The St. Louis Cardinals recently took a huge step in bringing baseball into the modern era by using what seems to be an everyday tool in 2015—the iPad.
Major League Baseball recently allowed teams to start using iPads in the dugouts to condense their vast scouting information, and the Cardinals were one of the teams that took the MLB up on this offer. Players and coaches alike are allowed to use the tablet to access information throughout the game, which hopefully will add convenience and efficiency to dugouts.
Teams are not allowed to use the iPads in any way they like, however. The league requires that all communications and networks are disabled during games, and that all scouting information is downloaded before. This essentially turns the tablet into a paperless book, which is just what the league wants.
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The MLB always disallowed electronic devices to prevent communication during games. With some simple regulation, however, they will be able to maintain this rule while allowing teams to integrate convenient modern technology—something that everyone welcomes.
Mike Matheny, the Cardinals’ manager, said that having the iPad has cut the time spent on some of his scouting preparations in half. This shows that, even without any internet, tablets can be an incredibly helpful tool, especially in a sport that uses so much scouting information information during games.
While it’s only a trail for now, this initiative will benefit the MLB if it goes into full effect. The Cardinals staff has welcomed it openly so far, and it’s hard to see why anyone would be opposed. It makes perfect sense for the league to shift to this new electronic platform, even if all they gain is a little bit of convenience down in the dugout.