Captivating Capture Tech: Japanese Motion Analysis Makes Inroads in Major League Baseball

A Japanese Company Chosen by the Majors

As sports science continues to evolve, data-driven training and strategy have become essential in baseball. One field experiencing rapid advancements is motion analysis using specialized equipment to measure and analyze an athlete’s movements to improve performance and prevent injuries. In September 2024, a Japanese startup specializing in this field made headlines when it secured a support contract with Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs.

The news came as a surprise because new baseball concepts and training methods have tended to originate in the United States before making their way to Japan. So why did an MLB team seek out a company from overseas? The answer lies in the groundbreaking work of Japanese researchers who have been leading the way in motion analysis.

The Japanese firm that signed the deal with the Cubs is Next Base, a company founded in 2014. Combining cutting-edge measurement systems with sports science expertise, Next Base provides detailed assessments of a player’s physical strength, pitching mechanics, and swing motion. Top-tier analysts then offer actionable advice to improve performance, essentially serving as baseball consultants. In August 2022, the company opened the Next Base Athletes Lab in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, a facility that functions as both a research center and a training facility. The lab quickly gained a reputation, attracting both professional and amateur players eager to refine their skills.

The Next Base Athletes Lab has a wall covered with the signatures of renowned athletes. (© Matsuzono Tamon)

The Cubs first reached out to Next Base in September 2023. CEO and founder Nakao Shin’ichi recalls the moment: “Jed Hoyer, the Cubs’ general manager, was visiting Japan to scout Japanese players. The Cubs contacted us saying he wanted to visit the Athletes Lab. Apparently, he had asked his staff if there were any research and training facilities in Japan similar to those in the United States, and that’s how he learned about us.”

This visit by the GM of a major club wasn’t just a casual stop on a busy itinerary. The Cubs—and Major League Baseball as a whole—were facing a growing issue that made their interest in Next Base all the more pressing. Jinji Tsutomu, a principal researcher at Next Base who specializes in the biomechanics of pitching, explains: “The Cubs’ staff were particularly focused on injury prevention for pitchers. In recent years, more and more pitchers in the United States have suffered elbow injuries, leading to an increase in Tommy John surgeries. Compared to the United States, Japan has fewer pitchers suffering from elbow issues, which sparked their interest in our research and training methods.”

During their visit, the Cubs’ delegation spent about an hour and a half at the Next Base Athletes Lab, exchanging insights and discussing player development. Nakao recalls how that pivotal meeting unfolded.

“We walked them through our company profile and the services we offer. Hoyer’s questions were incredibly precise, which wasn’t surprising given the Cubs’ progressive approach to player development. Before leaving Japan, he told us that visiting the Athletes Lab had been the most fascinating part of his trip.”

Right: Nakao Shin’ichi founded Next Base in 2014 after previously working at NTT and launching an IT startup. He was a former collegiate baseball player at Rikkyō University. Left: principal researcher Jinji Tsutomu, formerly of the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, has numerous achievements including supporting Japan’s women’s softball team to a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. (© Matsuzono Tamon)

The Cubs Stunned by NextBase’s Precision

The Athletes Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art measurement technology and expert analysts, including Jinji, who specialize in evaluating player movements through sports-science-based assessments. By analyzing each athlete’s unique characteristics, they develop personalized performance enhancement strategies and recommend tailored training programs. The facility’s biggest strength is its ability to offer this comprehensive service in a single location.

Pitching motion analysis using cutting-edge equipment. (© Next Base)

For pitching analysis, 48 markers are placed across the athlete’s body, and their movements are captured by 14 high-performance cameras. Simultaneously, equipment known as force plates, installed beneath the pitching mound, measure the force applied during the stride, as well as the magnitude and direction of ground reaction forces. This provides extensive data, including fingertip motion, ball spin, energy generation, and transfer efficiency. Using this information, analysts can suggest improvements in pitching speed, ball quality, and throwing mechanics, as well as propose targeted training programs to boost performance. The approach also allows for assessment of injury risks, such as elbow stress.

When the Cubs visited the Athletes Lab, they were stunned when they were shown a close-up photo of a pitcher’s throwing hand prepared for motion analysis. Their eyes widened upon seeing numerous markers attached to the fingers, meticulously placed from joints up to the tips of the fingernails.

