The Changing Hitting Performance Profile in Major League Baseball, 1966-2006

Paul M. Sommers
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Paul M. Sommers: Middlebury College, psommers@middlebury.edu

Journal of Sports Economics, 2008, vol. 9, issue 4, 435-440

Abstract: The career batting profile of a regular starting major league ballplayer typically rises, at least up to a point, and then falls as skills diminish with age. The career batting profiles are derived for all regular starting players in the National and American Leagues for each of five different years: 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, and 2006. The profiles have changed dramatically since the 1960s, with arguably stronger ballplayers reaching a higher peak several years after the batting average reached a peak for regulars in 1966. The profiles for 2006 show what might be early manifestations of baseball's tougher steroids policy.

Keywords: major league baseball; career profile; batting average; steroids (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jospec:v:9:y:2008:i:4:p:435-440

DOI: 10.1177/1527002507311468

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