AI sports video streamer Staidium, the Sporttotal company participating in MLS’ inaugural Innovation Lab this year, is launching a new vertical called Staidium Baseball Group. Through the initiative, Staidium will provide a baseball-specific iteration of its automated broadcast and scouting solution – which encompasses live footage, replays and analytics – for consumer viewing and player development purposes.

Developed over the past eight months in partnership with Sports Tech Advisory Group and Sporfie (a livestream technology platform created by Nagravision), Staidium Baseball Group’s system is comprised of eight cameras and logs four different views of each pitch and swing, Staidium US managing director Dave Cochran told SBJ. AI tracking cameras are used to dynamically capture action from angles behind home plate and the outfield, while stationary cameras with an automatic zoom function are stationed at first and third base and at the side of pitchers and batters.

The home plate and outfield angles are the primary ones used for consumer viewing. All of the angles combine to form a comprehensive perspective for scouting and analytics. 
 
“Optimally, we’re getting [camera angles of] an open side of a pitcher and the back side of a pitcher to capture mechanics. We’re already capturing from front on with the home plate camera,” Cochran said. “And from the hitter’s side, we want mechanics from the rear, mechanics from the front, and you’re obviously catching it from on high from the home plate [angle].”
Sporfie was enlisted for its livestream delivery technology, which syncs Staidium’s camera feeds for viewers to toggle through.

Sports Tech Advisory Group partners Jason Henley and Bryan Hayes were also “instrumental” to tailoring the technology to baseball, Cochran said. Henley is a veteran in the ball and player tracking space, having worked as head of global operations for Trackman, SVP/COO of Yakkertech and founder of TechTrax (and co-founder of Sports Tech Advisory Group). Hayes worked nearly 12 years in New York Mets organization, most recently as director of baseball development from 2021-2023.

Cochran said Staidium had a leg up in developing the data analysis components of the baseball system because of models it developed for other sports, like soccer, that track factors like distance covered and foot speed. The biggest challenge was the shape of the playing surface.

“Soccer, hockey, basketball, volleyball – it’s all [played] in a rectangle. So, it goes left-to-right, right-to-left,” Cochran said. “[Baseball] goes diamond-out. There’s different pieces to it that need to be captured. It’s bigger – it’s 450 feet. That’s longer than a football field. It’s a different animal to try to capture.”

Staidium Baseball Group’s first installations will cover the eight baseball/softball fields at the Arizona Athletic Grounds, a 320-acre youth sports complex in Mesa, Arizona. One of the field’s installations was completed in March as part of the testing process, with the rest scheduled to finish by the end of June, Cochran said.