The New Balance Future Stars Series (FSS), has announced a significant integration with Synergy Sports, naming it the Official Video Data Analytics provider for its marquee events and elite combines.
In a move that underscores the Future Stars Series’ commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation in sports, Jeremy Booth, President and CEO of the Future Stars Series, has detailed the strategic integration of Synergy Sports, emphasizing the initiative’s goal to maintain FSS Scouting model as the industry’s most advanced and predictive system. By combining Synergy’s capabilities with the Future Stars Series’ player assessments—which include vision, cognitive skills, performance profiling, and sports science—the collaboration aims to enhance the recruitment process and facilitate smoother transitions for players moving to college programs and MLB clubs.
Synergy Sports, recognized for its pioneering cloud-based video and analytics system, offers an unmatched “1-Click Video” technology. This feature seamlessly links every statistical data point to corresponding video clips, enabling the automatic generation of video edits that were previously labor-intensive. Synergy’s system allows for infinite real-time sorting and filtering of statistics and video clips, equipping coaches and scouts with the tools needed to uncover insights and develop winning strategies. With the technology adopted by all 30 MLB teams and over 96% of Division 1 collegiate teams, its utility and efficacy are well-established.
The Future Stars Series will incorporate Synergy Sports’ comprehensive analytics and video capabilities along with raw Trackman or Rapsodo-captured analytic data across its full schedule of high-profile events, encompassing:
- Signature events like The Main Event at Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX, and Underclass Elite and Premier at Fenway Park, Boston, MA
- National High School Selection Combines at Vanderbilt University
- Global showcases, including the World Combine at IMG Academy and the Caribbean Classic in the Dominican Republic
- An extensive array of regional combines and special events throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico
This collaboration ensures that player performance, from cognitive responses and sports science factors to basic and advanced gameplay statistics, will be meticulously captured and analyzed. Detailed metrics such as game state dynamics, player actions, pitch characteristics, and nuanced hitting and pitching statistics are included, offering a comprehensive view of a player’s potential and capabilities.
The Synergy video analytics capture system offers a detailed integration of data to enhance baseball game analysis. It records video clip lengths, and game state data (innings, counts, outs), identifies key players (batter, pitcher, catcher), and analyzes pitch outcomes (result, type, location, velocity). Additionally, it tracks pickoffs, pitcher and batter attributes (including delivery, stance, and swing types), and all play outcomes like BIP results and fielding actions, with some features tailored for broadcast analysis.
The Future Stars Series plans to enrich this data with both standard batting statistics (e.g., plate appearances, hits) and advanced hitting stats (e.g., swing/miss percentage, hard-hit percentage), alongside a variety of pitch outcomes and performance measures against different pitch speeds. Pitching analysis will be extended with standard metrics (e.g., ERA, WHIP) and advanced statistics (e.g., ground ball percentage, chase rate), including a beta feature on fastball efficiency. Each pitch is evaluated for velocity, spin, and usage, providing a holistic view of game dynamics and player performance.
Booth says, “Our collaboration with Synergy Sports isn’t just about integrating advanced analytics into the game; we are fundamentally changing how high school and travel ball organizations access the tools they need to reach the higher echelons of baseball. Our goal is to ensure that these organizations don’t waste money and resources on things they don’t need but instead invest wisely in what truly matters for development. I have to question the strategy of any coach who isn’t bringing their players to the Future Stars Series. Here, it’s about talent-facing-talent – the core of player development and scouting. This integration is the key to unlocking those opportunities.”
Booth stresses this integration is not just about technology for the sake of technology; it’s about providing players with unmatched developmental and exposure opportunities. By bringing players to events within the Future Stars Series, they are exposed to unparalleled competition, which is instrumental in their growth and development. Booth’s vision for this collaboration reflects a deep understanding of the needs within the amateur baseball community, focusing on providing value and opportunities for players, coaches, and organizations alike.
This strategic move by the New Balance Future Stars Series to incorporate Synergy Sports’ technology underlines both entities’ dedication to enhancing the scouting and development process in baseball, setting a new standard for the integration of technology in nurturing and identifying baseball talent on a global scale.
For more details about the New Balance Future Stars Series and its upcoming events, please visit https://FutureStarsSeries.com.
About Synergy Sports:
Synergy Sports is a single source for computer vision, AI-driven video and data solutions. Access to this ecosystem of game-changing technology, partnerships and expertise reduces the complexity and costs of video capture, live game production and content distribution. This improves performance on the field, creates exceptional experiences off it and delivers commercial opportunities for sustainable growth. To learn more, please visit www.synergysports.com or follow Synergy Sports on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Future Stars Series:
FUTURE STARS SERIES is the Global Initiative of PROGRAM 15 and New Balance Baseball. It boasts a faculty and staff that includes multiple Major League All-Stars and World Series veterans responsible for executing the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series, whose mission is to elevate the game of baseball by providing amateur players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches. With a footprint in over 15 countries, participating players have earned signing bonuses well over 100M. To learn more visit https://futurestarsseries.com
