As sabermetrics and in-depth data continue to influence the MLB world, it was only a matter of time before bats themselves began to aid in analytical data for baseball players.
Last weekend, Los Angeles Angels MVP center fielder Mike Trout debuted his Smart Bat created by Zepp Labs. A sensor has been placed in the bottom of Trout's bat, which will help him correct what few mistakes he makes at the plate, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
"This is a big help. It gives you exact data," Trout said from the Angels' Cactus League facility in Tempe. "It's pretty cool how you can put a sensor inside the handle and not even feel it."
Zepp Labs included data from over 80 million swings from top MLB players to provide Trout with detailed feedback on each of his swings.
"As Trout swings his smart bat, the sensor gives detailed analytics on his swing with 1,000 data points," the Phoenix Business Journal reported.
"Five simple metrics give the player and coach instant information to make slight adjustments."
Of course, Trout doesn't need to make a ton of adjustments at the plate. He has a career .304 batting average and has hit 77 home runs during his last two seasons, and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 2014.
But Zepp Labs intends to expand this kind of "smart" technology to other sports, as well, including golf, tennis and softball "to help athletes and coaches with performance data to help improve their game."
