High N Tight

In today’s issue:

• 🧠 Can AI Cure Baseball’s Strangest Mystery?

• 🥇 The Only Smart Bat You Can Actually Use in Games

• 💣 Should the Rockies Finally Fire Bud Black?

• 💦 A Water Bottle Took Him Out (Yes, Really)

• And more…

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BEST LINKS

My favorite finds🔗

🔗 How the Torpedo bat and AI Prompting Are Re-inventing the future of baseball gear(LinkedIn)

🔗 105-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor throws out 1st pitch at AmFam Field(MLB.Com)

🔗 MLB 2025 Watchability Index: Ranking most fun teams to watch(ESPN)

🔗 The Gender Reveal Party at home plate(MLB)

From the Blog:

• 7 Best Youth Batting Gloves for Little League Players in 2025

• 7 Steps To Breaking In That New Baseball Glove in 2025

• The 10 Commandments For Little League Coaches

Follow our blog at box-seats.com for more tools and tips

DEEP DIVE

⚾️ Can AI Help Cure the Yips?

Baseball’s Most Mysterious Problem Meets Its Most Powerful Opponent

If you’ve ever seen a pitcher suddenly lose the strike zone—or watched an infielder struggle with the most basic throw—you’ve witnessed one of baseball’s most bewildering and heartbreaking challenges: the yips.

This isn’t about talent.

It’s not about effort.

The yips are a strange and paralyzing glitch where the mind short-circuits the body.

Once-smooth mechanics break down. Confidence disappears.

A routine throw becomes a mental minefield.

They’ve derailed pitching careers. Just ask Rick Ankiel, who lost command on the mound but later returned as a big-league outfielder.

Or Chuck Knoblauch, who went from All-Star second baseman to struggling with routine throws to first.

For decades, no one really knew how to fix it.

But now, a surprising new player has entered the fight: artificial intelligence.

Thanks to a wave of new technologies—from AI to neurofeedback to wearable sensors—players are finding new ways to fight back.

Not just to throw harder or train smarter, but to reclaim what the yips took away: control, rhythm, and belief.

💻 Motion Capture + AI Biomechanics

At cutting-edge facilities like Driveline Baseball, pitchers are getting a new kind of feedback—frame-by-frame breakdowns of their delivery powered by motion capture and artificial intelligence.

Here’s how it works: cameras and sensors track every detail of a player’s movement—release point, spin axis, stride angle.

AI software then analyzes the data, flagging mechanical breakdowns and subtle inconsistencies that even seasoned coaches might miss.

For former first-rounder Luke Hagerty, this tech made all the difference.

After completely losing the strike zone in his 30s, he used tools like Rapsodo and motion capture to rebuild his mechanics—one data point at a time.

No batter.

No umpire. No pressure.

Just clear, objective feedback.

Slowly but surely, he found his rhythm again.

🧠 Neurofeedback & Brain Sensors

Sometimes, the problem isn’t mechanical—it’s mental.

That’s where neurofeedback comes in.

Players wear EEG headsets that monitor brain activity while they train.

When anxiety or overthinking creeps in, the device provides real-time feedback, helping athletes recognize and reset before things spiral.

Even players who don’t have the yips—like Lucas Giolito, who rebounded from a tough 2018 season—have used brain training to improve focus and mental resilience.

With a calmer mindset and better self-awareness, he became an All-Star the very next year.

Neurofeedback isn’t magic—but it’s giving athletes a new tool to take control of their thoughts before those thoughts take control of them.

🧠 The Mind Breaks Down, But AI Builds It Back Up

The yips often strike in the space between thought and action—a split-second hesitation that unravels everything.

That’s where devices like the Pison BASEBALL Pro come in.

Worn on the wrist, it tracks reaction time, focus level, and decision speed.

Coaches can use this data to spot patterns, while players can train their brain-to-body connection—just like they would speed or strength.

Think of it like a Fitbit for your instincts.

And when hesitation turns into decisiveness? That’s the breakthrough.

Driveline doesn’t claim to cure the yips—but for pitchers battling it, their data-driven, athlete-centered approach is offering a powerful new way through.

It starts with clarity: high-speed cameras, AI-informed breakdowns, and customized drills that rebuild mechanics from the ground up. Add in motor imagery (mental reps), overload throwing, and consistent routines—and you’ve got an environment where trust can be rebuilt, one throw at a time.

They don’t offer therapy. But they do offer a plan. And for many players, that’s exactly what’s been missing.

⚾️ The New Era of Mental Coaching

Players like Tyler Matzek, who battled the yips for years, are proving what’s possible.

With the right combination of structure, support, and smart tools, he made a comeback few thought was possible—eventually helping the Braves win it all in 2021.

