Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Vision Training Methods for Sports Concussion Mitigation and Management
Published on: May 5, 2015
Enhancing strategic defensive positioning and performance in the outfield
Alan T Murray1, Antonio Ortiz1, Seonga Cho1
1Department of Geography, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA.
Abstract:
Over the past 20 years, professional and collegiate baseball has undergone a transformation, with statistics and analytics increasingly factoring into most of the decisions being made on the field. One particular example of the increased role of analytics is in the positioning of outfielders, who are tasked with tracking down balls hit to the outfield to record outs and minimize potential offensive damage. This paper explores the potential of location analytics to enhance the strategic positioning of players, enabling improved response and performance. We implement a location optimization model to analyze collegiate ball-tracking data, seeking outfielder locations that simultaneously minimize the average distance to a batted ball and maximize the weighted importance of batted ball coverage within a response standard. Trade-off outfielder configurations are compared to observed fielder positioning, finding that location models and spatial optimization can lead to performance improvements ranging from 1 to 3%, offering a significant strategic advantage over the course of a season.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Social Facilitation
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Impression Management Techniques IV: Altercasting
Impression Management Techniques III: Aligning Actions
Strategies of Self-Presentation I: Strategic Self-Presentation
Maximum Deflection
The maximum deflection occurs at a specific point, known as point O, where the tangent to the deflection curve is horizontal. To find point O, the slope of the tangent at any...

