Curveballs in the Data: Rethinking Criterion-Related Validity For Triple-A Pitchers

Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Triple-A starting pitchers may appear in more than one game within a six-game series. Batters’ lack of memory decay (Lebiere et al., 2003) may put these pitchers at a disadvantage during their second game. Conditions for this testing effect, however, do not exist in Major League Baseball (MLB). Thus, MiLB starting pitchers’ statistics may not effectively predict their MLB performance, threatening criterion-related validity. Comparisons of MiLB starting pitcher stirikeout percentages (SP) within a single series evaluates the extent of this threat. These evaluations revealed several important team-related inconsistencies in SP values based upon league and series location. [Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2026 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]