AI pitching simulator in MLB camp
The Seattle Mariners are using the Trajekt Arc — an AI‑powered pitching simulator — in spring training so batters can face virtual versions of major‑league pitchers. That’s a live example of teams using AI to create new player workflows and data streams. (mynorthwest.com)
Trajekt Sports says its Arc system trains with 30 professional baseball organizations worldwide. (uwaterloo.ca) Local reporting has described league-level penetration differently, noting roughly two‑thirds of MLB clubs were using Arc during spring training sessions. (mynorthwest.com) Co‑founders Joshua Pope and Rowan Ferrabee launched Trajekt in 2019 after work at the University of Waterloo, and the company signed its first MLB client, the Chicago Cubs, in late 2021 as it scaled commercial deployments. (uwaterloo.ca) The Arc pairs life‑size pitcher video with a robotic ball launcher that reads seam orientation and reconfigures ball orientation in real time to reproduce specific velocity, spin axis and movement profiles. (mynorthwest.com) Trajekt has engineered integrations with ball‑tracking systems—most notably a workflow with Rapsodo PRO 3.0 that measures delivered pitches and enables a live validation loop linking measured pitch metrics to hitter performance. (rapsodo.com) Major League Baseball required the device be able to operate offline to comply with sign‑stealing rules, and the league notified teams this offseason that Arc units modified to run without internet could be used in batting‑cage (in‑game) contexts. (espn.ph) Reporting on production and fleet size indicates Trajekt manufactures roughly 20 machines per year and that about 40 units are deployed across MLB, with some organizations fielding multiple machines across major‑ and minor‑league sites; high‑profile players such as Shohei Ohtani have tested the system in team facilities. (africa.espn.com)
