St. Louis Sports Dispatch: "Baseball's future is now. Welcome to virtual spring training"

CEO, Steve Goody, was recently interviewed by Derrick Goold, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  Titled, "Baseball's future is now. Welcome to virtual spring training," the article features interviews with pro players and highlights what players and coaches can be doing to train efficiently at home.  Below are a few soundbites featured in the article:

Call it virtual spring training — in the age of social distancing.

“We’re really scrambling now to find out new ways to do this,” said Steve Goody, CEO and co-founder of Pocket Radar. “My days are filled with phone calls to determine how we can collaborate, create joint efforts. We can create some joint mechanics to get the devices to all of these at-home athletes for a lower (price). The great news is everybody in this is going, ‘This is the path forward. This can work. We can do this.’ Teams could even have virtual practices, pitching coaches could work with pitchers. I think there’s a lot we can do adapting to this unique situation we’re in."

This past Friday, at Pocket Radar, they received a call from a parent who, using the company’s Smart Coach App was able to share clips of a prep pitcher and receive interest from colleges. Through that app, Pocket Radar — a handheld, accurate radar gun about the size of a phone — is able to film and clip swings and pitches, complete with the velocity embedded. In November 2018, Cardinals prospect Nolan Gorman used a Pocket Radar and posted a clip of him launching a pitch at 100-mph exit velocity. It only needs a tripod. There’s even a Bluetooth component so that a pitcher or hitter can hear the velocity through earbuds.

MOVING FORWARD

And on the horizon, because of a collaborative with Edgertronic, Pocket Radar will have its motion-triggering capabilities and embedded velocity available with Edgertronic’s ultra-slow-motion capture video. Currently, Edgertronic cameras must be manned. With Pocket Radar’s tech, they will recognize movement, capture an 8-second clip, cut it, and drop it onto a user's phone, and then do it again for an entire bullpen or round of batting practice. It's pricey, but one person could run the workout.

Ponce de Leon bought $500 of gear from Driveline this winter and will be using that when he throws side sessions. The tech, as he proved, only is as beneficial as the user's determination. But is is possible for a player to work on his own — with a whole team watching from afar and benefiting later.

“There are these powerful new ways to train by themselves that will take them further than they ever imagined they could go in a few weeks, or a few months,” Goody, of Pocket Radar, said. “What we’re working on fast for the vast majority is they want a solution. When this lockdown is over, how can I come out the other side being a better pitcher or a better hitter? How do they stay in shape? (Could) come out of this ready to walk out on the field, maybe.”