Sponsored: Shohei Ohtani Signs With Rapsodo
The following is a paid advertisement from Rapsodo. Rapsodo is the leading provider of baseball analytics technology, offering simulators that combine high-speed cameras and radar to capture and analyze athlete performance metrics. From pitch velocity and spin rate to launch angle and exit velocity, Rapsodo’s products provide comprehensive data to help pitchers refine their mechanics, hitters improve their swings, and coaches make data-driven decisions to enhance team performance.
In a move poised to reshape the landscape of baseball technology, Rapsodo has officially announced a groundbreaking partnership with baseball’s best two-way player, none other than Shohei Ohtani.
This collaboration marks a pivotal moment in the convergence of sports and technology, revolutionizing player development and performance analytics across all of baseball, from youth to MLB.
Since bringing his talents to MLB, Ohtani has been an advocate for Rapsodo, using the technology to help him develop both on the mound and at the plate.
“I had been using Rapsodo for a few seasons and thought it was such a great tool; I only wished I had started using it earlier,” said the three-time MLB all-star.
At the heart of this partnership lies Rapsodo’s state-of-the-art pitching and hitting ball flight monitors, PRO 2.0 and PRO 3.0, which provide players with valuable insights into their performance metrics.
Rapsodo’s baseball flight monitors deliver real-time data on hitting and pitching metrics like pitch velocity, spin rate, trajectory, distance, exit velocity and more, empowering players to optimize mechanics and take their game to new heights.
Despite being an incredibly gifted player, Ohtani uses advanced data and technology to refine his skills, validate his intuition, and further adjust both his hitting and pitching mechanics.
In an interview with Rapsodo back in February, Shohei talked about how and why he utilizes their industry-leading player development tools:
“Mainly to quantify my growth as a player daily. For example, I check to see if I’m making the correct hit on my swing, making sure I have an efficient pitch, and help me design a pitch that’s difficult to hit. Having the ability to see the data and confirm it connects to my growth as a player.”
In the midst of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, the two-time American League MVP has relied on PRO 3.0 to assist in recovery, consistently tracking performance and ensuring a confident return to the mound without causing further injury.
“Since my pitching rehab started, I check to see if my pitching data matches the intention that I am throwing. I think being able to check the data helps smooth out my rehab process.
While the two-way player rehabs on the pithing side, he has stepped into the role as designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season. Based on recent comments by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be pitching anytime this year.
“We’ll see how that progression goes,” Roberts said. “If his arm is healthy enough, we’ll have that conversation in the field. I do know he’s not gonna pitch this year. But right now, our only focus is him being a designated hitter.”
Ohtani has an MLB-leading 36 hits in 115 plate appearances so far as the Dodgers’ DH, good for an MLB-best .364 batting average. So far in the early going, he has six home runs, 14 RBI, and 20 runs scored.
Ohtani embodies the spirit of what Rapsodo stands for. He dares to defy tradition, proving you’re never too young to follow your dreams and play the game on your own terms. He shows the world the power that data and technology has on the game, and with it, anyone can be a record-breaking, two-way force at ANY level of baseball.
“I wish these tools were available to me earlier. I think if I had something like this during my Little League years, how much better could I have been now?” the superstar said.
“When I look at the youth level players and see the tools available, I feel quite envious that they can use them.” He added, “I think they should use these tools for growth and the earlier you start using them, I believe the faster your growth will be.”
Throughout the partnership, Rapsodo will roll out content they captured with Ohtani from their production shoot. Fans can see all of this on Rapsodo’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, and LinkedIn channels.
Every athlete has a story, even the best in the game. Rapsodo is on a mission to tell those stories while providing athletes everywhere the tools they need to play like never before and #PlayWithoutLimits.
If you’re interested in learning more about Rapsodo and their products, click here to visit their website.
Francisco Lindor’s Slow Start Is Not Abnormal
This post is brought to you by Stathead. We use Stathead, powered by Baseball Reference, to find interesting stats in our articles. Stathead has easy-to-use discovery tools to take you inside the BR database. Try it for free today!
The 2024 season is now rolling along, which means it’s time to wildly overreact to small samples of data. Previously unremarkable players are suddenly looking like Hall-of-Famers while reliably good players now seem to be washed.
A midseason slump is easy to dismiss when you look up and the full season stats still seem good. Maybe a slumping hitter is still hitting .265 or a pitcher that just got lit up still has an earned run average around 4.00. But early on, a batting average that starts with a zero or an ERA that has two digits before the decimal place can be a cause for concern.
Thankfully, Stathead has an amazing tool to help put this all into proper context. Using the Span Finder, we can search a player’s entire career to see if they have ever had a previous slump that compares to what’s currently happening. Let’s use Francisco Lindor as an example.
