From predictive analysis to the automation of sports journalism and the use of performance-enhancing computer vision technology, machines are transforming how sports are played by athletes and enjoyed by fans.

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Dr. Steven Cadavid, President, KinaTrax
May 2017
Using Markerless Motion Capture to
Win Baseball Games

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The Pitcher’s Arm: A Billion Dollar Commodity
Every Year, MLB Spends more than $1.5 billion
on pitchers
5x more than all NFL QB salaries combined

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Pitchers are the lifeblood of the sport
2017 Salary Contract
Clayton Kershaw $35.5 M 7 yr / $215 M
Zack Greinke $34 M 6 yr / $206.5 M
David Price $30 M 7 yr / $217 M
Justin Verlander $28 M 6 yr / $162 M
Felix Hernandez $27 M 7 yr / $175 M
C.C. Sabathia $25 M 7 yr / $161 M
Jon Lester $25 M 6 yr / $155 M

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• Despite their importance, pitchers now face an unprecedented epidemic
The Epidemic

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Preventative Measure: Improve Pitcher Mechanics
Biomechanics can be analyzed in a lab Adjustments can then be made on the field

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• Although considered the gold standard, marker-
based motion capture is not possible within a
game.
• A game setting introduces unique physiological
factors, such as adrenaline and fatigue, the are
very difficult to replicate in a lab.
• The pinnacle of pitcher biomechanical analysis
would be accurate markerless motion capture.
Though no such system had been developed.
• In 2013, KinaTrax set out to solve this problem.
In the lab vs. In the game

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Baseball's Computer Vision Revolution
Ball and player tracking are well established

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Imaging Sensor Placement
KinaTrax set out to track a pitcher’s mechanics using a
similar camera configuration

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The Result

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• A subject-specific dataset is built from multiple key poses in the pitcher’s
delivery. This dataset is used to train a proprietary tracking algorithm.
How It Works

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• The subject-specific datasets are built by
our key partner, iMerit.
• First, iMerit teams process in-game footage
and prepare it for analysis. They then
annotate images and videos in order to
create 3D models of the players.
• In the past year, iMerit has built a precise
3D model for approximately 300 pitchers
across all 30 MLB teams, covering most
MLB pitching personnel.
iMerit: A Key Partner

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• iMerit helps KinaTrax build subject-specific models that are then used by
the algorithm to track every frame in the pitch delivery.
• We use computer vision to automatically track the joint centers of a
subject across all frames of the pitch delivery.
Algorithm

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Actionable Insights
Pitcher X: 8 innings pitched, 98 pitches, 3 earned runs Pitcher Y: 6.2 innings pitched, 98 pitches, 5 earned runs
• With this technology, we can now answer questions such as:
• Did the starting pitcher’s arm slot change or increase variability late in the game.
• Did the pitcher’s arm slot deviate from 90 degrees at Release. (An ASMI indicator of potential shoulder injury.)
• Did the pitcher’s elbow flexion angle deviate from 90 degrees during the “cocking phase.” (An ASMI indicator of potential elbow injury.)
Smaller variation is better
KinaTrax data analysis courtesy of

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• We have a recurring revenue model where teams pay for motion capture
results on a subscription basis. KinaTrax is pretty hands on and takes
care of the hardware, processing, and managing the data flow. The teams
are responsible for analyzing the data.
• Our costs are software development, data annotation, and managing the
system.
• Biggest challenge was convincing the first set of teams that this
technology had value.
• Future plans may include tracking the hitter.
Conclusion

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Thank You
To Learn More, Please Visit:
www.kinatrax.com