Mike Trout is part of an effort to bring America’s Pastime into the age of data with the game’s first smart bat.
The four-time All-Star and former American League MVP recently held a private demonstration of the new technology on a sweltering afternoon before the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim faced off against the Houston Astros.
His last pitch in batting practice sailed far beyond the left-field wall as a small crowd of enamored kids from the Vineyard Little League in Rancho Cucamonga and local media watched the showcase.
A sensor from San Jose-based Zepp Labs, inserted into the knob of his Old Hickory wood bat, tracked every swing, analyzing swing and hand speed, as well as attack angles. The data was transferred immediately via Bluetooth to a smartphone.
“You don’t even feel it at the plate, you just turn it on,” Trout said of the sensor after finishing up at the cage. “It’s going to be good for kids in high school and guys that are trying to get drafted. It’s a good thing for baseball.”
Trout, who has been swinging an Old Hickory stick since his high school days in New Jersey, is among the 180 or so professional players who use the brand.
The MT27 Smart Bat, which has not been approved yet for in-game use by Major League Baseball, retails for $295.
It took months for Tennessee-based Old Hickory Bat Co. to integrate the removable Zepp sensor, which is about the size of a quarter, shifting from hand drilling in the early stages of development to machine fabrication that speeds up the process.
“For so many years, a wood bat has been a wood bat; there wasn’t a whole lot you could do with it,” Old Hickory Vice President of Sales and Marketing Travis Copley said. “This is a whole new frontier with bats in general, but especially wood bats.”
Trout has endorsement deals with Zepp and Old Hickory, so the companies were on each other’s radar as they set out to look for partners at baseball’s winter meetings. The companies hope to gain MLB approval for the smart bat next season.
It has been approved by several youth baseball organizations, including Perfect Game USA and Ripken Baseball, as well as the National College Summer Baseball League.
Zepp Product Marketing Manager Trevor Stocking showed the technology to several MLB teams and hitting coaches, including Dave Hansen with the Angels. Trout was one of the team’s first players to use the device and liked the instant feedback.
“If you’re going good, you want to know your numbers,” he said.
Other Angel players have taken a liking to the device, which has fueled some in-house competitions on who swings the hardest and generates the most bat speed.
Canadian tennis pro Milos Raonic, who advanced to the Wimbledon finals last week, also endorses the product for tennis rackets.
Zepp, which was established four years ago, has raised more than $15 million in venture capital funding as it seeks greater adoption, primarily in the amateur ranks, where the market is much bigger than the professional segment.
Today’s youngsters are accustomed to smartphones, apps and instant feedback, an ideal mix for performance-monitoring trackers of all kinds.
“There’s going to be a time soon when all sports equipment is connected, and we want to build a brand and company that support that,” Stocking said. “Our goal is to hopefully open the flood gates.”
