At first glance, it doesn’t look like much.
It’s a computer on the shelf of a storage cabinet tucked away in the corner of a bat-storage room just steps away from the Rockies’ dugout at Coors Field.
But during a typical game, there is a T-REX-like flow of traffic from the dugout to the computer. Pitchers can punch a button and scrutinize every pitch from the previous inning, from three angles. Batters can analyze their swing just moments after clubbing a homer, or whiffing on a changeup.
It’s not a quick fix, nor a cure-all, but watching replays during a game has become almost as much a part of baseball as pregame batting practice.
“Clarity is the biggest thing about video,” Rockies video coach Mike Hamilton said. “When the adrenaline is rushing and players are trying to perform, perception is not always reality. The video is reality, and because it’s so close to the dugout, you get to see reality really quick.”
After a 10-year stint editing tapes of top draft choices for the Major League Scouting Bureau, Hamilton joined the Rockies in 2000. He spends hours watching screens in a high-tech video room that looks like a NASA control booth.
It was only in recent years that digital technology put instant replays on demand and at the players’ fingertips. The DVDs Hamilton puts together become scouting video reports for the players, who can spot tendencies in themselves and opponents.
Pitcher Jamey Wright’s most recent start at Coors Field last week was a disaster. He surrendered nine runs in four innings against the Mets. But rather than stew overnight about his poor performance, Wright and pitching coach Bob Apodaca adjourned to the computer to try to figure out what went wrong.
“Coach pointed out what I was doing wrong,” Wright said. “For both of us, it was plain as day. I was rushing a bit, and I was throwing from different angles on almost every pitch. I was trying to throw a fastball down and away to a right-hander, and I was throwing up and away and 4 feet outside or in the dirt. But looking at that right away helped me, and I think it will help me in my next start.”
That comes tonight in San Francisco.
Outfielder Matt Holliday was one of baseball’s hottest players in July, hitting better than .400 for the month and lifting his season average to .309. Monday, he was named National League player of the week after hitting .444, belting three homers and knocking in eight runs last week.
Holliday stops by the computer often, but he said it’s not a panacea, nor a quick fix. It’s merely a useful tool.
“I didn’t look at myself on video and go out and make major changes in my swing,” Holliday said. “But I do think it helps to go in there and look at pitchers and see how they are trying to pitch you. Are they busting you inside? Trying to make you chase outside? That’s the big thing. It’s a video scouting report.”
According to Hamilton, the Rockies record 10 to 12 games almost every night. Those images have become the bread and butter for advance scout Chris Warren.
“Chris has at least a thousand DVDs he’s made just this year,” Hamilton said. “Now if a trade happens, at least we have video on the guy so our players can scout guys themselves. They can see strengths and tendencies.”
The DVDs also provide players with a mirror image.
“If you do get a little bit out of kilter, this lets you fine-tune things that might have slipped out of whack,” Holliday said. “I think it’s a big help.”
Second baseman Aaron Miles uses the computer, too, but cautions that, “You can mess things up if you try to alter things too much and too fast.”
On the road the Rockies use a much less sophisticated video system similar to using TiVo.
Hamilton said viewing the videos can help fix a slump simply by providing peace of mind.
“It doesn’t have to be a big, physical adjustment,” he said. “It can be a mental adjustment. You can show a player that things aren’t as bad as they think they are. Then, maybe they can go out and relax a little bit.”
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-820-5459 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
