scholarly journals Analysis of Injuries and Pitching Performance Between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball: A 2-Team Comparison Between 2015 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 232596712110088
Author(s):  
Ryan L. Crotin ◽  
Toshimasa Yanai ◽  
Peter Chalmers ◽  
Kenneth B. Smale ◽  
Brandon J. Erickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Mechanism Of Injury ◽  
Research Collaborations ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League ◽  
Player Game ◽  
And Performance

Background: There has been minimal research investigating injury and pitching performance differences between Major League Baseball (MLB) and other professional leagues. Purpose/Hypothesis: This 2-team comparison between MLB and Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) involved affiliated players over 5 years. We hypothesized that teams would differ in the injury incidence, mechanism of injury, pitch velocity, and pitch type usage. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Between 2015 and 2019, pitching data as well as injury statistics for the highest level and minor league affiliates of the Los Angeles Angels (MLB) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (NPB) were reviewed for significant differences in the injury prevalence, injury type, mechanism of injury, and days missed. In total, 3781 MLB and 371 NPB injuries were studied. Results: MLB-affiliated players were significantly younger, taller, and heavier ( P < .001) than were NPB-affiliated players. MLB-affiliated pitchers threw faster than did their NPB counterparts ( P = .026). MLB minor league pitchers threw more curveballs than did NPB minor league pitchers ( P = .004), and MLB minor league relief pitchers threw more sliders than did NPB minor league relief pitchers ( P = .02). The MLB team had a 3.7-fold higher incidence of injuries versus the NPB team (0.030 vs 0.008 injuries per player-game, respectively) as well as more repeat injuries, with fewer days missed per injury (15.8 ± 54.7 vs 36.2 ± 55.1 days, respectively; P < .001). The MLB team also had a higher percentage of injuries that were throwing related ( P < .001), were contact related ( P < .001), and occurred outside of competition ( P < .001) compared with the NPB team. Conclusion: This is the first empirical study examining injury trends and pitching characteristics between MLB and NPB athletes. MLB-affiliated pitchers threw faster and relied more on breaking pitches in comparison with NPB-affiliated pitchers. From injury data, MLB players were younger, taller, and heavier with a higher percentage of throwing-related injuries, contact injuries, and injuries sustained outside of competition. Overall, the MLB team indicated a 3.7-fold higher rate of reported injuries with fewer days missed per injury than did the NPB team. Competitive conditions are distinctly different between MLB and NPB, and thus, more extensive research collaborations in the future can identify best practices to advance health and performance for both leagues.

scholarly journals Analysis of Non-Game Injuries in Major League Baseball

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 232596711988849
Author(s):  
Amanda Esquivel ◽  
Michael T. Freehill ◽  
Frank C. Curriero ◽  
Kevin L. Rand ◽  
Stan Conte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recent Literature ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
Primary Diagnosis ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Minor League Baseball ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League

Background: Numerous studies have investigated injuries and treatments in the baseball athlete. The majority of these studies have focused on the throwing shoulder and elbow. However, more recent literature is reporting injuries to other regions in this cohort, including the knee, head, hip, and hamstring. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of the current study was to determine the number and type of injuries in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players that do not occur during the actual game but are related to baseball participation. Our hypothesis was that there would be a substantial number of injuries that occurred in professional baseball players during non-game situations. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: Deidentified, anonymous data were collected from the 2011 through 2016 seasons from the MLB Health and Injury Tracking System (HITS) medical record database. All injuries that were identified as a primary diagnosis and resulted in at least 1 day out of play from both MLB and MiLB were examined. Injuries were categorized as occurring during the game (“game” injuries) or not during the game. A “non-game” injury was defined as occurring at any time other than during the scheduled game from the first to last pitch. Results: There were 51,548 total injuries in MLB and MiLB players from 2011 to 2016, almost 40% of which were attributed to non–game-related injuries (n = 19,201; 37.2%). The remainder occurred during a game (n = 32,347; 62.8%). A significantly greater percentage of non-game injuries were season ending (10.8%) compared with the percentage of game-related season-ending injuries (8.4%) ( P < .0001). Pitchers had significantly more non–game-related injuries than game-related injuries ( P < .0001). Conclusion: A large number of injuries occur in professional baseball outside of actual games. MiLB players, specifically pitchers, are particularly at risk for these types of injuries. It is feasible that the overall injury rate in professional baseball players could be reduced by analyzing these injuries in more detail to develop prevention strategies.

