This smart baseball turns playing catch into a video game by measuring speed and more

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Okay, we all know that baseball is probably the most statistics-packed of the national pastimes. The thing is, unless you had the resources of the MLB, you couldn’t gather many of those stats at home. Until now, that is, with this sweet $69 Bluetooth-connected ball from Backyard League.

The real-feeling baseball has a 70-hour battery inside it to measure all sorts of metrics as you play. Speed, airtime, height, precision, transfer speed, throws, catches, misses, and ground balls are all calculated by the nifty ball, and over-the-air upgrades might bring more metrics down the (first-base) line.

The companion app takes things further, with training dressed up as gamified minigames, perfect for continued engagement.

There are games like Fast Throw, which trains focus, transfer, and precision, and Long Ball, which trains strength and precision to give a new layer to your coaching or playing. The first six minigames are Season 1, and Backyard League is planning on new games being introduced in upcoming seasons.

The games don’t stop once those minigames are mastered though, as now you graduate to the big leagues. Play League Mode and you’ll do skill-based matches against other players, just like in a real league environment.

If all the statistical analysis you can chew on sounds good to you, head on over to Indiegogo where you can get the Backyard League ball for $69, a hefty discount off the eventual $129.95 MSRP. It’ll be shipping in September, barring any delays.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.