A Modern Advanced Analytic Approach to Cost and Performance Loss Analysis of UCL Surgery to Major League Baseball Teams

Some Major League Baseball (MLB) owners own a portion of their minor league affiliates while other owners have a player development contract or working agreement with all of their minor league affiliates. Even though MLB teams always own the rights to the players and coaches in their minor league system, there are many other aspects of their operations that might be outsourced. This study attempts to explain differences in minor league ownership. It is hypothesized that the relationship between major and minor league teams depends upon the MLB owners’ other businesses and the minor league affiliates’ level or classification. This study analyzes a cross-sectional data set from the Nation League using a probit model. The study finds that media providers that own MLB teams are more likely to own their minor league affiliates and MLB owners are more likely to own lower classified minor league teams.

Currently, there are more than 40 million immigrants in the United States, and immigrant sports consumers have been considered a significant niche market in the sport industry. In particular, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have realized that Korean immigrants, along with Japanese immigrants, are among the most attractive Asian immigrant MLB markets in the U.S., because of their large populations in the U.S. and the popularity of baseball in their native countries (Kim & Jeon, 2008). However, there has been limited research regarding Asian immigrants’ team identification with MLB teams. The theoretical framework of this study is drawn from acculturation theory (Berry, 1997) and social identity theory (Tajfel, 1982). Berry defines acculturation as “the general processes and outcomes (both cultural and psychological) of intercultural contact” (Berry, p. 8). Acculturation theory has been widely used to explain the adaptation patterns of immigrants to a new society. This theory further explains not only how immigrants evolve in new cultural contexts resulting from migration, but also how they retain their original cultural contexts and beliefs while in their new society (Berry, 1997). According to Berry (1980), there are four types of acculturation strategies: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization. These four acculturation strategies differ according to immigrants’ efforts to adapt to new cultural contexts as well as the extent of their relationships with their new as well as with their old societies. Social identity theory (Tajfel, 1982) is a useful theoretical framework for team identification. Social identity is defined as “the part of the individual’s self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership in a social group together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership (p.2)”. Team identification research has been developed based on social identity theory and identity theory (Kwon, Trail, & James, 2007). Team identification is an extension of self-identity that results from a sports fan’s psychological connection to a team (Fink, Trail, & Anderson, 2002). The purpose of this study is to understand the Major League Baseball fandom of Korean immigrants by exploring factors associated with recent Korean immigrants’ team identification with MLB teams in the U.S.

This study examined how Major and Minor League Baseball teams utilize Facebook to communicate to their target publics. Facebook posts from various teams were collected during a two-week constructed time period. Posts were then coded into six categories: interactivity, team information, player information, promotional, community, and other. Results indicated that Minor League teams had significantly fewer comments on posts than Major League teams. Additionally, promotional content had a significant negative impact on a post’s likes, comments, and shares. Posts that included videos were more likely to be liked, commented on, or shared. Teams should consider whether using Facebook as a promotional channel is necessary or if promotional practices can be modified to improve fan relationships. Additionally, Minor League teams should increase their use of audiovisual content to increase post engagement.

Existing territorial rules provide limits to how close any given Major League Baseball team can be to its minor league affiliate at any level. Restrictions are also in place limiting the proximity of affiliated minor league teams from other minor league baseball teams. Working within the existing distribution of Major League and affiliated minor league baseball teams, I provide detail on how to efficiently allocate the affiliations of minor league baseball teams at each level across Major League Baseball teams. What emerges is a better understanding of the limits to achieving regionalization for the entire league.

Objectives:The flexor-pronator mass provides dynamic support to the valgus stresses in the throwing elbow and is protective to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Despite evidence highlighting the importance of the forearm flexor muscles in baseball pitching, no studies have reported the epidemiology, return to play, or associated injuries in elite baseball players. The purpose of this study examine the incidence, treatment, and outcomes of forearm flexor injuries in both Major and Minor League Baseball pitchers.Methods:Injury data attributed to forearm flexor injury in Major League Baseball (MLB) and minor league teams was reviewed from 2010 to 2014. This included the numbers of players, seasonal timing of injury, days of competition missed, pre and post-injury performance data, and subsequent elbow surgery. Performance data collected consisted of ERA (earned run average), WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), walks, strikeouts, and percent strikes.Results:In MLB, 134 forearm flexor injuries occurred with a mean player age of 28.6 years and 111 (82.8%) were pitchers. In the minor leagues, 629 injuries occurred with a mean age of 22.8 years where 494 (78.5%) were pitchers. The highest percentage of injuries occurred in the month of July in both MLB (17.2%) and the minor leagues (17%). The median time spent on the disabled list (DL) for MLB players was 42 days (mean 128.1) compared to 28 days (mean 105.7) in the minor leagues. Of the players in MLB who sustained a forearm injury, subsequent injuries included 50 shoulder (37.3%), 48 elbow (35.8%), and 24 forearm (17.9%) injuries. Over the study period, 26 (19.4%) MLB and 56 minor league players (8.9%) required UCL reconstruction within 365 days of sustaining a forearm injury. Performance declined in virtually all categories in the season leading to the injury when compared to the previous season (n = 75) and significant differences were present in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) (from 1.24 to 1.34, P = 0.04) and strike percentage (63% to 62%, P = 0.036).Conclusion:Flexor-pronator injuries are responsible for considerable time on the DL in elite pitchers. Injury may be preceded with declines in performance and be associated with subsequent injuries to the shoulder and elbow.Forearm Flexor Strains per Year in Pitchers and Position Players in the MLBYearInjuriesPitchersPosition Players201026206201123194201225196201331274201429263Total134111 (82.8%)23 (17.2%)