scholarly journals Ankle and Lower Leg Injuries in Professional Baseball Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0028
Author(s):  
Christopher Lucasti ◽  
Myles Dworkin ◽  
William Warrender ◽  
David Pedowitz ◽  
Brian Winters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Lower Leg ◽  
Injury Surveillance ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Injury Surveillance System ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Leg Injuries ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League

Category: Ankle, Sports, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the injury characteristics of ankle and lower leg injuries in professional baseball players during the 2011-2016 seasons by utilizing the Major League Baseball (MLB) injury surveillance system. Methods: Our study is a descriptive epidemiological evaluation through a retrospective review from the MLB Health and Injury Tracking System (HITS) since its implementation in 2011. We included any professional baseball player (Major League and Minor League) who was identified as having an ankle or lower leg injury from January 1, 2011 through February 28th, 2017.Over the study period there were a total of 4,756 injuries of which 763 (16.0%) occurred in the Major League and 3,993 (84.0%) occurred in the Minor League. Results: The average number of days missed for all players was 27.8 days (+/-141.4 days) with a median of 3 days. From 2011 through 2016 it was estimated that there were 414,912 athlete exposures (AEs) in Major League Baseball and 1,796,607 AEs in the Minor Leagues. Of the 4,756 injuries recorded, 550 (11.6%) took place during the Major League regular season and 3,320 (69.8%) took place during the Minor League regular season. Major League injuries, however, were 1.7 times more likely to require surgery (p < .001). Additionally, rates of injury to the lower leg were stratified by position with infield players experiencing injuries at a 1.6 times greater rate than any other position (p < .001). Conclusion: In conclusion, the data from this study represents the only epidemiological study to focus primarily on lower leg injuries in professional baseball players utilizing an injury surveillance system developed by MLB.

scholarly journals Hamstring Injury Trends in Major and Minor League Baseball: Epidemiological Findings From the Major League Baseball Health and Injury Tracking System

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 232596711986106
Author(s):  
Kelechi R. Okoroha ◽  
Stan Conte ◽  
Eric C. Makhni ◽  
Vincent A. Lizzio ◽  
Christopher L. Camp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Platelet Rich Plasma ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Hamstring Injury ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Minor League Baseball ◽  
Hamstring Injuries ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League

Background: Hamstring strains are the most common injury for professional baseball players and can result in significant time on the disabled list. To date, no study has reported the current trends in hamstring strains in professional baseball. Hypothesis: Professional baseball players would have an increased incidence of hamstring strains from 2011 through 2016. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Injury data were prospectively collected from 2011 through 2016 for every Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team and was recorded in the MLB Health and Injury Tracking System. Data collected for this study included date of injury, activity during injury, time lost, primary injury or reinjury status, and imaging findings as well as player demographic information related to level of play, age, and position for all hamstring injury events. Injury rates were reported as hamstring injuries per number of games. Results: From 2011 to 2016, there were 2633 hamstring strains in professional baseball players. The rate of hamstring strains increased in MLB from a low of 1 injury every 39 games in 2011 to a high of 1 injury every 30 games in 2016. In MiLB, there were 2192 hamstring strains, with 1 injury every 35 games in 2011 compared with 1 injury every 30 games in 2016. The majority of injuries occurred in the infielder positions (37.5%) and resulted from base running (>50%), most commonly from home to first base. The most common hamstring injury was a grade 2 injury to the distal biceps femoris. The mean time missed after a hamstring injury was 14.5 days. Grade 3 and grade 2 hamstring strains resulted in significantly more days missed compared with grade 1 injuries ( P = .005 and P = .002, respectively). The rate of recurrent hamstring injuries was 16.3% for MLB and 14.2% for MiLB. Recurrent hamstring injuries resulted in more time lost than primary injuries (mean, 16.4 vs 14.5 days, respectively; P = .02). A total of 42 injuries were treated with platelet-rich plasma, and 19 were treated with surgery. The number of injuries treated with platelet-rich plasma increased in successive years. Conclusion: The rate of hamstring strains in professional baseball players has increased over the past 6 years and has resulted in a significant loss of playing time. Study results indicated that these injuries are affected by injury characteristics, position played, running to first base, seasonal timing, and history of hamstring injuries.

