Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jul 20;10(7):23259671221111169.
doi: 10.1177/23259671221111169. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Using Advanced Data to Analyze the Impact of Injury on Performance of Major League Baseball Pitchers: A Narrative Review

Christopher M LaPrade  1 , Mark E Cinque  1 , Marc R Safran  1 , Michael T Freehill  1 , Corey A Wulf  2 , Robert F LaPrade  2
Affiliations
Review

Using Advanced Data to Analyze the Impact of Injury on Performance of Major League Baseball Pitchers: A Narrative Review

Christopher M LaPrade et al. Orthop J Sports Med. .

Abstract

Major league baseball (MLB) pitchers are at risk of numerous injuries during play, and there is an increasing focus on evaluating their performance in the context of injury. Historically, performance after return to play (RTP) from injury has focused on general descriptive statistics, such as innings or games played, or rate statistics with inherent variability (eg, earned run average, walks and hits per inning pitched, strikeouts per 9 innings, or walks per 9 innings). However, in recent years, MLB has incorporated advanced technology and tracking systems in every stadium, allowing for more in-depth analysis of pitcher-specific data that are captured with every pitch of every game. This technology allows for the ability to delve into the pitching performance on a basis that is more specific to each pitcher and allows for more in-depth analysis of different aspects of pitching performance. The purpose of this narrative review was to illustrate the current state of injury recording for professional baseball pitchers, highlight recent technological advances in MLB, and describe the advanced data available for analysis. We used advanced data in the literature to review the current state of performance analysis after RTP in MLB pitchers after injury. Finally, we strived to provide a framework for future studies to more meticulously assess RTP performance given the current available resources for analysis.

Keywords: baseball; performance; pitching; throwing injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: C.M.L. has received education payments from Evolution Surgical. M.E.C. has received education payments from Evolution Surgical. M.R.S. has received consulting fees from Anika Therapeutics, Medacta, and Smith & Nephew; royalties and nonconsulting fees from Smith & Nephew; and honoraria from Medacta. M.T.F. has received grant support from Encore Medical, education payments from Evolution Surgical, consulting fees from Smith & Nephew and Stryker, speaking fees from Integra LifeSciences and Smith & Nephew, and hospitality payments from Wright Medical. C.A.W. has received hospitality payments from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew. R.F.L. has received consulting fees from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew, speaking fees from Smith & Nephew, and royalties from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.

References

    1. 26-man roster. Major League Baseball. Accessed February 4, 2022. http://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/26-man-roster
    1. Camp CL, Conte S, D’Angelo J, Fealy SA. Epidemiology of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in Major and Minor League Baseball pitchers: comprehensive report of 1429 cases. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2018;27(5):871–878. - PubMed
    1. Camp CL, Desai V, Conte S, et al. Revision ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in professional baseball: current trends, surgical techniques, and outcomes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019;7(8):2325967119864104. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Camp CL, Dines JS, van der List JP, et al. Summative report on time out of play for Major and Minor League Baseball: an analysis of 49,955 injuries from 2011 through 2016. Am J Sports Med. 2018;46(7):1727–1732. - PubMed
    1. Cerynik DL, Ewald TJ, Sastry A, Amin NH, Liao JG, Tom JA. Outcomes of isolated glenoid labral injuries in professional baseball pitchers. Clin J Sport Med. 2008;18(3):255–258. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources