Pelotero Closing Performance Potential Gap with Revolutionary Player Intelligence Platform
Ed. note: Frequent readers will know that I love to share news about advancements in baseball technology, particularly at the youth level. So when Pelotero reached out a few days ago, I jumped at the chance to signal-boost their latest announcement. This is really cool stuff and I think you’re going to dig it.
Data has become ubiquitous in baseball at every level, but the ability to digest and synthesize it into actionable feedback diminishes the further we get from the top of the sport. It’s no different from a radio signal that devolves into static and eventually can’t be heard at all. At the same time, we’re in an era of endless customization in everything from t-shirts to body art. The same is true for athletic development, where the world at large is finally starting to grasp the idea that a cookie-cutter approach is neither effective nor efficient.
Those concepts are at odds with one another because more information plus more personalization means more time, a commodity that is already in dangerously short supply. Even the most well-meaning coach with a strong grasp of how to apply various data points will find themselves at a loss when it comes to developing individualized plans for each of their players. But what if they didn’t have to? What if a coach could simply enter a little information along with a short video and get a detailed program tailored to the developmental needs of that particular player?
That’s exactly what Pelotero does and it’s how the startup aims to revolutionize the industry by closing the performance potential gap. Co-founded by former professional hitting coach Bobby Tewksbary and former MLB player — who was reportedly scouted by the Cubs a few years back — Chris Colabello, Pelotero is the first player intelligence platform to combine data, coaching expertise, and AI to help coaches deliver personalized development in real-time.
The company announced today that it has raised $3 million in seed funding through a round led by Greg Ciongoli and Bennett Fisher. They also had participation from other notable technology investors including Frederick Kerrest, vice chairman and co-founder of Okta, and Ryan Moore, founder of Accomplice. In addition, Pelotero, which means ballplayer in Spanish, is also announcing a new partnership with Perfect Game and its new executive team.
Pelotero is attacking the problem that players of all manner of skill and ability crave a level of development personalization that coaches can’t possibly deliver. The aforementioned lack of time, information, and knowledge creates a disconnect between how a player is performing today versus what they are ultimately capable of – the performance potential gap.
Since its beta launch last year, Pelotero has helped more than 40 organizations — from college and high school teams to facilities to national club programs — streamline development for their players. These organizations have collectively used Pelotero’s Player Intelligence platform on more than 10,000 players. One of those players is my son, whose travel organization — MSP Baseball, now MBC Aces — began using the software nearly a year ago.
“Players and their parents have an insatiable hunger to be better. That’s why they are constantly in search of new coaches, teams, showcases and tournaments,” Tewksbary said via press release. “The truth is, being better is personal. Players need to be told what they are good at, what they are not, and be given a personalized plan to help them get to where they want to be.”
As more and more individualized data floods the market through sensors, video, and systems, there is a massive opportunity to help coaches leverage it to create a personalized experience for all their players. Player intelligence is a new category designed to enable this and align the sports industry around a comprehensive approach to player evaluation and development. It puts personalization, technology, and data at the center to understand a player’s specific needs first without assuming a particular approach or methodology should be used for everyone.
This is why I quickly became a believer in Pelotero’s value months ago and why I’m even more bought in now. The beta version is admittedly not yet fully optimized from a user interface and experience standpoint, but that’s to be expected when a couple of baseball guys were trying to get it off the ground. Partnering with suits like Fisher, who I recently spoke to about this launch, will result in a much sexier product that democratizes player development with a more intuitive platform.
Pelotero and Perfect Game, the premier provider of amateur baseball events, have partnered to bring Player Intelligence to more than 7,500 baseball players attending PG showcases and prospect gateway events. Each participant will receive a Pelotero hitting potential score, a detailed swing analysis, and access to a personalized development plan based on the data and metrics collected at the event.
“The baseball industry has been lacking a data-driven approach to player development,” said Jered Goodwin, National Scouting Director at Perfect Game. “Pelotero’s ability to use data from readily available sources like a phone or a bat sensor to provide personalized analysis and development programs is game-changing for our industry and we are very excited to be partnering with them for all of our showcases and prospect gateway events.”
Along with the fundraising, Pelotero is also announcing its new executive team. Fisher, a serial tech entrepreneur, brings more than 15 years of early-stage experience to help guide the company as its CEO. He will be joined by his former colleague, Adam Kernander, who will lead the engineering team. Tewksbary will head up product while Colabello will lead the sales team, giving the company a strong blend of know-how in both the baseball and tech sectors.
The PG partnership will allow Pelotero to continue expanding beyond those aforementioned organizations to reach more young athletes around the world. That’s great news for parents whose expertise extends only as far as sitting on a bucket and doing underhand front toss or coaches who want to offer more than the cookie-cutter approach of running all of their hitters through the same stations. It’s even better for players who will be able to put in work they know is custom-designed to their specific needs.
What I love about it as both a parent and a coach is not just that it takes the guesswork out of practice, but that it mitigates the skeptical or perhaps even combative aspects of development. It’s not mom or dad or even coach telling a kid what they think needs to be worked on, nor is Player A going to have the same feedback as Player B. All I want for my son is to help him be the best player he can be for as long as he can keep doing it, and I believe Pelotero is key to that process.