scholarly journals Concussion Incidence and Impact on Player Performance in Major League Baseball Players Before and After a Standardized Concussion Protocol

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 232596712091302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua G. Peterson ◽  
Vehniah K. Tjong ◽  
Michael A. Terry ◽  
Matthew D. Saltzman ◽  
Stephen M. Gryzlo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Major League ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Player Performance

Background: Sports-related concussions have garnered significant attention in recent years because of the negative effects they can have on a player’s cognitive health and performance. In response to this growing concern, Major League Baseball (MLB) introduced a standardized concussion protocol during the 2011-2012 season. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare the reported incidence of concussions and the subsequent performance of MLB players before and after the introduction of the standardized concussion protocol. We hypothesized that the introduction of the standardized concussion protocol would not have an impact on player performance postconcussion. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Players who suffered a concussion between 2001 and 2018 were identified from the MLB transactions page. Incidence and player performance were compared before and after the introduction of the standardized concussion protocol. Player performance was evaluated using traditional data and sabermetric data, which are advanced statistics used in conjunction with standard statistics to better compare players and teams. Player averages were calculated and compared using paired t tests for 30 days before and after concussion, 1 year before and after concussion, and career before and after concussion. Averages were also compared before and after the institution of the standardized concussion protocol using independent-measures t tests. Results: There were a total of 114 players who suffered 142 concussions, with 77% of those occurring after the introduction of the concussion protocol (32 before, 110 after). The average time missed because of concussion significantly decreased from 33.7 days (range, 10-122 days) to 18.9 days (range, 6-111 days) after the concussion protocol ( P = .0005). There was no difference in player performance (including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging for batters; earned run average, fielding-independent pitching, and walks plus hits per inning pitched for pitchers) after concussion at any time point (30 days, 1 year, or career) when comparing these statistics before versus after the MLB concussion protocol. However, batter performance was significantly poorer 1 year after concussion and over the remainder of the players' careers ( P < .05). Conclusion: The number of reported concussions increased after the introduction of the MLB concussion protocol. However, players spent significantly less time on the disabled list without any adverse effect on player performance. Despite these changes, long-term batting performance was significantly poorer after concussion.

Major League Baseball Pitching Performance After Tommy John Surgery and the Effect of Tear Characteristics, Technique, and Graft Type

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Marshall ◽  
Robert Keller ◽  
Orr Limpisvasti ◽  
Brian Schulz ◽  
Neal ElAttrache
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Technique ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Surgical Techniques ◽  
Ulnar Collateral Ligament ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Partial Tears ◽  
Major League ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Performance Statistics

Background: Return to play and player satisfaction have been quite high after ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR); however, there has been little reported on how outcomes are affected by surgical technique, graft type, and tear characteristics. Purpose: To evaluate surgical techniques, graft type, and tear characteristics on Major League Baseball (MLB) performance after UCLR. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: MLB pitchers who underwent primary UCLR at a single institution were included. Tear characteristics included tear location, tear grade, and acuity. Surgical technique and graft type were also collected. Pitching performance statistics, including earned run average (ERA), walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), innings pitched, and fastball velocity were evaluated 3 years before and after UCLR. Results: Forty-six MLB pitchers were identified as having primary UCLR. Return to play was 96%, with 82% returning to MLB play. Technique performed showed no difference in performance. As compared with pitchers with gracilis grafts, pitchers with palmaris grafts were younger ( P = .043), played longer after surgery ( P = .012), and returned to play at 100% (35 of 35) versus 82% (9 of 11, P = .010). When compared with pitchers with proximal tears, pitchers with distal tears pitched at higher velocity (93.0 vs 90.6 mph, P = .023) and had better performance before surgery (ERA, P = .003; WHIP, P = .021); however, those with proximal tears improved to match this performance and velocity after reconstruction. As compared with those having partial tears, pitchers with complete tears played longer after surgery (5.9 vs 4.0 years, P = .033), had a better ERA before injury ( P = .041), and had better WHIP ( P = .037) and strikeouts per 9 innings ( P = .025) after reconstruction. Pitchers with chronic tears had a significant improvement in postoperative ERA, from 4.49 to 3.80 ( P = .040). Conclusion: Technique performed and graft type used did not affect performance; however, pitchers with palmaris grafts returned at a higher rate than those with gracilis grafts. Distal tears occurred in pitchers with greater velocity and better performance before injury, yet pitchers with proximal tears matched this performance after reconstruction. Pitchers with complete tears played longer after reconstruction. Pitchers who had partial tears had worse performance before injury and after reconstruction, and those with chronic tears saw a significant improvement in ERA with reconstruction.

Epidemiology, Workload, and Performance of Major League Baseball Pitchers Placed on the Disabled List

Orthopedics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Marshall ◽  
Toufic R. Jildeh ◽  
Kelechi R. Okoroha ◽  
Ankur Patel ◽  
Vasilios Moutzouros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Major League ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Baseball Pitchers ◽  
And Performance

scholarly journals Concussion rates and effects on player performance in Major League Baseball players

2018 ◽  
Vol Volume 9 ◽  
pp. 253-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vani J Sabesan ◽  
Beau Prey ◽  
Ryan Smith ◽  
Daniel J Lombardo ◽  
Wilfredo J Borroto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Major League ◽  
Player Performance

Return-to-Sport Time and Postoperative Performance in MLB Players Undergoing Wrist Arthroscopy

Hand ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 155894472110289
Author(s):  
Erin I. Orozco ◽  
Andrea E. Guloy ◽  
Michael O. Cotton ◽  
Robert A. Jack ◽  
Shari R. Liberman
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Return To Sport ◽  
Wrist Arthroscopy ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Postoperative Performance ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Major League ◽  
Performance Statistics ◽  
And Performance

