Adelaide Bite manager Chris Adamson mentors Texas Rangers rookies during Spring training

Adelaide Bite hopes adopting similar technology to a US Major League club can boost its bid to develop homegrown talent and land a coveted playoff berth this ABL season.

Adelaide Bite hopes adopting similar technology to a US Major League club can boost its bid to develop homegrown talent and land a coveted playoff berth.

The SA side’s manager Chris Adamson returned this week from a month-long stint mentoring Texas Rangers rookies at the MLB giant’s extended Spring training in Arizona.

It also gave the Bite boss an insight into the use of advanced radars in practice to track the speed of pitches and hits, as well as the spin and axis of the ball, as it leaves the hand or bat.

Adamson said implementing the approach to record and analyse individual data from his Bite charges might give them an edge this coming Australian Baseball League season.

“The technology backs-up and validates what you’re seeing from a coaching standpoint, but also shows them exactly what’s going on and helps make corrections,” Adamson, 31, said.

“In the cage, it’s logging as many swings and building as much data on guys as you can so we can work towards getting some norms and what it looks like when they’re having success.

Adelaide Bite manager Chris Adamson has returned from Texas Rangers’ spring training. Picture: Tait Schmaal

“Then you can hopefully try to alleviate some of the challenges they’re facing or try to decrease the extremes of their ups and downs.

“That’s one thing I’m trying pretty hard to have replicated back here, at least to some degree, so we can continue to speak the same language to the (MLB) organisations.

“It’s just a matter of keeping pushing so we can really improve the way that we’re instructing.”

Adamson spent the bulk of his time in the pre-season camp working with a group of the Rangers’ catchers, primarily imports from Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

The 130-game former Bite player said the passion of the prospects, many of whom were in the US for the first time, demonstrated the hunger needed to succeed in elite ranks.

“Working with the young Latin kids getting ready for their first season Stateside really helps you evaluate your coaching,” said Adamson, following his fourth Spring training experience.

Manager Chris Adamson has signed a two-year extension to his Adelaide Bite contract. Picture: Tait Schmaal

“For them, they’re going about it like their lives depend on it which is something amazing.

“A lot of them are coming from tough upbringings and the Venezuelan guys are having some challenges in their country right now.

“But they are definitely trying to make the most of their opportunity in the States.

“It’s cool to see young kids solely driven to achieve that one thing in their life.”

The Bite narrowly missed a playoff berth last campaign, as it chased post-season involvement for the first time since 2017.

But its progress was enough to convince Adamson to sign a two-year contract extension last month.

The Angelo State University graduate, who doubled as Baseball SA’s high performance manager, hoped to attract some Rangers youngsters down under during their winter break.

Chris Adamson (right) in action playing for Adelaide Bite in 2015. Picture: Sarah Reed.

Adelaide had already locked in the return of gun imports Markus Solbach and Mikey Reynolds ahead of the start of pre-season training for local players in July.

“It’s an organisation and a family I’ve been a part of for almost 10 years now, so I love everything about the state and the city and the team,” said Adamson, of the Bite.

“I wholeheartedly believe in the direction we’re going, both from a front office standpoint and what we’re trying to build in terms of our identity.

“I’m really excited to see how it evolves over the next two years.”