St. Louis-based Markwort Sporting Goods manufactures the C-Flap, the "5-inch-long jaw protector that bolts onto helmets worn by hundreds of MLB players," and its adoption in the big leagues has "driven sales of the C-Flap in amateur and youth leagues across the world," according to Brian Feldt of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Markwort President & CEO Herb Markwort said that the protective piece accounts for about 15% of sales. Markwort: "Sales tripled last year and could triple again this year." But Feldt notes that growth is in "danger of tapering off as regulatory complications in the U.S. limit C-Flap's marketability to those youth leagues" and other helmet makers such as Rawlings "begin developing their own helmets with jaw protectors." Markwort "acquired the C-Flap from inventor Dr. Robert Crow, who made the first prototype" in the '80s while "serving as team doctor" of the Braves. During this year's All-Star game in DC, about 20% of the players "were wearing" a C-Flap (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/6).
REVOLUTIONARY IDEA: THE ATHLETIC's Jen McCaffrey noted the introduction of performance analysis tech service Trackman six years ago ended up "changing the baseball world." Though the radar system had been used in golf, it "hadn't yet taken hold as widely in baseball." Trackman data "fuels Statcast," the system that, since '15, MLB has "used to relay launch angle, exit velocity, spin rate, and a variety of other metrics now widely used to analyze the game." The doppler radar system is "now installed in every major-league and minor-league park across the country to track pitches and batted balls." When Trackman launched in '11, they had "five MLB teams as clients and were installed" in 17 ballparks. Trackman GM John Olshan said that by the start of this year, they were installed in every major- and minor-league ballpark "as well as 11 of 12 MLB affiliated parks in Japan, every pro stadium in Korea and two stadiums in Taiwan" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/3).
