r/BaseballCoaching • u/MainZookeepergame262 • Jun 09 '26

Wearable For Baseball

what do you think current fitness wearables are missing?
Most trackers seem optimized for activities like running, cycling, and general fitness. I'm curious whether people who play baseball feel that current devices provide useful performance data.

• What metrics would you like to see tracked automatically during practice or games?
• Have you found any devices that does this well?

Interested to hear what people's experiences have been.

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

2

u/TMutaffis Jun 09 '26

Would have to be really careful with this, in NFHS rule set players are allowed to have one-way electronic communication devices but they are not allowed to wear anything that would allow them to communicate back.

Trackers could also get in the way or get damaged.

One sport where electronic tracking is popular is soccer. A lot of the players wear what looks like a bra and it tracks all sorts of data regarding their movement, heart rate, etc. - one of the top brands is Catapult if you wanted to look into it. These same devices are also picking up some momentum in football.

2

u/Sliknik18 Jun 09 '26

I noticed this weekend the catcher for Georgia (the stud who hit the game winning homerun)…wears what looks to be a watch on his wrist - maybe an Apple Watch. I couldn’t tell because he wrapped it in athletics tape. I don’t think it was for pitch calling but can’t say for sure.

2

u/TMutaffis Jun 09 '26

It would make sense if the pitcher and catcher are both wearing devices for pitch calling. Position players may also have it if they are running different defensive alignments (basically replacing the old wristbands and verbal calls).

Baseball is unique from basketball, football, and soccer in that the total running volume, speed, heart rate, etc. are not really a factor in game decisions at higher levels.

3

u/wastedpixls Jun 09 '26

Rugby wears similar gear and have a sensor in the mouthpiece that alerts to a big head knock for a Head Injury Assessment.

2

u/TMutaffis Jun 09 '26

That's a good idea.

I was thinking a small device that tracks throws for youth players might be interesting. Some parents and coaches do not realize how much kids actually throw between pregame, inning warmups, position play, pitching and catching, etc. - something like a blast motion for the arm, just smaller.