Press Release Major League Baseball, USA Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. — Major League Baseball (MLB) and USA Baseball announced that digital stats and scorekeeping app GameChanger has been named the first Pitch Smart certified app. Through this partnership, GameChanger will incorporate the Pitch Smart guidelines and other pitch counting features into its app and pitching stats web pages. Pitch Smart will promote GameChanger as an officially certified way to track players’ pitch counts.
GameChanger will also provide all tournament administrators with downloadable spreadsheets, which will provide pitch counts for all players across their tournaments, as a means for providing better tracking.
Pitch Smart is a joint venture between MLB and USA Baseball that provides a series of practical, age-appropriate guidelines to help parents, players and coaches avoid overuse injuries and foster long, healthy careers for youth pitchers.
“Our medical experts tell us that following pitch counts and rest guidelines is one of the best ways for amateur pitchers to avoid arm injuries,” said Chris Marinak, Major League Baseball’s Sr. Vice President of League Economics and Strategy. “The GameChanger app is a great way for players, parents, and coaches to track pitching workload and ensure young pitchers stay healthy.”
“The naming of GameChanger as a certified Pitch Smart scoring app marks a significant step in providing tournament and league operators with a practical solution to the logistical challenge of tracking individual pitches,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball’s executive director/CEO. “With the support of GameChanger, adoption of the Pitch Smart guidelines into gameplay is easier than ever.”
The GameChanger app and website change the way amateur teams collect, manage and share information. The app provides scorekeeping, statistics, in-game analytics tools for coaches, as well as live game updates, stats and recap stories for families, fans, scouts and media. GameChanger is available to coaches, managers and tournament administrators for free and can be downloaded via the App Store.
“One of the biggest problems in keeping young arms healthy has been knowing how much amateur pitchers throw over their careers,” said GameChanger CEO Ted Sullivan. “At GameChanger, we believe improved technology and digital tools can provide better availability of pitch and innings counts for young arms. By working with Pitch Smart, we can increase understanding of the guidelines for coaches and pitchers and provide a better way to track pitching workloads across competitions and teams.”
PitchSmart.org is the online home of the initiative and the site provides pitch count and rest recommendations, statistics on Tommy John surgery, risk factors, awareness tips, published research and videos from experts like Dr. James Andrews and USA Baseball’s medical safety committee chairman, Dr. Glenn Fleisig.
For more information, please visit GC.com and www.PitchSmart.org. The GameChanger app is available for free in the App Store.
About GameChanger
Based in New York City, GameChanger (www.GC.com) is the leader in amateur sports scorekeeping, statistics, analytics and live game updates. Available on iPhone, iPad and the web, GameChanger provides real-time local amateur baseball, softball and basketball game updates, analytics and insights. Fans can use GameChanger to follow games in real-time. In 2014, more than 100,000 teams across the country used GameChanger.
About Pitch Smart
USA Baseball and MLB teamed up to help young players reduce arm injuries by providing a comprehensive resource for safe pitching practices. Baseball is a safe game to play at all ages, but research has shown that pitching too much — particularly at a young age — can increase a pitcher’s risk of injury. The Pitch Smart recommendations provide a series of practical, age-appropriate guidelines to help parents, players and coaches avoid overuse injuries and foster long, healthy careers for youth pitchers. Visit PitchSmart.org for more information.
Major League Baseball, USA Baseball name GameChanger the first Pitch Smart certified app http://t.co/DVGBwlIxpq #mrbb
Major League Baseball, USA Baseball name GameChanger the first Pitch Smart certified app: Press… http://t.co/jJIwG6n2fQ #StatsMLBPipes