Professional teams are commercial and recreational organizations, and team managers always set their goals to be playing well and benefitting more in a highly competitive environment. In order to measure the ability of the professional teams to make reasonable use of resources and create various outputs, this study employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to measure the efficiencies of 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The results showed that the inefficiencies were due to pure technical inefficiencies rather than scale effects, and the scale efficiency on average is more higher than the other efficiencies, applying the managers in the Major League Baseball Teams have higher ability of controlling the scale change. Keywords: Major League Baseball, Data Envelopment Analysis, Technical efficiency, Pure technical efficiency, Scale efficiency.

Objectives:There are few studies that have closely evaluated the outcomes of ulnar collateral ligament repair and reconstruction (UCLR) in position players (PP). The objective of this study was to determine the outcome of UCLR in professional baseball players who play in non-pitcher positions, i.e. PP.Methods:The approval of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Research Committee was obtained. All PP who underwent surgery for their UCL while active on an MLB or Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team were identified using The MLB Health and Injury Tracking System. PP who underwent UCLR from 2010 to 2023 were analyzes, however for data that concerned PP time to return to professional play, only players who underwent UCL surgery from 2010 to 2021 were evaluated in order to ensure the presence of a minimum of 2-year follow-up data. Return to play (RTP) was defined as a player who played in at least 1 game at any professional level (A, AA, AAA, or MLB). Players were deemed to return to the same level of play (RTSLP) if they played in at least 1 game at the same competition level or higher that they played in prior to their UCL surgery. PP who had a time to RTP or a time to RTSLP that exceeded 800 days were excluded from any analysis that concerned the time to return to play. PPs were also compared to a cohort of professional baseball pitchers who had also undergone UCL surgery.Results:From 2010 to 2023, 241 PP underwent surgery for their UCL at a mean age of 23.4 ± 4.3 years old (Table 1). Overall, PP had their UCL surgery at approximately a mean of 3.7 ± 3.3 years after the start of their professional career (Table 1). Further, apart from the year 2020, the annual number of UCL surgeries performed in MLB and MiLB PP demonstrated an upward trend from 2010 to 2023, although no trends in the distribution of UCL surgeries across position type or between major and minor players exist.No statistically significant differences in RTP nor RTSLP rates following UCL surgery in PP existed when comparing across position type (catcher vs. infielder vs. outfielder) and across surgery type (repair vs. reconstruction vs. reconstruction with augmentation) (Table 2).PP who underwent repairs were able to RTP at a median of 221 days (IQR: 81), which was sooner than PP who underwent reconstruction surgery (median: 383 days, IQR: 316) or reconstructions with augmentation (median: 456 days, IQR: 219) (P = 0.002) (Table 3). PP with UCL repairs were also able to RTSLP sooner (median: 234 days, IQR: 64) than PP who underwent reconstructions (median: 394 days, IQR: 305) or reconstructions with augmentation (median: 462 days, IQR: 242) (P = 0.003) (Table 3). Further, infielders RTP sooner (median: 335 days, IQR: 157) than catchers (median: 396 days, IQR: 283) and outfielders (median: 412 days, IQR: 366) (P = 0.036) (Table 3). Similarly, infielders RTSLP sooner (median: 334 days, IQR: 162) than catchers (median: 470 days, IQR: 281) and outfielders (median: 426 days, IQR: 354) (P = 0.016) (Table 3).Following UCL surgery, PP were able to RTSLP, on average, more than 2 months sooner than pitchers (429 ± 177 days for PP vs 499 ± 153 days for pitchers, P < 0.001). PP who underwent repair of their UCL were able to RTSLP over 4.5 months, on average, sooner than pitchers who underwent UCL repair (269 ± 125 days for PPs vs 405 ± 153 days for pitchers, P < 0.001) and PP who underwent reconstruction of their UCL were able to RTSLP just under 50 days sooner than pitchers who had their UCLs reconstructed (450 ± 175 days for PPs vs 498 ± 151 days for pitchers, P< 0.001) (Figure 1).Conclusions:Few studies have examined PP outcome data following UCLR surgery. As such, there is little understanding as to the differences in return to game rates between various baseball non-pitcher positions as well as the differences in the time it takes to RTP and RTSLP. This study highlights that the annual number of UCLR surgeries demonstrates an upward trend. This retrospective analysis also highlights that PP with UCL repairs were able to RTP and RTSLP sooner than PP who underwent UCL reconstructions and UCL reconstructions with augmentation. Furthermore, infielders were able to RTP and RTSLP sooner than catchers as well as outfielders. The results of this study demonstrate that the type of UCL surgery as well as the player’s position does not seem to significantly impact whether or not a player actually returns to playing professional baseball, however it does impact the speed at whichthey are able to return (provided they do return to playing baseball). As such, the results of this study may be used to counsel PP regarding speed at which a return to playing baseball can be expected.

