MLB Tracker
Baseball Statistics and Live Scores - Android App with Kotlin
Overview
MLB Tracker is a comprehensive Android application designed for baseball enthusiasts to follow Major League Baseball games in real-time. Developed using Kotlin in Android Studio, this app integrates with MLB's official API to provide live scores, team standings, and game schedules. The project was born from a passion for baseball and the desire to create a streamlined mobile experience for tracking favorite teams and players.
The application showcases modern Android development practices including MVVM architecture, Retrofit for API calls and Coroutines for asynchronous operations
Features
- Live Score Updates: Real-time scores and play-by-play updates for ongoing MLB games
- Team Standings: Current league standings with win-loss records and playoff positions
- Game Schedule: Complete season schedule with past results and upcoming matchups
- Historical Data: Access to past seasons' statistics and records
Gallery
Technologies Used
Technical Implementation
- API Integration: Implemented Retrofit for making HTTP requests to MLB's REST API with proper error handling and response parsing
- Asynchronous Operations: Used Kotlin Coroutines for non-blocking API calls and database operations, ensuring smooth UI performance
- Repository Pattern: Created a clean data layer that abstracts data sources and provides a single source of truth
Challenges Overcome
- API Rate Limiting: Implemented intelligent caching strategies to minimize API calls while maintaining data freshness
- Real-Time Updates: Developed an efficient polling mechanism for live score updates without draining battery
- Complex Data Structures: Parsed and organized hierarchical JSON responses from the API into usable data models
- State Management: Maintained consistent UI state across configuration changes and app lifecycle events
- Performance Optimization: Optimized RecyclerView with ViewHolder pattern and DiffUtil for smooth scrolling