USA Baseball, Diamond Kinetics Enter Tech Partnership

By Justin Coleman
on May 21, 2019

USA Baseball has entered into an agreement with Diamond Kinetics in order to integrate tracking technology into the player development process at the amateur level. This partnership will provide a new way of learning, monitoring and providing empirical data to players of all ages.

“We have known each other for quite a few years," said Jeff Schuldt, chief commercial officer for Diamond Kinetics. "The opportunity for DK to contribute to what they are doing with the national teams and Prospect Development Pipeline is a great opportunity for us to help them in that mission."

The tech company has created smart baseballs that record velocity, spin rate and other data in real time. In addition, USA Baseball will use Diamond Kinetics swing trackers, which record hitting data like hand speed, swing path and barrel speed along with graphics to help players understand the data. Both organizations will have apps that are integrated, meaning that users can find high quality coaching videos alongside empirical data.

“The content we have in terms of drills enables us to answer the question for that player who wants to get better. They now have access to USA Baseball content and the technology that can help them get better," said Schuldt.

“USA Baseball attracts the elite of the elite. Our connection—our desire—is to be strong in player development. The investment they make with these players, the connection, is that we can rally around USA Baseball. That strong emphasis on (player development) and that business perspective is that the association is invaluable”, said J.D. Vidal, the Southeast Business Development Manager for Diamond Kinetics.

The products will be used in all USA Baseball events, such as the East and West National Championships, the Prospect Development Pipeline League and with all of the various national teams.

Player development is the main focus of USA Baseball, and this partnership allows them to further the education of players and staff members alike.

“As an organization, we have taken a stance that player development is one of the keys for us," said Jules Johnson, USA Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline director. "DK is able to provide objective data that we aren’t able to get anywhere else. Their tech is second to none. The info that, not only we as a staff and organization receive, but the players as well will be able to take them further on their player development tracks.

“From a USA Baseball perspective, we will be able to continue to invest time and resources into info that we are gathering from the system as well as how are we using it to help our athletes get better and improve those metrics,” Johnson said. “Year after year, we have guys come into nationals teams, and now we can track those processes with DK in order to help them players get better."