Looking Back at the 2026 Conference in Phoenix, Arizona
The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) successfully concluded the 2nd Annual Baseball Team Medicine Conference, bringing together athletic trainers, team physicians, performance specialists, and industry leaders for two days of cutting-edge education and collaboration in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Hosted at the Banner Sports Medicine High Performance Center, the conference served as a premier forum for professionals across baseball sports medicine to connect, learn, and share best practices around player health, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance innovation. The event reflected PBATS’ continued commitment to advancing the standard of care in professional baseball through interdisciplinary dialogue and evidence-based learning.
The Baseball Team Medicine Conference was presented by PBATS and hosted in partnership with Banner Health & Sports Performance, with support from founding sponsor Gatorade and strategic partner EBP Central, whose ongoing collaboration has helped establish this event as a cornerstone educational platform for the baseball medical community.
Throughout the conference, attendees heard from a wide range of nationally recognized experts, covering the evolving demands of team medicine across both amateur and professional baseball. Sessions emphasized the importance of integrating sports science, biomechanics, performance technology, and traditional clinical expertise into a unified approach to athlete care.
Day 1 opened with presentations focused on the modern analytical landscape shaping baseball. Attendees gained insight into the progression of throwing development across levels of play, highlighted by a featured session from Scott Schneider, Head Baseball Coach at Phoenix College, who discussed throwing analysis and the growing role of data-driven evaluation from high school through the professional ranks.
Former Major League player and longtime big league veteran Howie Kendrick also provided a player-centered perspective through a presentation on hitting analysis, offering valuable insight into how athletes adapt, evolve, and prepare across a professional career.
One of the most widely anticipated sessions came from renowned injury analyst and industry voice Will Carroll, who delivered a compelling presentation titled The Billion Dollar Bleed, examining the immense impact of injuries on the game and the continued need for proactive strategies to protect player health.
Across both days, conference programming reflected PBATS’ mission of building stronger sports medicine teams through collaboration, communication, and continued professional development. Discussions explored how medical and performance departments can work seamlessly across disciplines, aligning athletic training, physical therapy, strength and conditioning, and front office leadership to deliver consistent care throughout the season.
Day 2 continued with additional expert-led sessions and panel discussions centered on integrated team medicine models, emerging technology in athlete monitoring, rehabilitation trends, and the future of evidence-based baseball care. The agenda reinforced a key theme of the conference: that the most effective organizations are those that balance innovation with the foundational principles of athletic training and sports medicine.
The Baseball Team Medicine Conference also underscored the importance of shared learning spaces for the baseball medical community. In an era where workload demands, injury trends, and performance expectations continue to grow, PBATS remains dedicated to creating opportunities where professionals can come together to strengthen the medical support systems that serve players at every level.
PBATS extends sincere gratitude to Banner Health & Sports Performance for serving as an outstanding host site and partner in delivering a world-class educational environment. The Society also thanks founding sponsor Gatorade for its continued commitment to athlete health and hydration science, and strategic partner EBP Central for helping elevate the conference into one of the most impactful baseball sports medicine gatherings of the year.
As PBATS looks ahead, the Baseball Team Medicine Conference continues to grow as a signature event that reflects the future of the profession—one rooted in collaboration, research translation, and excellence in athlete care.
With two successful years now completed, PBATS is proud to continue building a lasting educational tradition that strengthens the sports medicine teams supporting professional baseball, and the athletes who make the game possible.
For more information about the conference, please visit: https://www.ebpcentral.com/baseball-team/