BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Dec 15, 2014) - When a baseball/softball player of any skill level steps into a SmartKage™ they will now have access to the same technology that has successfully provided analytics and performance metrics for Major League players since 2007. On the heels of a partnership between SmartKage™ parent company SmartSports (www.SmartKage.com) and Sportvision®, Inc. (www.sportvision.com), the leading innovator of next generation sports entertainment and broadcast enhancements, SmartSports has announced the first 40 of 160 SmartKage™ unit installations at the nation's top indoor sports training facilities.
Equivalent to a "Physical SAT™" with more than 70 performance metrics being analyzed, SmartSports has developed the most comprehensive quantitative technology system and network that measures specific athletic performance for baseball and softball players. The SmartKage™ leverages Sportvision® technology that has been implemented at the professional level, and will now provide youth and amateurs with player performance reports at the 40 locations nationwide.
SmartKage™ features technologies from Sportvision's® product suite of data capture innovations for baseball (PITCHf/x® and HITf/x®,), which was developed to capture and deliver pitching and batting performance data never before available.
Highlighting these applications is Sportvision's® PITCHf/x pitch tracking system, which was developed in conjunction with Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM). Now, operational at every MLB stadium, 40 minor league stadiums, the Nippon Professional Baseball League (Japan) and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), PITCHf/x tracks every pitch thrown in MLB play at approximately 60 points from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand until it crosses home plate. Since 2007, the system has tracked more than 8 million pitches, as the ground-breaking technology records and reports pertinent aspects of the pitcher batter matchup, including speed, break, location, pitch type and trajectory, in real-time, and with incredible accuracy.
"By combining our patented technologies with Sportvision's® data capture components, players of any skill level who utilize SmartKage™ will obtain the most comprehensive evaluation of their performance capabilities," said SmartSports co-founder and CEO, Corrine Vitolo. "The PITCHf/x and HITf/x technologies are now available for Little League through collegiate level athletes exclusively through our SmartKage™ facilities. Our data is used for instruction, player development and a completely objective analysis for recruiting and scouting."
Vitolo said SmartSports' technicians are working at a feverish pace to ensure that all 40 of the first phase of SmartKage units are installed by mid-2015. She added that SmartSports COO and co-founder, Larry Scannell, has done a remarkable job of vetting the nation's leading indoor sports facilities, selecting only the finest to be SmartKage™ host locations.
Sportvision® technologies, which power broadcast, digital and mobile applications continue to influence the way executives, coaches, analysts, scouts, physicists, fantasy players, etc. involved in all levels of baseball, view and analyze the game today.
"There continues to be great demand for detailed statistical data to better evaluate player performance, and it's exciting to see implementation of this technology at the grassroots level," said Ryan Zander, General Manager, Baseball, Sportvision, Inc. "SmartKage is delivering player performance data that was previously only available at the professional level. Now, youth coaches, college coaches and amateurs will have more objective information at their fingertips."
SmartKage™ is a fully automated, patented technology system that yields 70+ quantitative metrics of athletic performance for baseball and softball -- more than 8x the amount of information currently available -- the equivalent of a "Physical SAT™."
"The PITCHf/x and HITf/x systems have revolutionized the way the game of baseball is analyzed at the MLB level. The SmartKage™ - Sportvision® partnership will now extend these analytical tools to virtually all levels of play," adds Dr. Alan M. Nathan, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Illinois and Chief Scientist, POB Consultants.
About SmartSports/SmartKage™
SmartSports is a privately held sports technology company that develops and markets sports related technologies. Company products, including its fully automated SmartKage™, quantitatively measure athletic performance for the amateur, collegiate and professional sports markets. Founded in 2008, the company is based in greater Boston, Massachusetts. For additional information, please go to www.SmartKage.com.
About Sportvision
Sportvision, Inc.® is the nation's premier innovator of sports and entertainment products for fans, media companies and marketers. Sportvision solutions have enhanced experiences for fans and marketing partners of the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, the Olympic Games, NHL, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, NBA, NCAA, WTA, MLS, IRL, X Games and other sport events on-air and online. As sports fans demand richer and fuller entertainment experiences, Sportvision delivers a heightened sports-viewing experience across all forms of media. Sportvision has deployed products across live television, internet and mobile devices for all major sports on all major U.S. networks including ESPN, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, TBS/TNT, NFL Network, MLB Network, CBC (Canada), Seven Network (Australia) TV Asahi (Japan) and MBC (Korea). For additional information, please go to www.sportvision.com.
Editor's Note: High res photos of SmartKage™ are available upon request.
Contact Information:
Contact:
Peter Nasca
pnasca@persistencepr.com