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Study: Umpires Favoritism Costs Minority Pitchers $400K Per Season
Brown Man Time aficionados please take note...this Bud's 4 u
...
Friday, September 9, 2011 7:51 amWritten by: Ben Maller
A controversial new study concludes minority pitchers hinder their own performance to overcome favoritism toward whites by Major League Baseball home plate umpires.
Johan Sulaeman, a financial economist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, helped author the study.
The report analyzed 3.5 million pitches at ballparks monitored by QuesTec, which accurately measures pitch placement, from 2004 to 2008. Results found minority pitchers dealt with umpire bias by playing it safe with pitches.
Science Daily reports the study showed minority pitchers threw the ball across the plate in the strike zone more often to limit umpires' chances of calling their pitch a ball.
Sulaeman says since most MLB umpires are white, the bias pushes minority pitchers performance down.
The researchers also found that umps favored pitchers of the same race only when the pitch won't terminate the batter's plate appearance.
http://www.thepostgame.com/node/2772
Brown Man Time aficionados please take note...this Bud's 4 u
... Friday, September 9, 2011 7:51 amWritten by: Ben Maller
A controversial new study concludes minority pitchers hinder their own performance to overcome favoritism toward whites by Major League Baseball home plate umpires.
Johan Sulaeman, a financial economist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, helped author the study.
The report analyzed 3.5 million pitches at ballparks monitored by QuesTec, which accurately measures pitch placement, from 2004 to 2008. Results found minority pitchers dealt with umpire bias by playing it safe with pitches.
Science Daily reports the study showed minority pitchers threw the ball across the plate in the strike zone more often to limit umpires' chances of calling their pitch a ball.
Sulaeman says since most MLB umpires are white, the bias pushes minority pitchers performance down.
The researchers also found that umps favored pitchers of the same race only when the pitch won't terminate the batter's plate appearance.
http://www.thepostgame.com/node/2772
