Getty Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are among the MLB superstars using Trajekt's robotic pitching machine.
The New York Yankees are among the growing number of MLB teams to adopt Trajekt Arc, a high-tech pitching machine that replicates the delivery, release point, spin rate and pitch dynamics of MLB pitchers. Outfielder Aaron Judge is using the machine in spring training to help him prepare for Opening Day against the Houston Astros on March 28.
“The most important day is the 28th,” Judge told the New York Daily News on March 12 as he nurses an abdominal injury. “So we’re just kind of leading up to that. We’ve already got quite a few at-bats. We’ve got the Trajekt [pitching machine]. We got all the things we need here that kind of simulate some at-bats. So we’ll get some swings inside.”
Canadian robotics company Trajekt Sports is the creator of the Trajekt Arc, which can be programmed to replicate any MLB pitch, including a Gerrit Cole fastball, a Clayton Kershaw curveball or an Edwin Diaz slider. The machine does this by digesting ball-tracking data captured by cameras in all MLB stadiums and then it replicates the spin rate, trajectory and velocity of whichever pitcher a hitter wants to prepare to hit against. Trajekt’s setup also has a screen projector to display real video footage of the selected pitcher’s delivery.
“We don’t control the release extension. That’s how far away from the mound you are,” Trajekt Sports co-founder Joshua Pope said in a 2022 interview with Athletic Business. “But we control the ball’s orientation, spin axis and velocity, and the position in terms of the release position: left, right, up and down. But not away from or toward home plate.”
Which Other MLB Teams Are Using Trajekt Arc?
More than 15 MLB teams have installed a Trajekt Arc at their facilities. Those teams include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. Some teams have Trajekt installed at the batting cages of their home ballparks, while others only have them at their spring training or minor league facilities.
“It’s a great tool,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Trajekt. “A lot of those guys are in there all the time. It just gives you that real live look at a pitcher,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora referred to Trajekt as a “virtual pitcher” in a 2023 interview he did with WEEI. Cora added that the machine has been important in supporting the rehab process of injured players by giving them simulated at-bats against MLB pitchers.
Shohei Ohtani Embraces Trajekt Arc
Aaron Judge is not the only MVP using Trajekt. In a February 21 interview with MLB.com, Shohei Ohtani said he’s been using Trajekt to get to the 50 at-bat spring training threshold he wants to reach to be ready for Opening Day coming off his September elbow surgery.
“I feel like I have more than enough time to get to 50 at-bats,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I can simulate it inside with the Trajekt Arc machine. I can do it in live at-bats. I’ll have enough time.”
As a two-way superstar (when fully healthy), Ohtani has the advantage of hitting against himself through Trajekt.
“I use [Trajekt] as a way to watch my own pitch from a little distance without getting into the batter’s box,” Ohtani said. “It was the best sensory experience for me to watch my own pitch from behind or from the side. It’s like watching my own pitching practice.”