Luke Scott needed an explanation why he had just two hits in 18 at-bats during a stretch in early August, so he put down his bat and turned on a computer.
The Orioles’ left fielder sat in the visitor’s clubhouse in Anaheim and scrutinized his previous plate appearances until he noticed the reason why he was producing outs instead of hits: his balance.
Scott used the team’s new video system, a network of computers that has logged every at-bat in the major leagues the past three seasons.
If an Oriole needs to see every two-strike pitch thrown by the Yankees’ Mike Mussina — no problem. Or if he wants to see which umpires are liberal with their strike zones? Pull up a seat. Of if a pitcher wants to view every swing against a left-handed pitcher by Boston’s David Ortiz? Click away — the Orioles have thousands of hours of footage at their fingertips.
Scott’s remedy was simple. He noticed during recent at-bats he was distributing weight equally between his two feet, so he shifted 60 percent of his weight toward his back foot, giving him a more powerful swing since he could generate more force.
The result: Scott went 3-for-3 against the Angels, highlighted by his first home run in nine games, to spawn a 12-game hitting streak that turned him into one of the team’s better hitters.
“You can see why you miss certain pitches. You can see when you’re going good or going bad, you can pull up both screens and look for similarities,” Scott said. “Sometimes things jump out at you, and you can make adjustments.”
Scott’s improvement is the latest example of how the Orioles have improved their offense by joining many of their competitors who have used technology as a tool to help win baseball games.
Scott is no stranger to the system since it was available in Houston, where he played before being traded to the Orioles last year. But for Orioles first baseman Kevin Millar, it’s a massive upgrade from the obsolete, VHS tape-based system the team had when he arrived in 2006.
“It’s a big improvement for this organization, because we didn’t have the proper equipment,” Millar said. “It was very tired, the equipment they had here. They’ve done a good job of upgrading. It’s definitely helped out the club.”
And the system could help the Orioles even more in the near future. The team obtains the footage for their video files from a third party — Oregon-based TVT Video Technologies Inc. But right now, the Orioles don’t have enough space to use all of the system’s options.
The Orioles installed four computers in a room near the dugout so players can access the system between innings. The team also has four more monitors in the clubhouse, as well as several in the training room and in the team’s executive offices in the warehouse. The team also takes several of the computer stations with it on road games.
“Without giving away any trade secrets, we’re just scratching the surface,” said Lee MacPhail IV, the Orioles’ director of professional scouting and nephew of president Andy MacPhail, who oversaw the system’s installation. “It’s really limitless what you can do with it. Space is obviously a concern. We’re keeping perspective with where we were last year.”
The Orioles’ goal is to develop files of their entire minor league system, which could make prospects ready for the major leagues more quickly. The team also aims to use the system to chart high school and college players, so it can draft better players — something the team has failed to due regularly during its 11 consecutive seasons of losing.
“It has a lot of applications, and our system before was wanting in a big way,” Andy MacPhail, the team’s president of baseball operations, said. “This gives us the opportunity to not only make a significant improvement in our current ability to adjust to what other teams are doing to our hitters, and using it as a tool to help out hitters, but its also something that’s expandable that has other applications that can be applied going forward.”
The approximately $300,000 system — a purchase approved by owner Peter Angelos — is a proven winner. The system is used — at least in part — by some of baseball’s best teams, including the Red Sox, Cardinals and White Sox, who have accounted for the past four World Series titles. The system also is used by the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Brewers, who have each made the playoffs the past few seasons.
It’s also clearly had a positive impact for the Orioles. Last season, the Orioles hit .272 with 756 runs scored, 718 RBI, 142 home runs, a .412 slugging percentage and 306 doubles.
This year, the team hit .267 with 782 runs scored, 750 RBI, 172 home runs, a .429 slugging percentage and 322 doubles. The Orioles’ batting average also is misleading, as the team got off to a slow start, but have hit .281 — fifth-best in the majors — since the All-Star break.
“I think it’s been a big help,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. “I think it has supplemented our advance reports, I think it has been very positively received by our players and been utilized very much. I’d like to make this room bigger next year.”
Still, the Orioles’ management doesn’t want players to completely substitute using a computer mouse instead of a bat to improve their hitting. The system is a supplement, not a panacea.
“It’s a tool, and you don’t want to create a situation where you have paralysis by analysis,” Lee MacPhail IV said. “Players are now learning what works for them. We have some players that were like ‘This is overloading my brain. This is too much.’ Each and every player we have is using it in some form or another.”
Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis, who hit .303 this season, said he replayed his recent at-bats before each game. Scott, however, took a different approach. He used the system throughout games.
“He’s in there every inning. He’s never in the dugout,” Markakis said. “He’s always in there watching video.”
Measuring up
The Orioles purchased a video system before the season that stores every at-bat in the majors since 2006. Since joining many teams who use the same or similar system, here’s how the Orioles’ offense has compared to its production the previous two seasons.
YEAR Average Slugging OBP* Runs HR 2B 3B Total Bases
2008 .267 .429 .333 782 172 322 30 2,384
2007 .272 .412 .333 756 142 308 30 2,321
2006 .277 .424 .339 768 164 228 20 2,376
* On-base percentage
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