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28 replies

Pitch tracker on TBS

bballmanbballman10,000+ posts
Exactly how accurate is this graphic? Watching last night's Yankees-Tigers game, it seemed like there were an awful lot of pitches in which the graphic showed a lot of the ball in the strike zone that were called balls. In previous games, the umps were, overall, pretty consistent with the graphic. I'm wondering if last night's umpire just had a really small strike zone, or was the graphic off.

I also wonder whether or not the announcers are looking at that graphic. In some instances, they are obviously watching replays on a TV, but they never make reference to what that pitch tracker graphic shows compared to what the umpire calls strikes and balls.

Just some food for thought. Wondering what you guys think.
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bballmanbballman10,000+ posts
I like it too. I'm just wondering about last night. Either it was off, or that ump had a super small strike zone.

I've also noticed that sometimes it seems higher than other times. Sometimes the 9 boxes will seem square and other times they are rectangles which at least appear to make the strike zone go higher.

Not sure how the technology works, but I do like having it there. Like I said, usually, the umps are pretty consistent with the graphic zone, last night was different.
C cball500+ posts
what amazes me even though the camera appears to be in dead center field is the angle distortion, i.e. most pitches in the camera shot appear more to the first base side than they actually are in the tracker.

A pitch that appears to catch the outside corner to a lefty on the camera shot will be well outside on the tracker.
GM Gingerbread Man500+ posts
I do know a few things about the system. Pitch Trax on TBS is a variation of Pitch/fx both designed by Sportvision. The technology is offically employed by MLB. The way it works is that three cameras in different locations have been set up at every ballpark. These cameras triangulate the location of the ball in relationship to the field and home plate at any given moment. It is extremely accurate. In fact, it is so accurate, radar guns tracking velocity doesn't even work as precise as this technology. The Pitch/fx data is all generated by this data and is so accurate that radar guns are no longer employed at the ballparks for pitch speed information.

The graphic placed on screen is the result of computer programming that adjusts strike zones for each hitter depending upon height of player coupled with analyizing and calculating the location of the ball in every frame of camera operation from when it leaves the pitchers hand to where it is caught. The technology precisely thus spits out the location of the pitch the moment it reaches home plate. All of the pitch tracking, whether it be on TBS, ESPN, MLB, Fox, etc, all use the same programming "pitch/fx" developed by Sportvision using their own personal stylized graphic developed for the program.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
quote:
Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
I do know a few things about the system. Pitch Trax on TBS is a variation of Pitch/fx both designed by Sportvision. The technology is offically employed by MLB. The way it works is that three cameras in different locations have been set up at every ballpark. These cameras triangulate the location of the ball in relationship to the field and home plate at any given moment. It is extremely accurate. In fact, it is so accurate, radar guns tracking velocity doesn't even work as precise as this technology. The Pitch/fx data is all generated by this data and is so accurate that radar guns are no longer employed at the ballparks for pitch speed information.

The graphic placed on screen is the result of computer programming that adjusts strike zones for each hitter depending upon height of player coupled with analyizing and calculating the location of the ball in every frame of camera operation from when it leaves the pitchers hand to where it is caught. The technology precisely thus spits out the location of the pitch the moment it reaches home plate. All of the pitch tracking, whether it be on TBS, ESPN, MLB, Fox, etc, all use the same programming "pitch/fx" developed by Sportvision using their own personal stylized graphic developed for the program.


This is correct, I am glad that you learned something from sending you info on pitchf/x. Too bad you point out how accurate it is, yet you ignore results. Wink

If the umpire is using a small strike zone and it's the same for both teams, well then that's the zone, no matter what pitchf/x comes up with. These are playoffs, the zone should be tight. JMO.
Last edited by TPM
bballmanbballman10,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:

If the umpire is using a small strike zone and it's the same for both teams, well then that's the zone, no matter what pitchf/x comes up with. These are playoffs, the zone should be tight. JMO.


It's one thing to have a small strike zone. It's another to call obvious strikes balls. Assuming the Pitch f/x is accurate. If I were a pitcher, I would want pitches that over half the ball caught home plate to be called strikes. Not asking for anything off the plate (although that would be nice - especially as a pitcher's dad), but pitches that CLEARLY were over should be called. Thursday night's game involved a strike zone that was about the size of a paper plate.
B bballforever10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:

This is correct, I am glad that you learned something from sending you info on pitchf/x. Too bad you point out how accurate it is, yet you ignore results. Wink

If the umpire is using a small strike zone and it's the same for both teams, well then that's the zone, no matter what pitchf/x comes up with. These are playoffs, the zone should be tight. JMO.


