2023 SABR Analytics: Watch highlights from Biomechanics Panel
At the SABR Analytics Conference on Friday, March 10, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona, a panel discussion was held on the Integration of Biomechanics in Baseball Operations.
Panelists included Colin Cahill of the San Francisco Giants; Roger Caplinger of the Milwaukee Brewers; and moderator Ethan Stewart of Oakland Athletics.
- Watch: Click here to watch a video replay of the 2023 Biomechanics Panel (YouTube)
Here are some highlights from the panel:
On biomechanics as a valuable tool for organizations
- Stewart: “Being able to work with an organization to help individualize programs with athletes and building the relationships, building the communication bridges with all different areas in the organization, not just sports science staff.”
On expectations and challenges surrounding biomechanics
- Cahill: “Expectations were pretty low, I was agnostic. … How do you best set things up in a space that’s gray to have an impact but not to overstate things, overclaim, not to get ahead of yourself?”
On what we have learned in experience with biomechanics
- Caplinger: “What really matters is what you do on the mound. It doesn’t matter what you do off the mound, but it accounts to your total capacity. That’s what we have to understand.”
- Cahill: “From a content perspective, you can be successful in baseball in so many different ways. Baseball is such an interesting sport because you have people with complete different physical profiles who succeed in very different ways, different positions, different roles with the team. And biomechanically, I think it’s more interesting, because there are lots of different ways to do it too … the analysis is a per-player analysis. It’s challenging to do on a broad scale but it’s really exciting.”
On expectations and challenges surrounding biomechanics
- Caplinger: “How do we look at what you’re doing biomechanically to help you perform better and to have a longevity of a career and to help us win championships and to help you earn a lot of money.”
Transcription assistance from Jeremy Breland.
For more coverage of the 2023 SABR Analytics Conference, visit SABR.org/analytics.
Originally published: May 1, 2023. Last Updated: March 23, 2023.