SIGN OF THE TIMES

MLB Playing With Tech to Allow Catchers to Electronically Signal Pitchers

A wristband with nine simple buttons for a catcher to call a pitch has some in the league looking excitedly to the future.

It’s slightly premature to declare that the next epoch of Major League Baseball is here, but a new electronic system that the organization is testing could soon render obsolete the need for catchers to flash a complicated series of signs for their pitchers to decipher. The PitchCom system, an electronic wristband with nine buttons that allows a catcher to broadcast a pitch to a receiver in the pitcher’s cap, is being tested by big league teams during spring training. The Associated Press reported Sunday that the system could be used in the majors this year, should reviews remain promising. Bruce Zimmermann, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, said he was initially against the technology but that it “was not as awkward as I thought it was going to be, and actually I think it’s really nice because you can speed the game up at your own will.” That’s good news for the league, which is actively exploring ways to speed up play, as well as other possible innovations like bigger bases, pitch clocks, and pickoff attempt limits for some clubs in the minors.