WTF The strike zone should always be the same whether it is opening day or game 7 of the World Series. They don't move the fences in for the playoffs, so they should not shrink the strike zone.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
quote:
Originally posted by bballforever:
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:

This is correct, I am glad that you learned something from sending you info on pitchf/x. Too bad you point out how accurate it is, yet you ignore results. Wink

If the umpire is using a small strike zone and it's the same for both teams, well then that's the zone, no matter what pitchf/x comes up with. These are playoffs, the zone should be tight. JMO.


WTF The strike zone should always be the same whether it is opening day or game 7 of the World Series. They don't move the fences in for the playoffs, so they should not shrink the strike zone.


Yup it should ALWAYS be the same but it's not. That's something you need to take up with the umpire. Why do you suppose he is not within the zone that pitchf/x presents?
GM Gingerbread Man500+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:
quote:
Originally posted by Gingerbread Man:
I do know a few things about the system. Pitch Trax on TBS is a variation of Pitch/fx both designed by Sportvision. The technology is offically employed by MLB. The way it works is that three cameras in different locations have been set up at every ballpark. These cameras triangulate the location of the ball in relationship to the field and home plate at any given moment. It is extremely accurate. In fact, it is so accurate, radar guns tracking velocity doesn't even work as precise as this technology. The Pitch/fx data is all generated by this data and is so accurate that radar guns are no longer employed at the ballparks for pitch speed information.

The graphic placed on screen is the result of computer programming that adjusts strike zones for each hitter depending upon height of player coupled with analyizing and calculating the location of the ball in every frame of camera operation from when it leaves the pitchers hand to where it is caught. The technology precisely thus spits out the location of the pitch the moment it reaches home plate. All of the pitch tracking, whether it be on TBS, ESPN, MLB, Fox, etc, all use the same programming "pitch/fx" developed by Sportvision using their own personal stylized graphic developed for the program.


This is correct, I am glad that you learned something from sending you info on pitchf/x. Too bad you point out how accurate it is, yet you ignore results. Wink

If the umpire is using a small strike zone and it's the same for both teams, well then that's the zone, no matter what pitchf/x comes up with. These are playoffs, the zone should be tight. JMO.


TPM,

I actually learned all that from watching a program about it years ago. They also talk about it every so often on the MLB network and ESPN. Smile As for results, you are badly mistaken, but I will let it slide just this once Wink
G Goosegg10,000+ posts
Where is the rule book does it say that the entire ball (or even 50%) needs to be in the zone before its called a strike? Seems to me that theoretically if the seam breaks the zone it is a technical strike.

What the ump calls, however, is a different matter - a strike is whatever he says it is. And so long as its the same for both teams, it seems fine.

The pitch tracker is another fun tool to think about - especially if you're fortunate enough to be watching the game with your son who'se a pitcher! (alas, my son is away at school.)
Jimmy03Jimmy031,000+ posts
Pitch Trax and Pitch FX can, and do at times, produce slightly different readings. According to Pitch FX the umpire in question was 93.8% accurate. According to Pitch Trax he was 91% accurate.

MLB makes further adjustments to Pitch FX for its evaluations. With those adjustments, he will most likely end up close to 95% accurate.
Jimmy03Jimmy031,000+ posts
The rules belong to MLB. They can, and have, adjust interpretations and enforcement as they see fit.

MLB allows use of its rules by anyone, but does not always make public current interpretations and enforcement policies. They see no need to. Those are created and are intended for use by their players and umpires. They have no obligations to amateur leagues.
Last edited by Jimmy03
B bballforever10+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by TPM:

Yup it should ALWAYS be the same but it's not. That's something you need to take up with the umpire. Why do you suppose he is not within the zone that pitchf/x presents?


Some umps are better at their job than others.

The public should not make excuses for them just because they are consistantly bad for both sides. A reduced strike zone outside of the actual zone can hurt one team more than another, just as moving in the fences would help one team more than another.
Stats4GnatsStats4Gnats10,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Thurm:
The truth is there was two strike zones the other night. The Tiger starter had a much wider strike zone than the yankees starter according to the graphic. I turned the game off because there is no sense when you're playing two on one


How did you come up with that? Just from perceptions based on observations, or were you actually counting them and writing them down?

It sure sounds like sour grapes to me, blaming umpires for a team’s ability, or lack thereof, to score runs.
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
quote:
Originally posted by Thurm:
The truth is there was two strike zones the other night. The Tiger starter had a much wider strike zone than the yankees starter according to the graphic. I turned the game off because there is no sense when you're playing two on one


That's probably because he set the tone which in turn sets the zone Smile(my opinion).

Tony LaRussa made comment on the zone in game and got hit with a 10K fine, however you as a fan definetly have a right to call it as you see it. Smile JMO.
Jimmy03Jimmy031,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Thurm:
The truth is there was two strike zones the other night. The Tiger starter had a much wider strike zone than the yankees starter according to the graphic. I turned the game off because there is no sense when you're playing two on one


Pitch FX indicated no such difference. Must have been a special Yankee Fan Graphic not available in all areas.

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