Orioles and Wearable Biometrics

[DrungoHazewood]

From the IEEE Spectrum magazine this month, an article on a new wearable biometric data device that measures elbow stress. The Orioles seem to have been an early adopter and Rick Peterson is quoted in the piece:

The Baltimore Orioles bought eight sleeves, all for the club?s farm teams, says Rick Peterson, a director of pitching development for the team. ?My guess is it?s going to be a long time before the big league guys get into this, because they will not want to share this data,? he says. ?Big league players are so protective of their space. Their first question is: ?Can this be used against me?? ?

That question is particularly pertinent for amateurs competing for a position through the league?s draft system and for players who are looking to get a new contract. Biomechanics analysis could work in a player?s favor if his mechanics are good. But if the data show red flags that could lead to a major injury, he won?t be as desirable. Peterson says he already uses video footage to look for mechanics problems in potential draft picks, and biometrics data from wearables would be a likely next step.

[sportsfan8703]

Glad to see the Orioles involved with some forward thinking. A lot of posters are going to be happy about this and respect Rick Peterson. However our favorite NL Cy Young contender added stress to his elbow by throwing across his body. Peterson was around when we drafted Bundy and Harvey and they've both had elbow issues. Seems like as good as the technology gets it still is just a crapshoot.

[DrungoHazewood]

I thought is was interesting that Peterson focused on the privacy and injury projection/impact on value angle here. To me the Orioles angle on this might be targeting the undervalued pitchers who're being tagged as high-risk. If you take those guys and either teach them mechanical changes that lower risk, or get them at a draft/price point that makes the risk acceptable (say, high short-term performance to go along with injury risk) you've found an advantage.

[Camden_yardbird]

Biomechanical analysis is great for keeping guys from getting hurt, but it doesn't necessarily help make guys to be better pitchers. 9 times out of 10 Biomechanical analysis will tell you a guy should not throw across his body because it puts tremendous strain on the shoulder. But some guys (Arrieta) need to do that to be the best pitcher they can be.

I am starting to worry whether the Orioles have lost sight of developing pitchers by maximizing what they do best, rather than forming them into some platonic ideal they think they should be.

[DrungoHazewood]

Biomechanical analysis is great for keeping guys from getting hurt, but it doesn't necessarily help make guys to be better pitchers. 9 times out of 10 Biomechanical analysis will tell you a guy should not throw across his body because it puts tremendous strain on the shoulder. But some guys (Arrieta) need to do that to be the best pitcher they can be.

I am starting to worry whether the Orioles have lost sight of developing pitchers by maximizing what they do best, rather than forming them into some platonic ideal they think they should be.

That's why I said you need to balance injury risk with effectiveness. The Orioles have shown the last several years that you can win if you have pretty good but not great pitchers who stay healthy. Would they have been better if Chen or Tillman had a higher-risk, higher-effectiveness delivery and one of them missed three months? Or ended up with Tommy John? All depends on timing.