Dodgers partner with Kitman Labs to develop injury prevention program
Injuries are an unfortunate reality of sports. There’s no way to avoid them, but the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking at a way to use technology to at least minimize the risk of long-term physical damage for their players.
We know how aggressive the Dodgers have been bringing in international players, Cuban infielder Hector Olivera being their most recent big-money signing. Now they’re going out of the country again to try to improve, though it’s a little different this time.
They’re partnering with Kitman Labs, an Irish company that has developed a computer-based sports injury prevention program. Seeing as it has never been used in baseball – the Dodgers are Kitman’s first American client – the plan is to start using the program in the minor leagues before making the jump to the majors.
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Here’s some more information about Kitman and what they do from ESPN’s Stephania Bell:
Kitman Labs, a sports technology company with a history of providing European teams with data regarding athlete management and injury prevention, has worked with the Dodgers for a year to develop a comprehensive program specifically tailored to baseball players. Stan Conte, the Dodgers’ vice president of medical services, said that he hopes to use biometric measurements with other workload metrics to identify players who might be at risk for injuries. He noted that the system had proven effective for professional soccer and rugby teams, and thinks it could work for baseball, as well.
That sure sounds interesting, and it’s no surprise to see this specific front office be the one to implement it. Andrew Friedman has proven time after time to be on the cutting edge of analytics and this fits move right in.
If it’s successful, it could be L.A.’s best international acquisition yet.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