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.

This study examined the impact of exposure to corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages on individuals’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a Major League Baseball (MLB) team’s CSR efforts. Using a 2 (information source: team source or a third-party source) × 2 (CSR initiatives: efforts to help cancer patients or military appreciation recognition) with two nonfactorial control conditions (team source or a third-party source) experimental design, this study aims to identify how factors such as information source, perceived sincerity, and different types of CSR activities impact a MLB team’s CSR messaging on social media. Path analysis was used to examine significant paths between variables; results indicated that CSR messages generated a halo effect, thus providing implications for how MLB teams should develop CSR strategies and most effectively communicate about these efforts. Theoretical and practical implications of study results are discussed.

Objectives:While return to play is important for Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers and teams, return to performance following UCL surgery using modern advanced analytic and pitch-tracking metrics has not been well studied despite their wide-spread value throughout the league. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate return to performance using more predictive advanced analytic and pitch-tracking outcomes in the seasons following UCL surgery. Our secondary objective was to evaluate return to play (RTP) rates from November 2017 to June 2023, providing an up-to-date analysis during a period focused on value and advanced analytics. Our hypothesis was that almost all MLB pitchers will return to play by three seasons post-operatively, however a fewer percentage will have ultimately returned to performance. Overall, this study better informs current MLB players and teams about expectation regarding return to play and performance following UCL surgery, using outcomes that help drive player evaluation throughout the league.Methods:We performed a retrospective analysis on 119 MLB pitchers who underwent primary UCL reconstruction or repair from November 2017 to June 2023, and reported return to play and performance rates at one, two, and three seasons post-operatively. Return to performance analysis was then collected for 54 total MLB pitchers who met inclusion criteria (two seasons of both pre- and post-operative data) using public sources affiliated with MLB and used in previous studies. Return to performance analysis consisted of paired t-tests comparing pre- to post-operative metrics. The percentage of pitchers who returned to their pre-injury performance for each respective advanced analytic or pitch-tracking metric was also recorded for each season after surgery. Return to full performance was also evaluated. Binary logistic regression evaluated for any predictive factors.Results:Mean age was 26.5 + 3.4 years, 70.6% of included pitchers were right-handed, and 43.1% were starting pitchers. Five pitchers underwent primary UCL repair (4.2%), 113 pitchers underwent primary UCLR (94.9%), and one pitcher underwent hybrid UCL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation (0.9%). 4% returned to play at 1-year post-operatively, 79% at 2-years, and 99% at 3-years with a mean of 558 + 159 days. On average, pitchers showed a mild but significant decrease in cumulative metrics, strike zone command (Location+), and overall pitching ability (Pitching+) post-operatively. At 3-seasons post-operatively, pitchers returned to performance in pitch count (55%), xFIP (68%), fWAR (48%), velocity (76%), fastball velocity (80%), horizontal movement (81%), vertical movement (66%), Stuff+ (78%), Location+ (89%), and Pitching+ (78%) at varying degrees. Only 4%, 12%, and 28% of pitchers returned to full performance by 1-, 2- and 3-seasons post-operatively, respectively. Binary logistic regression did not identify any pre-operative factors associated with return to fWAR and full performance at 3-seasons.Conclusions:4%, 12%, and 28% of pitchers returned to full performance by 1-, 2- and 3-seasons post-operatively. Only 48% of pitchers returned to their pre-injury fWAR 3-seasons after surgery, suggesting that only half of pitchers provide the same value to teams despite presumably being fully recovered. In addition, the return to performance of each pitching metric improved season to season after returning from injury, suggesting that despite returning to play pitchers still need time to fully recover performance. Over 75% of pitchers returned to their pre-injury performance in velocity (76%), fastball velocity (80%), Pitching+ (78%), and Location+ (89%) at 3-seasons. There were no pre-operative factors that predicted return to fWAR or full performance at 3-seasons. UCL surgery restored pitcher’s rate-based metrics, velocities, movement, spin, vertical approach angles, and horizontal release points. Several modern advanced analytic and pitch-tracking metrics were characterized following UCL surgery for the first time.

