Starting with Monday’s games, pitchers will be ejected and suspended for using illegal foreign substances to get a better grip on the ball as Major League Baseball ramps up its enforcement in an area that has been the talk of baseball in recent weeks.
But the start of the MLB offense brings as many questions about how it will perform as answers to a problem that has led to high strikeout rates and much debate throughout the sport. How will umpires conduct pitcher exams during games? What happens if a player is caught? How different do pitchers and hitters feel about the steps being taken? And how much of an impact will all of this have on the product we see in the field?
To help you get up to speed for the start of a new chapter for baseball, we asked ESPN MLB experts Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers to provide an FAQ-style breakdown of how the substance abuse prosecution will unfold. strangers in MLB.
How will umpires enforce MLB’s ban on foreign substances during games?
Rogers: Pitchers will be inspected after innings and / or when they leave games. If they are doing something suspicious during an at-bat, it can also be checked between batters. His cap, glove and belt will be checked while the rest of the uniform is also in play if the referees deem it necessary. The only post-exam exception is for closers. They will be inspected before launching to avoid uncomfortable moments of departure. Referees will be on the lookout for anything that feels or looks slippery or sticky.
Gonzalez: And that’s one of the many fascinating elements of this. The league did not want to get around the difficulty of retroactively suspending players based on the findings of the inspected baseballs, which undoubtedly would have sparked a litany of objections. Umpires, the league believes, have to be the enforcers. It may be so. But this is asking a lot of those umpires, who are already under such intense scrutiny with the automated strike zones looming. When a pitcher has to go out because he has been caught using foreign substances, the umpires will be the ones to hear him from the coaches, players and fans, even if they are simply acting according to the intentions of the league.
What happens if someone is caught with a substance deemed to be against the rules?
Rogers: You will be immediately expelled and suspended for 10 days with pay. The team cannot replace the player on the roster.
Gonzalez: The memo sent to the teams indicated that repeat offenders will be subject to “more severe progressive discipline,” although it is unclear what that would actually look like.
How will this affect position players?
Rogers: If they are acting suspicious when visiting a pitcher on the mound, the umpires can also check them. Many infielders, especially during the colder months, have possessed a grip enhancer just like a pitcher does. As long as they don’t help their own caster, they probably won’t be randomized. If a position player comes in to pitch, they may need to change gloves.
Why does this start on June 21, two months after the season?
Rogers: MLB wanted to collect data before dropping the hammer. The league says it saw more evidence of goo on baseballs than it initially imagined, so it wanted to act before the game turned into a three-more real-outcome experience than it has. Strikeouts have risen, while batting averages have dropped further. The threat of repression appears to be having an impact, as June has been a better month for the balls at stake, although warmer weather may also influence offensive improvements.
Gonzalez: The suddenness of this still puzzles me. This could have been handled much better, either by waiting until the next offseason to allow pitchers to properly adjust to throwing the ball with nothing on it or by warning them of an upcoming crackdown before the last offseason. The league has known for years that this had become a serious problem, with pitchers venturing out of sunscreen and pine tar to maximize spin speed. Why not push this earlier so players have months to adjust, rather than forcing them to bolt in the middle of a season? It’s a question that many pitchers have been asking themselves.
How do these sticky substances help pitchers?
Gonzalez: The better the grip, the more spin can be generated on breaking balls and four-seam straights, the latter using spin to create the illusion “upward” and thus produce swings in the air. Four-seam straights have essentially replaced the sinker in the modern game, making the use of sticky substances even more prevalent. Trevor bauer he was experimenting this way in 2018, when he claimed that the extra lever caused an increase of between 200 and 300 revolutions per minute on fast 90 mph straights.
But that’s only part of the story.
The other aspect of this is that the surface of major league baseballs has been found to be inconsistent and at times extremely difficult to grip. The memo issued to the teams stated that “the rosin provided on the mound … is sufficient on its own to address any serious concerns about grip and control.” But that goes against what I’ve heard from various pitchers, who say that the balls are often dusty and chalky, especially when it’s been a few days since they were rubbed, and too difficult to grip without a stickier substance.
The league’s plan had been to create a uniform substance with which to rub baseballs before the game, replacing the mud that had been used since the mid-20th century. Cracking down on that before implementing that has, unsurprisingly, upset a lot of pitchers.
What impact will this have on games starting this week?
Rogers: It is doubtful that we will see the players sent off and suspended immediately. There is too much attention on the subject at the moment. But we could see that some elite pitchers look a bit different than they have previously. That could mean reduced turning speeds and increased hard contact, or just more contact, in general. A further reduction in strikeouts would make league executives very happy.
Gonzalez: It may already be starting to have an impact. On June 5, our own Buster Olney reported that Major League Baseball umpires would begin to strictly enforce the use of foreign substances within a few weeks. At the time, the league’s bar line was .237 / .312 / .396 and the strikeout rate was 24.2%. Over the next 14 days, the league’s bar line rose to .248 / .320 / .416, while the strikeout rate fell to 23%. However, it is important to note that offense tends to increase when the weather turns warmer. But the average RPM on four-seam straights was 2,316 from April 1 to June 5 and 2,260 from June 6 to 14. Typically, it takes 150 to 200 RPM drops to really notice a difference in the behavior of a baseball. But that was by far the lowest two-week churn rate this year, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information.
What are pitchers saying about the ban?
Rogers: Depends on who you talk to. For obvious reasons, those who say they don’t wear anything are in favor of the crackdown – think soft pitchers and sinkerball performers. Others are wholeheartedly against banning the most innocent use of sunscreen and even pine tar, claiming they need it for grip. Then this Tyler glasnow, who says wearing nothing in his last start caused his injury and will lead to others. Many pitchers are united in believing that the league should have waited for the offseason to act.
Gonzalez: Pitchers I’ve spoken to are surprised that the league has grouped those who use pine tar or sunscreen into the same group as those who deploy more exaggerated grip enhancers like Spider Tack or Pelican Grip Dip, given that the league , and their hitters, – historically have turned a blind eye to the previous group. Perhaps the league thought it would be too difficult for umpires to make such a distinction during games. But there are also potential adverse effects with this plan, and one has to wonder if Glasnow will be the last to blame an injury on the league’s sudden execution strategy.
What do batsmen say about the ban?
Rogers: Many are in favor, but some have a soft spot for sunscreen users. If pitches rise above their current level, you’ll see a cry for help, possibly from pitchers and hitters. A good grip helps pitchers with control. That is the argument that has historically been made and will continue to be made. The data may back it up.
Gonzalez: However, this too will undoubtedly help hitters gain something of an advantage, and they will happily take advantage of it given the great advantage pitchers have gained through analytics. In the words of Justin turner, 13-year veteran and player representative: “All we want is a fair playing field across the board so that everyone has the same opportunities. Whatever the league has to do, as long as it is fair and in all the fields and it’s the same for everyone, I think that’s the main goal here. “
.