Rockies fully embrace new hitting technology

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PHILADELPHIA -- When Rockies hitters step into the batter’s box against the Athletics’ Osvaldo Bido in Friday's home opener, the sight should be familiar.

This will be the first season that Colorado will be using the Trajekt Arc pitching machine, a state-of-the-art training tool that can use data and video to allow hitters to “see” a specific pitcher throw to them a specific pitch that acts like it would in an actual game.

The Rockies started using the Canada-based Trajekt Arc in Spring Training at their performance lab, before the machine was moved to Coors Field.

“I love it, man,” said third baseman Ryan McMahon, who said he saw immediate benefits in terms of good Spring Training at-bats. “If I’m up with runners in scoring position, sometimes it may take the first two pitches to get accustomed to everything. This takes that out and you’re ready to go from pitch one.”

The Rockies will be happy to meet up again with Trajekt Arc, since they need the help. They batted .196 and had a 33 percent strikeout rate as a team while going 1-5 on their season-opening road trip against the Rays and the Phillies.

There are as many methods for training as there are players.

“Some guys choose to just track pitches, which helps them see the pitch a little longer,” center fielder Brenton Doyle said. “But if I’m going to have to try to hit it in a game, I’m going to try to hit it in the cage. That’s the mindset I have.”

The counterpoint would be to simply track pitches and not swing at balls the virtual pitcher doesn’t want you to hit, and save swings for the confidence-building exercise of batting practice.

“You would think that with a projection of a pitcher you should be in there all day,” first baseman Michael Toglia said. “But in my opinion it’s easy to wear my feels out and swing myself into a funk.”

Hitting coach Hensley Meulens, who was with the Yankees when that team installed machines at all its affiliates a few years back, said there are ways to manipulate it as a teaching tool. This spring, No. 17 prospect Sterlin Thompson was repeatedly missing a pitch. Then, Meulens tweaked the pitch slightly. After that, Thompson had a visual of when the pitcher threw too good a pitch to swing at, and when he made a mistake.

Last season, MLB approved the use of such technology during games. A hitter could dash to the batting tunnel, face the other team’s pitcher, then rush to the on-deck circle and face him during the game. Now, 26 of the 30 teams have entered lease agreements with Trajekt Sports -- which has partnered with Rapsodo, a sports data company that all teams use.

“There are other machines out there that do spin rates and different things, but this one adjusts and you get a visual image of the pitcher,” said Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt, who pushed the decision to bring in the machine. “The guys have enjoyed it so far.”

It’s not feasible for the machine to be taken on the road because of its size and the need to recalibrate it if it is moved. The Rockies are calling for a requirement that each team that has a machine must also provide one for the visitor.