The Relationship Between Visual Anticipation and Baseball Batting Game Statistics

Visual anticipation of pitch type in single-A minor league baseball batters (N = 34) was measured using video-based temporal occlusion and correlated with real-world batting statistics. Anticipation of overall pitch type at front-foot impact was significantly correlated with base-on-balls percentage (r =.35), whereas anticipation of fastball/change-up combination at ball release was significantly correlated with base-on-balls percentage (r =.37) and on-base percentage (r =.37). Findings indicate that anticipation is likely one component of baseball batting performance. This helps consolidate a recent expert anticipation model of striking sports. Application of occlusion methodology to player develop programs is discussed.