PurposeUsing uses and gratifications theory as a guide, the purpose of this paper is to examine how fans are engaging with Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that are utilizing Instagram postings to demonstrate sporting, business, and social objectives.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis of 1,500 photos (50 from each team) was conducted. A content analysis analyzed the content of the photo, and a textual analysis was implemented to examine the use of hashtags by the teams on their Instagram photos.FindingsPosts that overly demonstrated the business and social objectives had some of the lowest numbers of likes and comments, indicating that fan engagement is not often achieved through these methods.Originality/valueResults of this research demonstrate that while MLB teams are able to address their multiple objectives on Instagram, fans are not necessarily interested in all three of these efforts. Posts about on-field action, consumer buying opportunities, and charitable efforts were all created by the majority of teams, but the sporting objective posts had, by far, the highest average number of both likes and comments when compared to the charitable and promotional objectives of the teams. Therefore, the results provide some best practices for teams looking to use the photo and video sharing network.

Background:Hamstring autograft is a common graft choice when performing ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR).Purpose/Hypothesis:The purpose of this study was to survey Major League Baseball (MLB) team physicians and determine whether these physicians harvest the hamstring (semitendinosus or gracilis) from the drive leg (ipsilateral to surgical site) or landing leg (contralateral to surgical site) when performing UCLR on elite-level pitchers. The hypothesis was that the majority of surgeons harvest the hamstring from the drive leg when performing a UCLR.Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:Overall, 52 MLB team orthopaedic surgeons were sent the 5-question online survey. The survey assessed surgeon UCLR volume, surgical technique, which leg the hamstring graft was harvested from, the reasoning for choosing that particular leg, and whether the surgeon would change their practice if evidence showed the hamstring from one of the legs was more important than the other. The survey was sent out 5 separate times to maximize the response rate.Results:Forty (77%) MLB team physicians completed the survey. The largest number of surgeons (n = 16; 40%) performed between 5 and 14 UCLRs annually, while 6 (15%) performed more than 50 UCLRs annually. Most surgeons (n = 23; 57.5%) used the docking technique. Significantly more surgeons harvested the hamstring from the landing leg (n = 29; 72.5%) compared with the drive leg (n = 11; 27.5%) (P = .007). More surgeons cited the reason for their choice of leg as a belief that the hamstring they harvested plays less of a role in the ability of a pitcher to generate a forceful pitch (n = 25; 62.5%) than for logistical reasons in the operating room (n = 15; 37.5%); this difference was not statistically significant. Significantly more surgeons would change their practice (n = 35; 87.5%) if evidence showed the hamstrings from a specific (drive or landing) leg to be more active in the throwing motion compared with those who would not (P < .001).Conclusion:When performing a UCLR using hamstring autograft, the majority of MLB team physicians harvest the hamstring from the landing leg as opposed to the drive leg, as they believe the hamstring from the landing leg plays less of a role in generating a forceful pitch than that from the drive leg.

Cost analysis of Tommy John surgery for Major League Baseball teams

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.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how the public views two corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives practiced by a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. This study examined the role of perceived fit between an MLB team and its two CSR initiatives in shaping consumers’ intentions to support the team’s CSR efforts.Design/methodology/approachA between-subjects experiment (n=207) was conducted using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to examine the impact of CSR fit on consumers’ patronage intentions.FindingsThe results of this study showed that consumers’ perceived fit between sports teams and their CSR has a positive impact on consumers’ patronage intentions. The values-driven and strategic-driven attributions of the team’s CSR initiatives were positively associated with their patronage intentions.Research limitations/implicationsBoth the values-driven and strategic-driven attributions were positively associated with consumers’ patronage intentions, while previous studies suggested negative association between strategic-driven attributions and consumer behaviors. The findings indicate that consumers do not view professional sports teams’ strategic-driven CSR initiatives to be negative business practices. This could result from the fact that CSR initiatives have become a prevalent and expected organizational practice.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature of CSR within the context of professional sports teams as corporations. The findings of this study suggest that professional sports teams could benefit from CSR initiatives when the teams select social causes with which consumers could infer values-driven and strategic-driven attributions.