The stigma is fading. The message is changing:

💬 It’s okay to ask for help.
💬 It’s okay to lean on tech.
💬 And yes—it’s absolutely possible to come back.

🧠 The Mind Breaks Down, But AI Builds It Back Up

The yips are still scary. But they’re no longer unbeatable.

Thanks to AI, wearables, and a new generation of player-first tools, baseball is finally turning on the lights in one of its darkest corners.

And for the players who’ve been stuck there?

That light might just lead them back to the game they love.

🧢 You Are Quite the Smart Bat

From playground swings to AI-powered coaching—how bats went from wood to wisdom.

Remember those old bats we used to swing as kids?

Maybe you’re not quite as old as me—but man, those bats were everything.

We brought them everywhere: the cages, practice, sandlots, backyards.

Then came aluminum. Then composite.
Now it’s the smart bat.

⚙️ What’s a Smart Bat?

A smart bat looks just like a regular bat—but inside, it’s loaded with tiny sensors that track your swing in real time.

It measures how fast you swing, the angle of your swing, and how quickly you make contact with the ball.

Then it sends all that info to your phone or tablet so you can see exactly where to improve.

🥇 But Here’s the Twist: Only One Is Game-Ready

Most smart bats—like the Blast Motion Sensor or Diamond Kinetics SwingTracker—are awesome, but they’re training tools only.

Clip them on. Use them in the cage.
But come game time? They’re riding pine.

Except for one.

The Marucci CATX2 Smart is the only USSSA-certified smart bat that’s legal for in-game use.

It features a permanently embedded Diamond Kinetics sensor right in the knob—no clip-ons, no charging, just grab it and go.

Whether you're in practice or a live game, it tracks and stores every swing.

🤖 Built-in Baseball IQ

The CATX2 Smart doesn’t just collect data—it interprets it. You’ll get:

• Real-time swing metrics across 11 key areas: power, speed, quickness, and control

• Personalized Swing Score to monitor progress

• Integration with the DK App for interactive lessons, challenges, and coaching tips

🛠️ Premium Craftsmanship

• AZR Alloy Construction: Enhanced feel, forgiveness, and performance

• Liquid-Gel Dampening Knob: Absorbs vibrations for a smoother feel

• Balanced Swing Feel: Precision-balanced barrel for control and speed

We used to say, “Let the bat do the talking.”
Now it’s talking back.

⚾️ Why It Matters

For players? It’s a performance edge.
For coaches? A diagnostic tool.
For parents? Real feedback—no guesswork.

Smart bats have existed, but a smart bat that’s game-legal and ready to hit cleanup?
Yes…The CATX2 Smart isn’t just a tool. It’s a game-changer.

⚾️ Manage This One

Look—I’m not the guy who calls for someone’s job. That’s not who I am. But after watching the Colorado Rockies this past weekend get shut out not once… not twice… but three times in a series against the Padres?

Colorado, we’ve got a problem.

0-3. Zero runs. Nada. Zilch.

Seriously—how does that even happen? Not one accidental run? Not a sac fly, wild pitch, bloop single? You’d think they’d luck into one. But nope. Total silence on the scoreboard.

So I started doing some math—painful math, mind you. Since 2019, the Rockies have won 362 games… and lost 525. That’s not a slump. That’s a full-blown organizational coma.

And in 2025? A 3–15 start. They're barreling toward another 100-loss season and a last-place finish.

Rocky Mountain High? Please. This is a Rocky Mountain Low.

Which brings me to Manager Bud Black. He’s been at the helm since 2016. Sure, there was promise in ‘17 and ‘18. But since then? Train wreck. And I gotta say what every Rockies fan must be thinking:

Fire. The. Manager. The fans deserves better. The team deserves better.

It’s not personal. But isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?

Time to shake things up, Colorado.
Enough already.

💦 The Case of the Case of Bottled Water

We just had to talk about this one.

Add it to the never-ending list of baseball’s weirdest injuries—because this one’s a doozy.

Minnesota Twins infielder Jose Miranda was already having a rough week. First, a base-running blunder. Then, a demotion to Triple-A. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse…

He sprains his left hand trying to catch a falling case of bottled water.

Yep. You read that right. A rogue hydration mishap. According to MLB.com, Miranda nearly dropped the case, overcorrected, and boom—DL’d with a sprain. Honestly, how do you even explain that to your trainer?

He was hitting just .167 before the demotion, but now he’s got seven days on the injured list to regroup, rehab, and, let’s be honest—let someone else carry the groceries.

Forget sliders. The real danger? Target water and a slippery handle.

#BaseballInjuries #OnlyInMLB 

THAT’S A WRAP

See ya next week

John Boxley

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