Baseball

The 2021 auction market was quite extraordinary, with unprecedented levels of participation and sales. From cars to colt revolvers to multi-million-dollar NFTs, this sweeping look at the highlights is full of fascinating tales and astonishing prices.

Despite the financial turmoil associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the sports memorabilia marketplace is hotter than ever, with two of the most expensive baseball bats in history selling in the last few weeks for near-record prices.

The nature of rare finds is that they often turn up in the most unlikely places. After all, if they were sitting in obvious places they wouldn't be such rare finds would they? Such is the case with this 1916 rookie card for baseball great Babe Ruth which was recently sold at auction for US$108,378.

​When baseball pitchers are practising, three of the main things that they try to improve are the ball's speed, trajectory and spin rate. A group of Taiwan-based entrepreneurs is now offering a new way of measuring these, in the form of the Strike "smart" baseball.​

Aspiring baseball pitchers have been added to the list of people who can benefit from ball tracking technology. Rapsodo opens the door for the measurement of spin, velocity and trajectory.

TV and online coverage is fast evolving to help homebound fans feel like they’re at a game. The latest example comes from Major League Baseball, which will be offering 360-degree replays from All-Star Week, letting them relive the big plays from almost any angle.

US company Motus Global has announced an iron-on set of sensors designed to bring its biomechanics technology out of the lab and onto the baseball field for comprehensive in-match analysis. ​

Miami Marlins pitcher Dan Jennings, who was hit in the head by a 101-mph line drive last August, is one of the major leaguers that has worked with Safer Sports Technologies in testing a light, low profile piece of protective head gear: a carbon fiber protector that slides inside a regular ball cap.

You've probably heard about baseball pitchers "throwing their arm out." In order to help avoid such injuries, and to assist pitchers in assessing their performance, biomechanics tech company Motus Global is introducing its Motus Sleeve.

The MLBAM (Major League Baseball Advanced Media), the interactive media branch of North America's major baseball organization, is in the process of installing iBeacons in a host of stadiums across the continent with the aim of a better-connected spectator experience.

At first glance, AryaBall looks like a soccer ball and a baseball bat. However, where it gets interesting is when you take the soccer ball apart and find a football, baseball and flying disc tucked inside ... like an outdoor sports version of a nesting doll.

Zepp Labs' $150 Baseball, Golf and Tennis training systems go on sale this week, offering scientific sports analysis to the masses in three commonly played sports. The systems use a sensor to capture data on an player's swing, offering immediate analysis via a smartphone.