Not long ago, I had the opportunity to review iScore for the iPhone and iPod Touch, an app which I think has to be on the top of any baseball fan’s list of favorite apps.  Well, in the wake of that review, I got an email from the folks at Onscreen Scientist, with information about their new app, Onscreen Pitch Count.   I am always happy to check out a new baseball app, so let’s take a look at what Onscreen Scientist sent my way (note that they did provide a free copy of the app for this review.)

This is not nearly as robust an app as iScore, but it but it does do a great job of knowing what it can do. Rather than try to be a complete statistician’s dream on all sides of the field like iScore, Baseball Pitch Count focuses solely on one position: the pitcher. 

The app is really extremely simple, which I appreciated.  As much as I liked iScore, it could get extremely complicated and difficult to control.  To the contrary, Onscreen Pitch count requires only two screens to access all of the information and functionality hidden within.  First, to get started, you will want to enter your team names and starting pitchers.  Just type them in and you are ready to start counting pitches.

The main screen consists of four sections, and we are going to take a look at them slightly out of order.  The top section provides you with your pitcher information.   You are not going to spend a lot of time here, until your team swaps pitchers.  One of the things I liked was how easy it is to keep up with your team’s moves.  Just tap New Pitcher, and type the new pitcher’s name in the box.  That’s it.  all of the pitcher stats will be recorded for later review and reset for the new pitcher.

The place where you will spend most of your time is the bottom portion of the screen.  This is where you will record the results of pitch.  Like the rest of the app, this is incredibly simple.  All you have to do is tap the result of each pitch and tap the appropriate button: Ball, strike (foul, called strike, or swinging), fair hit, or out.  Pretty easy, though at the same time, I found the order of the buttons to be a little unintuitive.  It felt almost backwards to me to have the balls and strikes at the end of this section, and hits, runs, and outs ahead.  I would like to see this section redesigned to put the buttons in a more intuitive order.

In between are your stats.  Not only will the app keep track of the balls, strikes, outs, and runners on base for the inning; it will also track the total number of pitches (balls and strikes) thrown by the pitcher.  This is a fantastic tool, especially for coaches trying to limit a pitcher’s pitch count. 

At first, I was disappointed that the stats were not more robust, but that was only because I failed to notice the Details button.  Just tap it to instantly call up a complete pitching stats screen, which breaks out how batters reached base (walks, hits, errors, etc…), method of striking out (called strike, swinging, foul…).

I really liked the way Onscreen Pitch Count came across with both simplicity and thoroughness, that made it an easy app to like and use.  I will say, though, that it is something of a niche app.  Most people I know pay more attention to the batter than the pitcher, and this will not help you there.  It is not a baseball scoring or scorecard app.  That being said, I did find it did a great job with what it was, a pitch tracker, and I think anyone who works with baseball pitchers – be they a parent, coach, or fan – will appreciate this functionality.

My biggest gripe with this app, however, was the interface.  While the functionality is robust, the interface is just awful with alternating color bands and terribly laid out buttons.  I would really like to see this app get a thorough facelift.  I would love to see an interface which is more graphical, and takes better advantage of all the iPhone has to offer. 

I ended the day with mixed feelings about this app.  On one hand, it is difficult to get past the interface, which is just plain unintuitive and ugly.  On the other hand, like the story of the Ugly Duckling, there really is a fantastic and robust app hidden inside there.  It is also a real niche app, in that it really only gives you half of the story.  Since it does not keep batting stats, this is not going to serve the typical fan looking to score a game.  It will, however, work well for coaches and parents working with pitchers, or anyone else who thinks chicks dig the fastball!    If you work with pitchers, though, or just enjoy tracking an awful lot of pitching stats, then this is an app you will certainly want to check out.

What I Liked:

• Easy to use
• Robust stats

What Needs Improvement:

• Interface
• Unintuitive button placement

Developer: Onscreen Scientist

Price: $2.99 (at the iTunes App Store)

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