The made-in-Ontario tech that’s helping MLB teams prep for pitchers

Baseball players can now go up against pro pitchers thanks to a robot, created by University of Waterloo alumni, that replicates their release point. CTV’s Spen

On baseball’s biggest stage, teams are searching for any advantage against opposing pitchers.

It seems the latest advantage comes in the form of a robot that’s replicating reality for Major League Baseball teams.

Hitters can face any pitcher, from any team at almost any time, and it’s all thanks to an artificial intelligence (A.I.) pitching machine created by two University of Waterloo grads.

The Trajekt Arc has been referenced by both teams duelling it out at the World Series.

Ken Rosenthal with Fox Sports asked LA Dodgers player Freddie Freeman how they prepared for Trey Yesavage’s high release point considering they hadn’t played against him before.

“We did a lot of Trajekt at home getting used to him,” said Freeman in that interview with Fox Sports.

The Trajekt Arc pitching robot is shaking up the entire league by giving teams an added layer of preparation they never had before. It combines A.I. and video projection in an all-encompassing machine that spits out the ball by matching the real experience of batting against another pitcher in the league.

“You’re actually able to visualize the delivery. Not only that, the machine will move left and right to any release point,” said Joshua Pope, CEO of Trajekt, and UW graduate.

The technology even allows players to pick whether they want the ball thrown inside or outside the strike zone for both left-handed and right-handed hitters.

The Mississauga-based company, Trajekt Sports, is working with 25 MLB teams and their affiliates, along with several other professional baseball teams around the globe.

The machine has been out for a few years, but in their latest version, they’ve really honed in on the visual aspect.

“We actually doubled down on the ability to replicate the visual cues that the batter is going to see and go to that extra level of specificity to see that hand pronation [of the pitcher],” said Pope.

The advantage with the tech, generally lies with the home team. That’s because at more than 1,000 lbs., the Trajekt Arc doesn’t travel with teams.

The Trajekt team is constantly adapting.

“Even the rule changes like ABS (Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System) that’s coming next year, we’re prepared for that,” said Trajekt CTO Rowan Ferrabee, who is also a UW grad. “We have that integrated into our product and the second it’s ready, we’re ready for it.”

The tech has even forced some rule changes of its own.

“The teams are really the ones who lobbied to be able to use it in-game with the MLB,” said Ferrabee. “We had to make custom modes in the app to auto-detect that a game was happening, cut off certain features and make sure it was fitting within the rules.”

It is world-changing tech, being used in the World Series, and adaptations of it are even being considered for other sports around the world.

But for the immediate future, the Trajekt team is keeping their eye on the ball — baseball, that is.

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