RESEARCH: Does a free agent signing late hamper his performance?
Mar 7 2019
The dominating narrative this offseason has been the late signings of free agent players like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, or the still-unsigned Craig Kimbrel. Besides those owners in early AL or NL-only auctions or drafts (raises hand), the landing spot doesn’t matter a ton for these top players. They will perform no matter the team. One question remains, does signing late hamper a pitcher’s or hitter’s performance?
No perfect process exists to determine ramp-up time effectiveness because of differing season start dates and the player’s own workout routine. I will try my best.
For this study, I’m going to examine the performance difference for free agents who...
- Signed in January or later.
- Signed from 2005 (post-PED) to 2018.
- For...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Research
The pitching landscape has shifted yet again, and our Pure Quality Start metric undergoes a minor shift to level-set the results.
Nov 28 2023 1:01am
Nov 28 2023 1:01am
With the new pitch clock we examine who the clock may impact and how the clock may or may not impact pitcher performance.
Feb 23 2023 1:05am
Feb 23 2023 1:05am
Several years have passed since the original article. It's time for an update and a look at the initial 2021 list.
Jun 17 2021 12:04am
Jun 17 2021 12:04am
The elite rate at which Dansby Swanson produced 95+ mph exit velocity in 2019 suggests that he's an overlooked breakout target.
Jun 15 2020 1:05am
Jun 15 2020 1:05am
Nick Pivetta gave up less very hard contact in 2019 than you might think. Could it be a precursor to a rebound season?
Jun 9 2020 1:05am
Jun 9 2020 1:05am
