Are Canadian-born Major League Baseball players more likely to bat left-handed? A partial test of the hockey-influence on batting hypothesis

Abstract

It has been suggested that Canadian-born Major League Baseball (MLB) players are more likely to bat left-handed, possibly owing to the fact that they learn to play ice hockey before baseball, and that there is no clear hand-preference when shooting with a hockey stick; approximately half of all ice hockey players shoot left. We constructed a database on active (i.e., October, 2016) MLB players from four countries/regions based on place of birth (Canada, United States of America [USA], Dominican Republic and South Asia [i.e., Japan, Taiwan and South Korea]), including information on which hand they use to bat and throw. We also extracted information on all Canadian-born MLB players, dating back to 1917. Our results confirm that the proportion of left-handed batters born in Canada is higher when compared to the other countries selected; also, since 1917, the proportion of Canadian MLB players who bat left has been consistently higher than the league average. We also compared the proportion of left-handed batters in Canada with players born in states in the USA grouped into high, average and low based on hockey participation. The proportion of MLB players born in states with a high level of hockey participation were more likely to bat left, although the differences were significant at trend level only (p < .10). Lastly, we found that while Canadians were more likely to bat left-handed, this did not correspond with a greater left-hand dominance, as determined by throwing hand. In conclusion, the present study confirms that Canadian-born MLB players are more likely to bat left-handed when compared to American, Dominican Republic and South Asian-born MLB players, providing partial support for the hockey influence on batting hypothesis.

Sinister right-handedness provides Canadian-born Major League Baseball players with an offensive advantage: A further test of the hockey influence on batting hypothesis

“…In the next part of the analysis, we tested the hockey-influence on batting hypothesis by examining whether the proportion of sinister right-handed players born in Canada is higher than those born in the USA, Latin America, Asia and anywhere else. This is a more detailed analysis that builds on previous findings of Cairney et al [5] which only included players born in Canada, USA, Dominican Republic and South Asia. Cairney et al [5] also categorized switch hitters as left-handed batters.…”

“…Many of the aforementioned explanations, such as capitalizing on right-left matchups in pitching, and adjusting to shifts in field position, suggest reading and reacting to the field are also important. Sinister right-handed batters may be better able to read off-speed and breaking pitches because their dominant eye is closer to the pitcher[5]. This of course assumes they are also right-eye dominant.…”

“…Although the proportion or prevalence of left-handed batters in the majors exceeds that which would be expected given the number of left-handed people in the general population [6,7], some countries contribute a higher relative number of left-handed hitters to the pool of players. Cairney and colleagues [5] recently showed that Canadian-born MLB players were far more likely to bat left than players born in the United States, Dominican Republic or South-east Asia (69% compared to 37%, 33% and 30%, respectively). Interestingly, more than 60% of left-handed Canadian-born players active at the time of the study threw right-handed.…”

“…Considered in this context, for those who shoot with their right-hand at the top of the stick, it is a fairly natural transition to place that same hand at the bottom of the baseball bat, resulting in a left-handed swing. According to Cairney et al [5], coaches and other analysts of the game have speculated that playing hockey first, early in life, produces a higher prevalence of left-handed batters in baseball emanating from this country. Given the advantages to batting left-handed previously noted, Canadian-born left-handed batters are likely to be selected into the MLB at higher rate than players from other countries.…”

Performance Advantages of Left-Handed Cricket Batting Talent

“…Players were then separated into whether they competed in the younger age competition (YAC; male Under-17 and female Under-15) or the OAC (male Under-19 and female Under-18). Batting handedness was determined by the players throwing hand, in line with previous work (Cairney et al, 2018). Players were included and categorized as batters if they (1) were listed by the coach as a batter in the top seven positions and (2) batted in these positions during at least three innings of the tournament.…”