CLEVELAND – With a forward-thinking mindset and family-first approach, the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh-based baseball & softball technology company Diamond Kinetics have come together to create a first-of-its-kind digital baseball platform, designed specifically for today’s youth player in mind. This initiative will drive more engagement, participation, and fun in the game of baseball.
The Indians will use Diamond Kinetics’ revolutionary SwingTracker Bat Sensor and PitchTracker Smart Baseball along with their corresponding mobile applications to provide instructional content, customized & branded Indians’ games, and virtual hitting programs for youth players who take part in Cleveland’s urban youth development programs.
Players will also be given exclusive access to instructional content from Indians coaches where they will receive assessments, analysis, and recommended drills. Parents and coaches will each receive a ‘virtual report card’ with a player’s data, numbers, and progress to facilitate improvement and overall enjoyment of the game.
“We are committed to improving the quality of the youth baseball and softball playing experience and transforming lives through that process,” said Matt Kata, Cleveland Indians Manager, Youth Baseball & Softball Development. “We believe in simplifying the development process for players, coaches, and families and our partnership with Diamond Kinetics will allow us to provide objective data and feedback to players and deepen their knowledge and understanding of the game. The Diamond Kinetics platform will strengthen our ability to engage and stay connected to our families and communities, and continue to grow the games of baseball and softball in Greater Cleveland.”
Together, this collaboration between DK and the Indians will make it easier for youth players and their parents to understand swing and throwing data to learn about their son or daughter’s skill set. In turn, these tools can help coaches identify areas of improvement and provide teams at all levels the tools to enhance practice habits on and off the field.
“The overall goal of this platform is to provide youth players with year-round and seasonally relevant activities, build good practice habits, and develop their game in a fun, engaging way,” said Diamond Kinetics CEO C.J. Handron. “This platform will help parents, players and coaches to connect with each other and it has the potential to track a player’s journey from the first swing of the bat, every step of the way, to maybe playing in the Major Leagues someday.”
As the Youth Technology Provider for the Indians, the goal is for Diamond Kinetics to build on it’s foundational platform and extend its feature-set to engage youth players in new and exciting ways in 2021 and beyond. DK and the Indians are already beginning to collaborate on advanced tools and more robust games to keep players swinging, throwing, and growing their love of the game.
About the Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians Baseball Club, established in 1901 as one of the four Charter members of the American League, is an organization striving to unite and inspire the city of Cleveland with the power of team. The Indians organization has provided superior customer service and entertainment to nearly 60 million fans at Progressive Field since the gates opened in 1994.
About Diamond Kinetics
Diamond Kinetics (DK) is a Pittsburgh based sports-tech company focused entirely on the games of baseball and softball. As the market leader in the space, Diamond Kinetics combines motion-based-sensors with mobile applications and a robust digital platform to provide hitting and throwing data to players, parents, coaches, and teams – helping them understand their performance, improve, and have more fun playing the game they love.
Through its SwingTracker and PitchTracker technology, DK captures millions of swings and throws each year to help coaches and scouts accurately benchmark and objectively evaluate talent. Beyond the metrics, DK’s mobile applications offer a number of innovative features aimed at player development.
To learn more about Diamond Kinetics, visit www.DiamondKinetics.com or follow DK on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or Facebook.
