Spring training is here for Major League teams.
Major League Baseball (MLB) managers trying to find an edge should pay close attention to their players’ body clocks, according to a new Northwestern University study of how jet lag affects MLB players traveling across just a few time zones.
In a study of data spanning 20 years and including more than 40,000 games, the researchers identified the effects of jet lag on player and team performance. They found that when people, in this case Major League Baseball players, travel in a way that misaligns their internal 24-hour clock with the natural environment and its cycle of sunlight, they suffer negative consequences.