Background: Wrist injuries are common in sports and can result in prolonged time missed from playing. This study aimed to determine in Major League Baseball-players after arthroscopic wrist surgery the return-to-sport (RTS) rate, postoperative career length, and changes in performance compared with preoperative statistics and matched controls. Methods: Major League Baseball players who underwent arthroscopic wrist surgery from 1990 to 2019 were identified. Demographic and performance data were collected for each player, and matched controls were identified. Comparisons were made via paired samples Student t tests. Results: Twenty-six players (27 surgeries) were identified. The average age of included players was 28.9 ± 2.9 years with an average professional experience of 5.2 ± 3.4 years. Eighty-four percent of players returned to sport, with an average RTS time of 5.0 ± 2.7 months. A statistically significant ( P < .05) decrease was seen in preoperative and postoperative runs scored per season (95.6 ± 91.3 vs 41.0 ± 29.5), batting average (BA) (0.270 ± 0.024 vs 0.240 ± 0.036), and average wins above replacement (WAR) (1.5 ± 1.1 vs 0.8 ± 0.9). Conclusion: Major League Baseball players who underwent arthroscopic wrist surgery had an RTS rate of 84% at a mean time of 5.0 months. There was no significant difference in performance statistics between cases postoperatively and matched controls overall, with some differences in performance found when categorized by position. However, a significant decrease in performance among case players was observed between preoperative and postoperative performance, including runs per season, BA, and WAR.

Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Michael Corzine
Keyword(s):  
Drug Testing ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Drug Prevention ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Congressional Hearings ◽  
Major League ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Enhancing Drugs ◽  
Drug And Alcohol

This book charts the history of drug and alcohol use in Major League Baseball (MLB). It aims to recover the story of baseball and drugs from the tyranny of baseball mythology by analyzing the perceived problem of drug use, with particular emphasis on illegal recreational and performance-enhancing drugs, in MLB. It examines how the drug testing movement, for two decades the persona non grata of professional baseball, surged to the forefront of Major League thought following the congressional hearings of 2005, culminating in the 2006 establishment of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The new testing protocols were buoyed by the findings of the Mitchell Report, which explicitly warned against retroactive punishment—the league could not slash and burn its way to integrity by torching past transgressions—and instead focused on the need for diligence in the future.

scholarly journals Analysis of Player Statistics in Major League Baseball Players Before and After Achilles Tendon Repair

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan M. Saltzman ◽  
Matthew W. Tetreault ◽  
Daniel D. Bohl ◽  
Danielle Tetreault ◽  
Simon Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Tendon Repair ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Achilles Tendon Repair ◽  
Major League ◽  
Before And After

New Evidence in the Study of Shirking in Major League Baseball

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Richard J. Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Adjustment Process ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
Major League ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Player Performance ◽  
Level Of Effort

This paper uses Major League Baseball data to examine the relationship between years remaining on player contracts and player performance. There is a potential for moral hazard to arise in this principal–agent relationship as the player may choose a less than optimal level of effort from the perspective of team management when the player has many guaranteed years remaining. A player fixed-effects estimation strategy, which finds a significant negative relationship between years remaining and performance, is employed. The primary contribution of this work is to show that this relationship is due to shirking. Alternative explanations for this relationship, such as teams signing improving players to multiyear contracts or players facing an adjustment process when joining a new team, are addressed. Additional evidence which is consistent with shirking behavior shows that shirking occurs on offense, not defense, and for position players, not pitchers.

scholarly journals Analysis of Player Statistics in Major League Baseball Players Before and After Achilles Tendon Repair

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan M. Saltzman ◽  
Matthew W. Tetreault ◽  
Daniel D. Bohl ◽  
Danielle Tetreault ◽  
Simon Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Achilles Tendon ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Tendon Repair ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Achilles Tendon Repair ◽  
Major League ◽  
Before And After

scholarly journals Effect of COVID-19 on Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Major League Baseball Pitchers

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 232596712110413
Author(s):  
Ryan W. Paul ◽  
Ali Omari ◽  
Brian Fliegel ◽  
Meghan E. Bishop ◽  
Brandon J. Erickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligament Reconstruction ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Ulnar Collateral Ligament ◽  
Collateral Ligament ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Injury Rates ◽  
Major League ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Surgery Timing ◽  
Pooled Sample

Background: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to the suspension and shortening of the 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season from 162 to 60 regular season games. The effect of this disruption on injury rates, specifically injury to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), has not been quantified. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare the rate of UCL reconstruction (UCLR), surgery timing, and pitching workload in MLB pitchers from before and after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. We hypothesized that UCLR rates relative to games played would be increased and pitching workload would be decreased in 2020 compared with previous seasons. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: An extensive online search using publicly available data was conducted to identify all MLB pitchers who underwent UCLR between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2020. Only pitchers who were competing at the MLB level when undergoing reconstruction were included. Player characteristics and surgery date, as well as career and season of surgery pitching workload, were collected for all included pitchers. All data were compared as a pooled sample (2017-2019 vs 2020). Results: A similar number of pitchers underwent UCLR during or after the 2020 regular season (n = 18) compared with the 2017-2019 seasons (n = 16, 20, and 16, respectively). However, after accounting for the decrease in games played during the 2020 regular season, an MLB pitcher was 2.9 times more likely to undergo surgery per game after the COVID-19 lockdown compared with the previous years ( P < .001). MLB pitchers who underwent surgery in 2020 threw fewer preseason innings than did pitchers who underwent surgery between 2017 and 2019 (5.98 vs 9.39; P = .001). Conclusion: MLB pitchers were almost 3 times more likely to undergo UCLR per game after the COVID-19 lockdown. A decreased preseason pitching workload because of the COVID-19 lockdown may have had an effect on per game UCLR rates.

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