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Activity Number: 184
Type: Contributed
Date/Time: Monday, August 10, 2015 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
Sponsor: Section on Statistics in Sports
Abstract #317285
Title: Effects of Base Runners' Stolen Base Attempts on Umpires' Ball/Strike Decisions
Author(s): Aaron Baggett* and Grant B. Morgan
Companies: University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Baylor University
Keywords: sports ; baseball ; umpires ; PITCHf/x ; performance evaluation
Abstract:

It has been demonstrated that Major League Baseball (MLB) home plate umpires exhibit judgment and decision-making expertise during ball/strike calls. For MLB home plate umpires, the visual and cognitive processes involved in accurately judging pitch outcomes are similar to those utilized by other expert sport performers. Examples include the ability to consistently anticipate action, selectively focus attention, and automatize output motor responses, to name a few. However, in certain situations, a home plate umpire may be required to evaluate, or judge, a combination of actions, which may complicate the decision making process. For example, when a baserunner(s) attempts to steal a base, the home plate umpire must contend with action from both the batter and catcher while also deciding on the pitch's outcome. Using generalized linear mixed modeling with PITCHf/x data, we explore potential effects of base runners' stolen base attempts on MLB home plate umpires' ball/strike judgment and decision-making accuracy.


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