My friend Xan Barksdale over at Catching-101.com has come up with quite a nifty web app for hitters. It’s called SeamTrak and it enables hitters to practice seeing the spin of the ball right out of a pitcher’s hand.
Obviously, recognizing the pitch quickly is one of the best skills a batter can have. But how do you practice it without actually seeing live pitching? You can’t, until now. SeamTrak allows the player to see various spins (curve, slider, change-up, 2-seamer, and 4-seamer) coming from both left handed and right handed pitchers. The viewer then has the ability to tap or click the screen to pick what pitch was thrown. The app keeps tabs on how quickly the player recognizes the pitch and of course, if they were correct. Here are some screen shots I took from the free trial I was provided.
Shot #1: Choose the game you want to play.
Shot #2: Right hander, four-seamer
Shot #3: Right hander, curve ball
Shot #4: Right hander, two-seamer
Shot #5: Left hander, curve ball (or change-up. I forget!)
To learn more about what this app can do, check out the SeamTrak website by clicking HERE.
Click HERE for the Facebook page.
If you or a player you know is going to be addicted to their cell phone, tablet, or laptop, at least be addicted to something that will make you a better hitter!