I find this topic interesting because I am an avid follower of Major League Baseball. I believe it is relevant to the class because many people are unaware of how popular and commonly used information technology/information systems are and how they are used routinely in nearly every industry. Hopefully, by highlighting this connection between information technology/information and Major League Baseball, I can further emphasize how prominent and intertwined information technology/information systems are with nearly everything in life.

 

Sign stealing has been a polarizing topic in Major League Baseball over the last few years. It occurs when runners on the basepaths watch what sign the catcher puts down for the pitcher and then relay it to their teammate currently hitting to give them an advantage. Some fans view this as cheating; others view it as part of the game. Regardless, Major League Baseball’s implementation of its new information technology/information systems, PitchCom, will eliminate controversy.

 

PitchCom is a remote device attached to the catcher’s wrist or gear and a sound device located inside the pitcher’s hat. By pressing a button, the catcher can communicate to the pitcher what pitch to throw through the sound device in his hat. With this technology in place, it completely removes the risk of any basepath runners having the opportunity to steal the signs. The technology has been a great success in this aspect as nearly every pitcher and catcher have transitioned to PitchCom in the first year that it has been eligible for use.

 

Impressively, PitchCom can be customized to be in the language of the players using it. This way, if the catcher and pitcher speak different languages, the message on each of their own devices will come in as the language they have the device set to. Another reason teams are interested in this technology is because Major League Baseball allows some of the fielders behind the pitcher to use it as well. Now, infielders and outfielders can be aware of what pitch is going to be thrown. Based on that information, they can better position themselves towards where they believe the ball will be hit.

 

Over the last decade, Major League Baseball has seen some of its average viewership totals slightly decrease. They believe this is because of the slowness in the length of nine-inning games in today’s fast-paced, short attention span world. Another goal of the introduction of PitchCom is to help alleviate the lengthy average duration of game time. Often, when pitchers and catchers believe their signs are being stolen, they will have a mound visit to change their signs. These mound visits tend to add up over the course of the game. Major League Baseball believes that PitchCom will eliminate the need for these previously consistent mound visits throughout the game, thus shortening the average duration of the game.

 

As well as decreasing the number of mound visits a game, Major League Baseball believes that PitchCom will reduce the number of seconds between each pitch. This is because the catcher will be able to deliver the specific pitch to be thrown to the pitcher while he is walking back to the mound. Typically, a pitcher would walk back to the pitching mound, get set and ready to throw, then look for his sign from his catcher. Now, they believe the catcher can simultaneously communicate the sign with the pitcher as he walks back to the mound. Then once on the mound, he can get set and throw. While this may only shave a few seconds between each pitch, over the course of the game, that can add up be a significant amount of time.

 

Overall, the use of information technology/information systems with the device PitchCom, has the potential to strengthen the game of baseball in multiple ways. The technology allows for effortless communication between not only the pitcher and catcher but other players and coaches on the field as well. The implementation of PitchCom has enabled the game of baseball to be played and viewed by fans more effectively and efficiently.

 

As the regular season is still ongoing, the final jury is not out yet on if PitchCom is here to stay. Initial feedback on the device seems promising for its usage in the league next year. However, depending on how the device fairs in the postseason will be decisive on its usage next year. At certain times this year, baseball stadiums have been loud enough to where the pitcher cannot hear what PitchCom is saying. Baseball stadiums tend to stay loud throughout all nine innings in the playoffs. If pitchers cannot hear the sign correctly during the playoffs, they may be forced to return to using traditional signs with their catcher. If this is the case, I’m not sure teams would feel prepared going into the playoffs planning to use traditional signs after using PitchCom throughout the whole regular season. PitchComs performance this coming postseason will be critical in determining if the device is ready to be used year-round or still needs some advancements.