Mike Trout using new technology this spring to refine his swing
Mike Trout and Tigers Woods have something in common. Although they play different sports, they’re both always trying to get the most out of their swing.
Trout might be the best player in baseball, but he isn’t satisfied despite everything he has already achieved before his 25th birthday. Trout is using new technology this spring in an effort to help him monitor his swing and learn where he might be able to get even better.
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Trout is using a Smart Bat in the batting cage (it’s not yet approved for game). The bat is manufactured by Old Hickory Bats and the sports tech company Zepp Labs. It features a sensor in the grip of the bat that tracks elements of a swing such as impact speed and swing duration and sends the data directly to the hitter’s smart phone.
#SmartBat launched today with @OldHickoryBats and @MikeTrout #PoweredByZepp https://t.co/8TBo0OfU0D pic.twitter.com/KNLIAv0T21
— Zepp Labs (@ZeppLabs) February 29, 2016
Revolutionary @MikeTrout Signature #SmartBat Powered By Zepp
Learn More >>> https://t.co/TISe6t3yPv pic.twitter.com/yTXtmRuQp0— Zepp Labs (@ZeppLabs) February 28, 2016
Boston designated hitter David Ortiz is also partnering with Zepp and working with the bat in his final spring training before retirement.
Trout told Mashable his goal is consistency throughout the season and the Smart Bat will help him achieve that.
“I use it as a reference and share the data from the app with my hitting coach to see where I’m attacking the ball and if I’m staying on plane,” Trout said.
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Trout is a career .304 hitter with 139 home runs to his credit in four full big league seasons and 40 games played in 2011. He probably owes some of that success to his willingness to try new approaches and incorporate technology and science in the process of trying to improve.
This isn’t the first time he has partnered with Zepp in an effort to analyze his swing. In 2014, he used the company’s 3D Swing Analyzer as a tool for improvement. The new generation of that technology is what Trout is using this spring and it is expected to be available to the general public later this spring or early summer.
If guys as talented as Trout and Ortiz believe the technology helps them, imagine how it might change the game in the future. This kind of technology might help create some great hitters as it is refined and when it becomes more widely available to players in Little League and high school.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
