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Concussions are associated with decreased batting performance among Major League Baseball Players
Methods: We identified MLB players who sustained a concussion between 2007 and 2013 through league disabled list records and a Baseball Prospectus database. For a comparison group, we identified players who went on paternity or bereavement leave during the same period. Using repeated-measures ANCOVAs, we compared seven batting metrics between the two groups for the two weeks upon return, as well as 4-6 weeks after return, controlling for pre-leave batting metrics, number of days missed, and position.
Results: We identified 59 concussions and 63 episodes of paternity/bereavement leave to include in the analysis. In the 2 weeks following return, batting average (.234 vs .264), slugging percentage (.359 vs .420), and on-base plus slugging (.654 vs .747) were significantly lower among concussed players relative to the paternity/bereavement leave players (p<0.05). During weeks 4-6 following leave, these metrics remained lower in concussed players, but not statistically significantly so; however, home run percentage was significantly lower among concussed players (1.4% vs. 3.3%; p<0.05).
Conclusions: Although concussed players may be asymptomatic upon return to play, the residual effects of concussion on the complex motor skills required for batting may still be present. Further work is needed to clarify the mechanism through which batting performance after concussion is adversely affected.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyPublic health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Describe the relationship between concussion status and baseball performance among Major League Baseball players.
Discuss the return-to-play implications of these research findings.
Keyword(s): Traumatic Brain Injury, Epidemiology
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral candidate in epidemiology specializing in sports concussion research. I have been part of multiple studies researching outcomes of sports concussions.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.