Today's technology makes it even easier for a pitching coach to sit down with a player, whether in the clubhouse or on an airplane, and go through an opposing lineup to see who likes first-ball fastballs. So instead of fumbling around with tapes and remotes, simple searches can allow a coach or player to watch any specific pitch or group of pitches from any game in seconds. It's not just a collection of data. The computer and software do have limitations. And pitching coaches shouldn't throw out their old-fashioned notebooks just yet, because Major League Baseball rules forbid computers in dugouts to protect against stealth data transmission.
Traditionalists can breathe a sigh of relief.
Many scouts fuss about using new technology, and even those trying to stay on the cutting edge have been burned. We're limping along with it. It's not making this whole process easier. IBM's version is strictly for gathering, storing and sorting scouting reports, both professional and amateur. Five clubs now use it, and considering that some teams are still riding DOS-based dinosaurs, that number will probably grow.