The Caught Stealing PRO100 is a baseball game changer

Player development experts and former pro baseball players Matt Ceriani, pro catcher, and Caleb Balbuena, pro pitcher, noticed a problem in baseball. Coaches and catchers from the MLB to high school did not have an accurate way to measure POP Time (the amount of time it takes a catcher to throw to the intended fielder) that was not prohibitively expensive. Their solution was collaborating with Chandler engineering firm Southwest Engineering Concepts to create the Caught Stealing Pop Time Data Collection System.

The Caught Stealing PRO100™ is a wearable personal radar and advanced-biometric performance tracking device for catchers, coaches, and scouts. It analyzes throw mechanics and calculates the distance between players so coaches and teams can get accurate POP and exchange time data. The device consists of small wireless units that attach to the wrist straps of the catcher and infielders' gloves, and the data is collected via the Caught Stealing App.

Caught Stealing Co-Founder Matt Ceriani said he and his former teammate and current business partner Caleb Balbuena were addressing a demand to collect accurate data in baseball.

“Baseball is a sport where players are held accountable based on fractions of a second, and the current method of using a stopwatch is not giving us accurate data,” Ceriani said. “The PRO100 collects accurate POP Times and Exchange times to 1/1000th of a second and tracks distance down to the centimeter.”

Greg Mills, President of Southwest Engineering Concepts and Chief Engineer of the Caught Stealing PRO100, explained how the system works.

“We use an ultra-wideband technology that accurately measures the sensors on the glove,” Mills said. “It can accurately track a throw from more than 300 feet away, down to the centimeter. We also included a highly accurate timing clock to ensure every action by every player wearing the device will have their time and throwing distance accurately tracked.”

The Caught Stealing PRO100 device and app provide catchers with the tools to accurately collect and analyze their stats. They also feature video scrubbing so players can review and perfect their technique.

Caught Stealing Co-Founder Caleb Balbuena said their device is the perfect tool for creating a player profile for players, coaches, and scouts to determine a catcher's actual POP Time.

“This technology can track thousands of throws over multiple months,” Balbuena said. “You can track times and review technique instantly. It gives you a true baseline to work with. You have the data to say which player is the strongest and the fastest.”

The Caught Stealing PRO100 costs $399 plus a monthly or yearly subscription to the Caught Stealing app. This makes it the most cost-effective option for accurate POP Time data on the market. The high-tech camera systems used in professional baseball stadiums can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and are not available to the average baseball player.

Ceriani said the Caught Stealing PRO100's affordability allows high school and college players to get essential data in front of scouts without paying for expensive showcases.

“We wanted our product to be affordable so players at every level could use it,” Ceriani said. “High school players and teams can use the Caught Stealing PRO100 to collect data and show it to college scouts instead of attending a showcase they might not be able to participate in. Catchers at all levels can accurately measure their POP Times and exchange times.”

The Caught Stealing PRO100 is available now, and the Caught Stealing player app is available on any Apple/IOS device.