In this, the fifth and final article in a five-part series called “In the Heat," Scott Langdon writes about an Australian who is making a significant contributions to sport science in professional baseball.

You can read the first four parts of the "In the Heat" series by clicking on these links.

Part 1 - Could the Jays' new Dunedin Stadium defy odds?

Part 2 - What do you get for $81 million?

Part 3 - "If you're thirsty, it's too late."

Part 4 - The sixth tool

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Australians, machine learning, algorithms and… baseball?

By Scott Langdon

BRADENTON, Fl – The growing influence of sport science in professional baseball and the possibility that machine learning could decrease the number of injuries have their roots in Australia, a country where baseball is not a top 10 viewing or participation sport.

Dr. Jason Berry, Head of Sport Science at the IMG Academy, Bradenton, is an Australian and former skill acquisition coach and sport scientist with two teams in Australian Rules Football. A former lecturer in sport coaching at Victoria University, he explains the Australian influence:

“The 1976 Olympics in Montreal were a dismal failure for the Australian team. A public backlash led the government to form the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. This became the focus for the use and development of sport science,” he said. “Sport science was then exported into Australian Rules Football. Since, Australian sports scientists have been in demand around the world.”

A recent story by ABC News estimated that more than a dozen Australian sport scientists are active among the 30 teams in the NBA.

Berry explained that sport science is a process that provides a framework to support athletic performance using scientific methods and data. It provides evidence to confirm a coach’s approach with a player or players or occasionally contradicts coaching decisions that are not supported by data. It creates a relationship between the sport scientist, coach and player to improve performance. It is evolving into a core function just like strength and conditioning.

Another result of Australia’s focus on sport science is a spin-off company called Catapult Sports, born from a partnership between Cooperative Research Centres and the AIS to address sports performance. It has grown from a small Australian start-up company to a leader in elite sports technology. Catapult products are used by more than 1,500 teams in 35 sports, the company says.

Catapult designs and manufactures wearable devices to collect and measure sport movements such as baseball swings and throws. The analysis of the data allows identification of trends that could improve player performance and, importantly, identify injury possibilities before they occur.

Catapult and three other companies were approved by MLB to provide in-game wearable technology last year.

Catapult has a team of data scientists who have developed the wearable, machine learning devices to capture data. Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence in the field of computer science. The algorithms they created allow their wearable technology such as OptimEye S5 to transform the data into sport-specific insights.

A Catapult device is worn in a harness between the shoulder blades. In addition to its GPS locator, it provides data via an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer to measure the lean, the turn, and the force of the body.

“I worked at the Australian Institute of Sport and one of my assigned sports was baseball,” said Jamie Hepner, sport scientist with Catapult in its Chicago office. “There seems to be broadscale opinion that sport science does apply to baseball and one of the keys is to get it moving in the minor leagues as players move up.

“We want to measure the level of exertion and intensity that is exerted during a swing or a pitch. It isn’t just pitch count or pitch speed, but also about rotation of the arm and speed of the hips, for example,” he added.

A large portion of baseball injuries occur in non-contact incidents, and it’s hoped that measuring and controlling the exercise load of players will help reduce these types of injuries, according to an article published by the company. The metrics developed for pitching and bat swings enable baseball coaches to control the volume and intensity of key movements that lead to overuse injuries, which cost millions of dollars annually in lost salaries at the professional level.

Catapult’s OptimEye S5 device will assist hitters and pitchers by helping them better understand their workload as sensors quantify every movement. It will include swing and pitch counts along with pitch load that can assist coaches to analyze the intensity of each throwing or practice session. Coaches and players can also learn about swing load and the force and explosiveness at the plate.

Currently, while approved by MLB and overseen by both the union and the leagues, in-game use of wearable technology is up to individual teams. Reportedly, two MLB teams are Catapult clients.  Their identities are covered by confidentiality agreements, according to sporttechie.com.

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MLB’s expansion in Florida continues to have it doubters, but Florida remains a baseball hot spot for spring training and minor league baseball where player development is the name of the game. Developments such as the Blue Jays’ new and expanded facilities and the growing influence of sport science add to the interest for Canadian fans.