Schifman: Cold weather, positions, and penalties
From Gerald Schifman at The Hardball Times on January 7, 2015:
Cold weather isn’t conducive to offense. Low temperatures raise air density, which reduces the carry of fly balls and saps games of hits and home runs. These unwelcoming, chilly conditions are infrequent in the regular season, but occur often in the postseason. It’s another way that hitters are hampered in the playoffs, since they’re already up against better pitching, better defense and heightened pressure.
Arguably, the cold-weather disadvantage is equal for both teams, since both are sent to the cooler to play. But it’s possible that the cold affects some aspects of baseball—and certain players—more than others. We’ll explore this topic in the next two days, breaking the ice with an analysis of how positional performance and baseball’s major penalties are impacted by the cold weather.
Read the full article here: http://www.hardballtimes.com/cold-weather-positions-and-penalties/
Originally published: January 7, 2016. Last Updated: January 7, 2016.