based on the discussion in this thread, i thought i'd have a look at some data.
unfortunately i can't find MLB data broken down by month or week on the interwebz anywhere.
fortunately, i used to do all the stats-keeping for my main league with all of my own programs, so have weekly raw stats (from the old TQStats) from the years 1995 through 2006.
the two linked plots i think show pretty definitively that there is no change at all in the rate of steals, at any time during the season. the idea that players run more as the weather warms up is an urban myth.
first plot is the ratio of SB to PA (in %) as a function of time in the season - each season is a different color (though some get reused you get the picture). second plot is that same ratio, but divided by the average for that year (to take out year-to-year trends of more or less overall SB).
unfortunately i can't find MLB data broken down by month or week on the interwebz anywhere.
fortunately, i used to do all the stats-keeping for my main league with all of my own programs, so have weekly raw stats (from the old TQStats) from the years 1995 through 2006.
the two linked plots i think show pretty definitively that there is no change at all in the rate of steals, at any time during the season. the idea that players run more as the weather warms up is an urban myth.
first plot is the ratio of SB to PA (in %) as a function of time in the season - each season is a different color (though some get reused you get the picture). second plot is that same ratio, but divided by the average for that year (to take out year-to-year trends of more or less overall SB).
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