Diamond Kinetics app expands impact on youth participation in 2nd year of partnership with MLB

Diamond Kinetics, MLB’s Trusted Youth Development Platform, continues to transform youth baseball and softball development with its innovative mobile app, expanding engagement through interactive content featuring MLB players, real-time challenges and personalized training experiences.

The DK app, which uses advanced SmartMotion technology to track and analyze every swing via a phone’s camera, generated more than 632,000 swings through its in-app MLB content in 2024, the second year of the company’s long-term partnership with Major League Baseball.

“We have seen the outstanding impact Diamond Kinetics has had on youth engagement,” said Tony Reagins, MLB’s chief baseball development officer. “Their innovative approach to digital interaction with the game has opened up exciting new avenues for both fan and athlete development. We're looking forward to reaching greater heights as we enter year three of our long-term partnership.”

Among DK’s key initiatives in 2024 was the newly launched “Featured Players” program, which saw 10 MLB players, including Steven Kwan, Christian Walker and Willy Adames, engage digitally for two weeks with users through lessons, hitting challenges and mini-games on DK’s app.

DK also created the weekly “1 vs 9” challenge, allowing users to compete against MLB players by measuring their hit distances with DK’s bat sensor. DK’s app measured more than 11 million feet of hit distances by youth participants during the season.

In addition, DK expanded its presence with campaigns centered on PLAY BALL Weekend, partnering with seven Major League teams and seven Minor League teams while launching a dozen in-app experiences to drive more than 155,000 swings across two weeks. The app generated more than 115,000 additional swings through a campaign during All-Star Week, with users competing in digital home run distance challenges and engaging with DK's Swing Match, a tool that allows young players to see which MLB star has the most similar swing to theirs.

“Our partnership with MLB has allowed us to become the mobile digital engagement arm for the league at the youth level,” said CJ Handron, CEO of Diamond Kinetics. “By integrating MLB content and challenges into our app, we've created a unique, interesting way for young players to engage with their favorite stars and the sport in a digital fashion.”