Abstract
This study seeks to determine whether long-term heat acclimatization affects batting performance of Major League Baseball players based upon the climate in which a player was born. Each player with at least one at-bat from 1980–2018 was linked to a climate class and subdivision based on the Köppen-Geiger climate classification of their place of birth, and the ambient temperature at game time was determined for each game that took place. Games played in temperatures at least one standard deviation below and above the mean were categorized as cold- and hot-weather games, respectively. Common baseball metrics such as batting average, slugging percentage, and isolated power were calculated and aggregated based on climate class, climate subdivision, and temperature category. Differences in batting performance were assessed using the ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer tests. It was found that players from cold-winter climates hit for significantly less power in hotter temperatures than players from some other climates.
Recommended Citation
Hitchens, Nathan M. and Allen, Reuben J.
(2023)
"Heating Up at the Plate: Relationships between Temperature, Climate Type in Place of Birth, and MLB Batting Performance,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 64:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol64/iss1/3