The All-Star Pitcher’s Advantage
Skip to content
Insight Unpacked Season 3: Can We Still Build a Green Economy? | Listen
The All-Star Pitcher’s Advantage
Leadership Apr 7, 2014

The All-Star Pitcher’s Advantage

An infographic illustrating the connection between pitcher status and umpire bias.

Cover art by Yevgenia Nayberg.
Infographic designed by Rebekah Raleigh, Liz Novoa, and Gregg Mrowka.
Based on the research of

Jerry Kim

Brayden King

Umpires are not perfect. In fact, they have predictable biases. Using the infographic below, watch how the likelihood of an umpire mistakenly calling a strike a “ball” is influenced by two factors: a pitcher’s status, and how far the pitch is from the edge of the strike zone.

To learn more about status effects, and about other factors that influence umpire calls, read the related article.

Featured Faculty

Max McGraw Chair in Management and the Environment; Professor of Management & Organizations; Senior Associate Dean of Strategy and Academics

About the Research

Kim, Jerry and Brayden G. King. Forthcoming. Seeing Stars: Matthew Effects and Status Bias in Major League Baseball Umpiring. Management Science.

Read the original

Most Popular This Week
  1. 5 Traits That Set the Best Leaders Apart
    A former CEO and current executive coach discusses the tendencies of these high performers, including sharing credit and ignoring shiny objects.
  2. Building Wealth for Your Kids? These 4 Habits Can Help Prevent Entitlement
    Too many advantages can become a disadvantage.
  3. A Key Ingredient for Making Teams Soar
    A study of pilots breaks down rapport into several components—and identifies which is most important for effective teamwork.
  4. To Spot AI Fakes, a Little Training Goes a Long Way
    A study of intelligence analysts shows that just 30 minutes of training can improve people’s ability to distinguish real images from fake ones.
  5. Want More Voices to Be Heard? Turn Up the Warmth
    A study of business-school classrooms shows that even subtle behavioral cues can help people feel more comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas.
  6. Does GameStop Signal the End of Short Selling as We Know It?
    A conversation with a prominent short seller about the possible consequences of a wild week on Wall Street.
  7. 5 Telltale Signs That a Photo Is AI-generated
    For one, scour for details that defy the laws of physics.
  8. Take 5: Let’s Get Ethical
    Kellogg faculty offer research-backed advice on how to foster an ethical work culture.
  9. How a Different AI Approach Can Cut the Queue
    An algorithm that bypasses a step in hospital triage has shown to be significantly more efficient.
More in Leadership
5 Traits That Set the Best Leaders Apart
2211 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
© Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern
University. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy.