In the pursuit of continuing to advance the way sports are played across the world, Rapsodo has officially welcomed superstar Shohei Ohtani to its team. The premier two-way talent in baseball is the runaway favorite to win the 2024 NL MVP despite the fact that he’s currently rehabbing from elbow surgery. “I had been using Rapsodo for a few seasons and thought it was such a great tool,” said Ohtani in an exclusive interview with the company. “On the batting side, I have been comparing the data to how I am feeling, and as for pitching, I check if my data matches the intent that I am throwing. Being able to check the data helps smooth out my rehab process.”
Ohtani has a legitimate shot to win not only the MVP but also the National League triple crown, as he is on pace to drive in over 130 runs and hit nearly 60 home runs, with a batting average above .300 and an OPS hovering around 1.000.
“I only wished I had started using it earlier. If I had something like this during my Little League years, how much better could I have been now? Players should use these tools for growth; the earlier they start using them, the faster their growth will be.”
Ohtani does have a slightly different outlook on sport specialization, but it’s a hard one to argue with. “I tried swimming and other sports, but from the beginning I always wanted to commit to baseball. I never regretted or thought I wasted time trying other sports, [but] I think I always kind of knew it would be baseball.”
“I don’t think there is a ‘too early’ to start using these tools,” he added. “The earlier you start, the earlier you can start seeing your own data as well as other players’ data to start comparing. [My] coaches were great in what they were teaching me, but having the ability to think for yourself connects to faster growth. Seeing your own data and comparing yourself with other players allows you to understand your own shortcomings and what you can do to improve those things.”
Rapsodo’s PRO 3.0 update provides users with some of baseball’s newest metrics—seam orientation and seam-shifted wake break. Seam orientation refers to the position of the seams relative to the ball’s spin axis, and the seam-shifted wake effect is the quantification of ‘unexpected’ pitch movement. Simply put, if all other things are equal (velocity, release height/extension, pitch type) and the grip is changed slightly, the seam-shifted wake effect can cause as much as eight inches of difference in break. Players and coaches can use the PRO 3.0 to analyze both seam orientation and wake break together. This can help them learn how changing the grip during pitch design can add or reduce break.
For years, elite pitchers have tracked advanced metrics. And as pitching has evolved from the top-down across the game, so have the metrics. With seam orientation and wake break incorporated into the mix, we will be able to achieve a new understanding of how to make pitches more difficult to hit. “I strongly believe this data and the actions pitchers take as a result of analyzing this data can turn an average pitcher into an elite pitcher,” says John Garrett, Analytics Engineer at Rapsodo.
The new update to PRO 3.0 also includes release extension (distance from mound to release point), contact depth (depth at which the ball was struck relative to home plate), and strike zone visual (3D visual of the ball and its location in the strike zone).
You can learn more about the unit at rapsodo.com/pages/pro-3-0.