It’s no secret that Lindor hasn’t exactly been his best self so far this year. His struggles became such a talking point amid fans of the Mets that some of them got together on social media and decided to support Lindor with a standing ovation, mirroring how Phillies’ fans responded when Trea Turner was struggling last year.
Through 15 games, Lindor has just eight hits in 62 at-bats for a .129 batting average. Just two of those eight hits have been for extra bases, one double and one home run. His batting line is just .129/.236/.194 and his on-base plus slugging is just .430, well below his career mark of .810.
Now that Lindor is 30 years old, it might be tempting to consider this the start of some age-based decline, but Span Finder shows us that he has been here before. Doing a custom search for every 15-game stretch of Lindor’s career and sorting by ascending OPS, we get this…
- September 10 to September 26 of 2016: .309 OPS
- September 11 to September 28 of 2016: .337 OPS
- September 9 to September 24 of 2016: .340 OPS
- April 17 to May 5 of 2021: .388 OPS
- October 1 of 2023 to April 13 of 2024: .392 OPS
- September 8 to September 23 of 2016: .404 OPS
- April 17 of 2021 to May 3 of 2021: .414 OPS
- September 29 of 2017 to April 11 of 2018: .429 OPS
- March 29 to April 14 of 2024: .430 OPS
Lindor is clearly in one of the worst stretches of his career right now, but it’s not totally without precedent. He slumped real bad at the end of the 2016 season when he was 22 years old. Despite that awful finish, he still hit .301/.358/.435 on the year overall for a 106 OPS+. Cleveland made the playoffs that year and Lindor immediately put that slump behind him, hitting .310/.355/.466 in the postseason as the club went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series, even going to extra innings in that classic game.
Given that there were also some notable struggles early on in 2018 and 2021 mixed in there, it seems fair to conclude that Lindor is performing within the range of previous outcomes. It’s clearly not ideal for him or the Mets that he’s started the season in this hole, but it’s one he has climbed out of before. Throughout the ups and downs of his career, he has hit .272/.340/.470 for a 116 OPS+.
That bat, along with Lindor’s speed and defense, are why the Mets gave him a ten-year, $341MM extension a few years ago. That deal pays Lindor $32MM annually through the 2031 season, so it’s good for the Mets that his current slump isn’t totally unprecedented.
The Opener: Valdez, Gray, MLBTR Chat
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As the 2024 MLB regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Valdez to be evaluated:
Astros southpaw Framber Valdez was scratched from his start yesterday due to elbow soreness, becoming the latest player of note in the league to suffer an elbow-related injury scare. Per Matt Kawahara of The Houston Chronicle, the lefty has departed the team’s road trip and is set to return to Houston today for further evaluation. Kawahara adds that both manager Joe Espada and GM Dana Brown downplayed the seriousness of Valdez’s injury, with Espada emphasizing that Valdez has not yet been placed on the injured list. If Valdez misses time, he’d join Justin Verlander, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia Jr., and Lance McCullers Jr. as Astros starters on the injured list, though Verlander could be nearing a return later this month.
Right-hander Blair Henley was called up to take the mound in place of Valdez yesterday, but he allowed five runs while recording just one out against the Rangers. Fellow righty Spencer Arrighetti could be an alternative option to take the ball next time Valdez’s spot in the rotation comes up if he’s not cleared to take the ball and Houston decides not to stick with Henley.
2. Gray to make Cardinals debut:
The Cardinals are expected to activate right-hander Sonny Gray from the injured list today to make his club debut in St. Louis against the Phillies. The 34-year-old signed with the club on a three-year, $75MM deal this offseason on the heels of a dominant 2023 campaign with the Twins where he led the majors with a 2.83 FIP and finished second to Gerrit Cole in AL Cy Young voting. He’ll get a tough assignment in his Cards debut, taking the mound opposite Phillies ace Zack Wheeler. St. Louis is surely hoping that Gray can help the club turn its rotation around. The group’s collective 4.85 ERA ranks 20th in MLB, and their 5.48 FIP ranks 29th, ahead of only the Blue Jays, through the young 2024 season’s first 11 games.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
The 2024 season is now in full swing, and some clubs have gotten off to surprisingly strong starts while plenty of expected contenders have struggled to open the year. If you have questions regarding your favorite club’s start to the campaign, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will host a live chat with readers this afternoon at 1pm CT. You can click here to ask a question in advance, and that same link will allow you to join in on the chat once it begins or read the transcript after it is completed.
Sponsored: Remove The Stress Of Planning And Cooking With Factor
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ThriveFantasy Offering Free $1,000 Opening Day Contest
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This is a sponsored post from ThriveFantasy.