Association Between a Rule Change to Reduce Home Plate Collisions and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Other Injuries in Professional Baseball Players

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 2704-2708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Green ◽  
John D’Angelo ◽  
Jon Coyles ◽  
Ian Penny ◽  
John G. Golfinos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Rule Change ◽  
Major League ◽  
At Home

Background: Improved player safety is an important goal of professional baseball. Prevention of mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) is an area of emphasis because of the potential for long-term as well as short-term sequelae. Hypothesis: A rule change can lower the incidence of concussions and other injuries in professional baseball. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This study included a retrospective review of data entered concurrently into professional baseball’s electronic medical record system. All minor and major league teams are required to use this system. All injuries are captured by creation of a new record in the system at the time of the injury. All active minor and major league players from 2011 to 2017 were included. The 30 major league clubs have 1200 roster players and play 162 games per season. The approximately 200 minor league clubs have about 7500 active players and play 56 to 144 games annually that combine for approximately 330,000 athlete-exposures per season. Before the 2014 season, Major League Baseball, in conjunction with its players association, instituted a rule limiting home plate collisions between base runners and catchers that applied to both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball. All concussions and other injuries at home plate from 2011 to 2017 were analyzed by mechanism and player position. Results: From 2011 to 2013, an annual mean of 100 injuries occurred from home plate collisions in the minor and major leagues, resulting in a mean loss of 2148 days annually. After the rule change, there was a mean 55 home plate collision injuries with 936 days lost per season ( P < .0001 for injuries and days lost). A mean 11 concussions attributed to these collisions occurred annually in the minor and major leagues before the rule change, as compared with 2.3 per year after ( P = .0029). There were no major league concussions from these collisions after the rule change. The mean annual number of days missed because of concussions at home plate dropped from 276 before 2014 to 36 per year after 2014 ( P = .0001). Conclusion: This rule change was associated with significant reductions in the numbers of concussions and other injuries caused by collisions at home plate as well as significant decreases in time lost from play.

Stereophotometric Testing for Pulfrich's Phenomenon in Professional Baseball Players

1993 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert J. Hofeldt ◽  
Frank B. Hoefle
Keyword(s):  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Visual Ability ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League

Major League players were significantly more accurate in performing stereophotometry than were Minor League players. The stereophotometric data based upon the induction and extinction thresholds of the Pulfrich phenomenon were significantly correlated with the batting averages of Major League baseball players. The coefficient of determination, r2, implies that visual ability as measured by stereophotometry accounts for 47% or more of the variation in batting averages of the Major League players. This test may be a useful index in predicting batting ability.

scholarly journals Early Sports Specialization Is Associated With Upper Extremity Injuries in Throwers and Fewer Games Played in Major League Baseball

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 232596711986110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Confino ◽  
James N. Irvine ◽  
Michaela O’Connor ◽  
Christopher S. Ahmad ◽  
T. Sean Lynch
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Upper Extremity ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Minor League ◽  
Major League ◽  
Elbow Injuries ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Extremity Injuries

Background: Single-sport athletes who specialize in baseball at a young age may have a greater predisposition to overuse injury, burnout, and decreased career longevity when compared with multiple-sport athletes. The effect of sport specialization has not been studied in professional baseball players. Hypothesis: Major League Baseball (MLB) players who played multiple sports in high school would experience fewer injuries, spend less time on the disabled list, play more games, and have a longer career than athletes who played only baseball in high school. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: First- and second-round MLB draft picks from 2008 to 2016 who played in at least 1 professional game were included in this study. Athletes who participated in 1 or more sports in addition to baseball during high school were considered multisport athletes, and athletes who participated in only baseball were considered single-sport athletes. For each athlete, participation in high school sports, injuries sustained in MLB and Minor League Baseball, number of days on the disabled list for each injury, number of games played in both leagues, and whether the athlete was still active were collected from publicly available records. Results: A total of 746 athletes were included in this study: 240 (32%) multisport and 506 (68%) single sport. Multisport athletes played in significantly more mean total games (362.8 vs 300.8; P < .01) as well as more mean MLB games (95.9 vs 71.6; P = .04) than single-sport athletes. There was no difference in the mean number of seasons played in the major leagues (1.8 vs 1.6; P = .15) or minor league (5.25 vs 5.20; P = .23) between multisport and single-sport athletes. Single-sport athletes had a significantly higher prevalence of upper extremity injuries compared with multisport athletes (136 [63%] vs 55 [50%]; P = .009). Single-sport pitchers also had a higher prevalence of shoulder and elbow injuries (86 vs 27; P = .008) and were more likely to have recurrent elbow injuries (33% vs 17% recurrence; P = .002) compared with multisport pitchers. Conclusion: Professional baseball players who participated in multiple sports in high school played in more major league games and experienced lower rates of upper and lower extremity injuries than players who played only baseball in high school.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Cardinal Gaze Speed between Major League Baseball Players, Amateur Prospects, and Non-athletes

