the previous record of held by
Aaron Judge
Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Judge was unanimously selected as the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 2017, and finishe ...
.
Aaron Hicks
Aaron Michael Hicks (born October 2, 1989) is an American professional baseball center fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his ...
registered the fastest throw recorded by Statcast, at .
Aroldis Chapman
Albertín Aroldis Chapman de la Cruz (; born February 28, 1988) is a Cuban-born American professional baseball relief pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Chica ...
set the record for fastest pitch recorded by Statcast at in July 2016, tying his own record from 2010 for the fastest recorded pitch in MLB history. Through August 2015, Chapman had registered the 101 fastest pitches thrown in MLB, leading Statcast to introduce a filter to remove Chapman from custom leaderboards. In 2018,
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
Jordan Hicks
Jordan Hicks (born June 27, 1992) is an American football middle linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) who won a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eaglesin 2018. He played college football at Texas.
Hig ...
tied Chapman's record (105.1 mph) with a
sinker against
Odúbel Herrera
Odúbel David Herrera Jr. ( ; born December 29, 1991) is a Venezuelan professional baseball center fielder for the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...
of the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Statcast Searchvia
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
Major League Baseball mass media
Sports television technology