The Effect of Visual Function on the Batting Performance of Professional Baseball Players

Abstract

This report evaluates the role of the combined visual abilities of acuity, contrast sensitivity and presentation time on plate discipline and baseball batting performance. A visual function test (EVTS) was performed on 585 professional baseball players. The results were compared to several common plate-discipline measures. The EVTS test provides a single measure combining target size, contrast and presentation time. Correlations (statistically significant) were found between this measure and several plate discipline metrics (InzoneSwingPct, inzoneFbSwingPct, ChasePct, FbChasePct, BBperPa). Years of major league service did not appear to be related to visual ability. When comparing the best and worst 20% groups based on visual ability, statistically significant improvements ranging from 11.6% in BBperPa to 3.5% in inzoneSwingPct were noted in the better visual function group. Effect sizes ranged from 0.278 to 0.387. These results demonstrate the relationship between basic visual function and batting performance. These are the first results, on a large group at the professional level, to demonstrate this relationship statistically. These results may aid player selection, indicating that batters with better visual function are more likely to be successful when batting and more productive for their team.

Visual and oculomotor abilities predict professional baseball batting performance

“…In a follow-up analysis of the current sample, we obtained a marginally significant positive bivariate correlation (r = .18, p = .06) between Z-Swing Propensity and Z-Miss Propensity, implying that a more discerning batter is also more likely to make contact with pitches going inside the strike zone. This view is consistent with the idea that swing actions from more discerning batters are more likely to result in hitting into fair plays (Laby et al, 2019).…”

“…No reuse allowed without permission. and contrast sensitivity judgments performed under temporal constraints, were shown to produce better 'plate discipline' batting statistics (e.g., O-Swing Propensity, which is discussed in the Methods section below; Laby et al, 2019). Furthermore, when compared between batters and pitchers with similar levels of experience, batters were shown to produce better performance on measures of visual acuity and depth perception than pitchers (Klemish et al, 2018), indicating that these skills are specific to the demand of hitting pitched ball, not throwing them.…”

Stereopsis in Sports: Visual Skills and Visuomotor Integration Models in Professional and Non-Professional Athletes

“…We approached this review with the hypothesis that visual skills could influence athletic performance as motor skills do. The literature certainly confirmed this insight, showing an impact on performance of varying degrees, mainly depending on the expertise of athletes and their training level [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 34 , 35 ]. According to this assumption, we propose a model of visuomotor integration that differs between professional and non-professional athletes: professionals optimally integrate visual skills, including stereoptic perception, with motor gesture programming and sport expertise, even if the visual input still remains a relevant afference [ 19 , 21 ] ( Figure 3 A); on the contrary, non-professionals encode action strongly relying on visual-dependent processes ( Figure 3 B) [ 25 ].…”

“…In a comparison among baseball batters, even a temporary vision occlusion did not impact the batting task; that is, athletes with more experience were able to anticipate the specific gesture (downswing and weight transfer) better than less skilled athletes [ 18 ]. Therefore, athletes have better visual abilities than to non-athletes, and among athletes the best performance is achieved by athletes trained in his sport-specific visual demand [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Visual and oculomotor abilities predict professional baseball batting performance

“…For instance, visual-motor skills tested on the Nike Sensory Station were shown to predict several game statistics including on-base percentage, walk rate, and strikeout rate . Additionally, athletes with better dynamic visual abilities, those that rely on acuity and contrast sensitivity judgments performed under temporal constraints, were shown to produce better 'plate discipline' batting statistics (e.g., O-Swing Propensity, which is discussed in the Methods section below; Laby et al, 2019). Furthermore, when compared between batters and pitchers with similar levels of experience, batters were shown to produce better performance on measures of visual acuity and depth perception than pitchers (Klemish et al, 2018), indicating that these skills are specific to the demand of hitting pitched ball, not throwing them.…”