Startups

The Baltimore Orioles signed a baseball tech partnership to analyze swings

The Orioles are signing on to use bat sensors from California-based Blast Motion that have been approved for in-game use at the minor league level.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Photo by Flickr user Keith Allison, used under a Creative Commons license)

Orioles Magic will get some technology added to its brew this season.

The Baltimore Orioles will be implementing bat sensor technology from Carlsbad, Calif.-based Blast Motion, according to a release issued two weeks ahead of Opening Day.

Blast’s tech assists with player development, analytics and scouting. The bat sensor technology, which is attached to a bat, provides data to help teams evaluate and improve players’ swings. The technology also includes video capture and visualizations of a swing.

The company said the Orioles are the 25th team to sign on, meaning it’s used by more than 80 percent of Major League Baseball teams. That includes the Houston Astros, where new Orioles General Manager Mike Elias and Assistant General Manager (and former NASA engineer) Sig Mejdal previously held leadership positions. Mejdal pointed to a “familiarity” with the tech.

“My previous experience with Blast data has shown value in both player development and scouting by providing swing insights and measureables that translate to batted ball success,” Mejdal said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to leveraging our previous experience with Blast data in Baltimore with our coaches and players.”

Last year, Major League Baseball approved the use of bat sensors during games at the minor league level, allowing a player’s swing to be evaluated using the technology during a competitive situation.

Under the new leadership in the front office following last year’s losing season, the Orioles committed to bringing in analytics to help develop and evaluate players. It’s resulted in the team hiring tech talent ahead of the 2019 season.

Companies: Baltimore Orioles

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

Not all jobs are the same. Why do workforce agencies treat them like they are?

After nearly a decade, the federal program for immigrant entrepreneurs is finally working

Our newest reporter wants to know what matters to Baltimore’s innovators

Despite big raises and contracts, a tech training giant lays off staffers and loses its CEO

Technically Media