“They were shocked by the level of precision in our measurements, but for us, this isn’t anything special—it’s just part of our standard analysis,” recalls CEO Nakao. “The fingertips are the final point where energy is transferred to the ball at release, so it makes perfect sense to track them in such detail.”

Markers are attached from each joint all the way to the fingertips. This level of precision is unique to the Next Base Athletes Lab. (© Matsuzono Tamon)

Another major strength of the Athletes Lab is its advanced imaging technology. The facility utilizes high-performance cameras capable of capturing 1,000 frames per second, allowing for extremely high-resolution tracking of even the slightest movements of a pitcher’s fingertips. In the United States, the Driveline Baseball training facility—famous for being frequented by Darvish Yū and Ohtani Shōhei—has gained recognition for its data-driven approach to player development. However, Driveline does not use cameras as advanced as those at the Athletes Lab. Back in 2018, even before Next Base officially launched its lab, Nakao and Jinji visited Driveline to compare their methodologies. They walked away with a newfound confidence. “We realized we weren’t behind them at all,” Nakao recalls. “In fact, there were many areas where we were ahead.”

Following their September 2023 visit, the Cubs continued engaging with Next Base through multiple online meetings. Then, in March 2024, just before the start of last year’s MLB season, Next Base received an invitation to spring training. There, they conducted a motion analysis session for around 20 Cubs pitchers, demonstrating the same techniques they had explained to GM Jed Hoyer months earlier.

Jinji recalls how the session unfolded: “At first, just a handful of people were watching. But word quickly spread that something interesting was happening, and before long, coaches, analysts, and R&D staff started gathering around. We didn’t even showcase our entire process, but the speed, precision, and level of detail in our analysis received high praise.”

At the Chicago Cubs’ spring training in February 2024. (© Next Base)

High-Level Research Faces Challenges in Japan

Following their successful spring training demonstration, Next Base officially signed a support contract with the Cubs. Jinji emphasizes the significance of the partnership: “For teams, having high-salary players sidelined due to injury is a huge loss. Our goal is to reduce injuries and improve performance.” While Next Base has yet to establish a concrete track record in the Major Leagues, word of the partnership with the Cubs has quickly spread. As a result, other MLB teams have begun reaching out to explore potential collaborations.

In December 2024, Jinji participated in MLB’s Winter Meetings, an event where executives and agents from all 30 Major League teams gather. There, he was selected by the American Baseball Biomechanics Society as one of five researchers to give a featured presentation on elbow injury prevention. The talk generated significant buzz, and even agents representing Major League players sought Jinji’s advice on how to enhance their clients’ performance.

Although the United States is often regarded as the global leader in sports science, Jinji highlights that when it comes to motion analysis, Japan has historically been at the forefront. Japan’s research into biomechanics and motion tracking has been highly advanced since the 1990s, particularly at institutions like University of Tsukuba. Japanese researchers have played a leading role in analyzing complex rotational movements involved in throwing and hitting, establishing a high-level foundation in baseball motion analysis.

Despite all this, Jinji questions whether these advancements are truly recognized and valued within the country itself.

“When Japanese players move to the Majors, it’s always reported as a ‘challenge.’ That mindset exists because many still see American baseball as the ultimate pinnacle, including its sports science. While we firmly believe that Japan leads the world in motion analysis, the reality is that our sports environment lags behind the United States, including when it comes to applying these research findings. In the United States, coaching is a profession, and those who study coaching become instructors. In Japan, however, coaching roles are still heavily influenced by a person’s playing career rather than their expertise in training methodologies and sports science. This makes it difficult for our innovations to gain traction in Japanese baseball. No matter how advanced the science becomes, it’s meaningless if the people and the organizations using it don’t evolve as well.”

The Next Base Athletes Lab is a world-class sports science R&D center, showcasing Japan’s excellence in motion analysis. If its full potential is realized, it could do more than just revolutionize player development. It could reshape Japan’s entire approach to sports culture.

The Next Base Athletes Lab in Ichikawa, Chiba, has made a significant contribution to the advancement of Japanese baseball. A new facility is set to open near Hamamatsuchō Station in Tokyo in March 2025. (© Matsuzono Tamon)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: A pitcher from a top high school baseball team undergoing analysis at the Next Base Athletes Lab during an interview session. © Matsuzono Tamon.)