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. e17-e28
Author(s):  
Karla Kubitz ◽  
Claire-Marie Roberts ◽  
Melissa Hunfalvay ◽  
Nicholas Murray
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Baseball Players ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Major League

PurposeSensorimotor variables have been shown to predict performance in professional baseball players. However, cardinal gaze speed in baseball players has received only limited attention. This study tested the hypothesis that the cardinal gaze speed in Major League Baseball (MLB) players would be faster than in amateur prospects and non-athletes. MethodSeventeen MLB athletes, 160 amateur prospects, and 128 non-athletes were tested using an eye-tracking test (i.e., the RightEye CGP test) designed to measure cardinal gaze speed. ResultsMLB players had significantly faster cardinal gaze speed than either amateur prospects or non-athletes. Moreover, there were significant differences in cardinal gaze speed across different directions. ConclusionsThis was the first study to examine the speed of gaze in the cardinal positions in an athletic context. The results highlight the significant difference in cardinal gaze speed between MLB players, amateur prospects, and non-athletes.

scholarly journals Predicting Seasonal Performance in Professional Sport: A 30-Year Analysis of Sports Illustrated Predictions

Sports ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Justine Jones ◽  
Kathryn Johnston ◽  
Lou Farah ◽  
Joseph Baker
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
National Basketball Association ◽  
Forecasting Accuracy ◽  
World Series ◽  
Major League ◽  
Sports Illustrated ◽  
Future Work

In 2017, Sports Illustrated (SI) made headlines when their remarkable prediction from 2014 that the Houston Astros (a team in one of the lowest Major League Baseball divisional rankings) would win the World Series, came true. The less-publicised story was that in 2017, SI predicted the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) title. Assessing the forecasting accuracy of experts is critical as it explores the difficulty and limitations of forecasts and can help illuminate how predictions may shape sociocultural notions of sport in society. To thoroughly investigate SI’s forecasting record, predictions were collected from the four major North American sporting leagues (the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and National Hockey League) over the last 30 years (1988–2018). Kruskal–Wallis H Tests and Mann–Whitney U Tests were used to evaluate the absolute and relative accuracy of predictions. Results indicated that SI had the greatest predictive accuracy in the National Basketball Association and was significantly more likely to predict divisional winners compared to conference and league champions. Future work in this area may seek to examine multiple media outlets to gain a more comprehensive perspective on forecasting accuracy in sport.

It’s a Party in the MLB: An Analysis of Shirking Between Games in Major League Baseball

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Richard J. Paulsen
Keyword(s):  
Moral Hazard ◽  
Inverse Relationship ◽  
Major League Baseball ◽  
Job Security ◽  
Baseball Player ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Estimation Strategy ◽  
Major League ◽  
Triple Difference ◽  
And Performance

This paper uses game-level Major League Baseball data to identify whether players with greater job security shirk in their preparation between games. Past work has identified evidence of moral hazard arising in multiyear Major League Baseball player contracts, but little work has been done in identifying when shirking takes place. Using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, this study finds evidence of an inverse relationship between the number of years remaining on player contracts and performance when the player is playing on short rest, when opportunity to rest is scarce, but not on long rest. Using a triple-difference specification, evidence is found that this inverse relationship between years remaining on a player’s contract when playing on short rest occurs for games played in “party cities.” This evidence would suggest that between game preparation is one avenue through which players on multiyear contracts shirk.

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