Understanding Injury in Major League Baseball.

With so many injuries during the 2019 MLB Season, alongside a vast increase in the amount of Sports Science Departments being integrated into the game, why are we seeing the negative trend we are seeing?

This year was costly for many teams in Major League Baseball. Not because of the fact they went home early this year, missing the playoffs, or falling short of playoff expectations.

But costly as a result of IL (injury list) days, as well as the salaries many teams have allocated for newly founded Sports Science Departments.

Professional Baseball is a sport that for so many years has been considered antiquated in regards to thought process and protocol surrounding training techniques, injuries, scouting, and rehabilitation.

That all changed somewhat around the time of the release of the movie, Money Ball which highlights the strategy of Oakland Athletic’s GM, Billy Bean and how he uses much more than visual assessment to determine a players ability and fit for the Organization.

Money Ball kicked off what is now seen as the “Data-Analytics” Revolution which is being adopted in some shape or form by just about every MLB Club.

Does it work? Absolutely.

Is it a perfect science? Some think it is rather close.

Can it predict success? In some ways.

Then what is the problem?

Well, the analytics work very well as it relates to player assessment on field- their strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, but when it comes to the physical preparation and readiness of a player, there are holes in the current system.

The biggest hole is this: Applying the data that is derived from sports science and creating standardized protocols that have just enough deviation that allows the standardized system to be completely individualized to players, each of which have completely different:

1. Musculo-Skeletal Structure
2. Variations in Muscle Tension
3. Limb Length Variances
4. Varying Torso Lengths