Major League Baseball’s first week of its version of “stop and frisk,” wherein umpires check pitchers for illegal foreign substances, has been unsurprisingly eventful. The Mets’ Jacob deGrom, who recently became the victim of unfounded conjecture regarding sticky substances, was the first to experience the inspection during the first game of the Mets’ doubleheader on Monday. The anticlimactic result (no substances) of that check did not portend how things would turn out the rest of the week, however. While no pitchers have been busted thus far, we’ve seen everything from Max Scherzer losing it after being checked four times in three innings to Sergio Romo pulling down his pants.
The ramifications of the new checks became apparent even before they started, with pitchers who admitted to using more of the “traditional” substances like sunscreen and pine tar abstaining weeks before the enforcement went into affect. According to the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow, his inability to use sunscreen led to changes to his grip, additional strain on his arm, and resulted in a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
It’s unclear how MLB expects this to all turn out, but the goal is clearly to inject some good old-fashioned offense back into a game that continues to trend towards the three true outcomes. Strikeouts, of course, continue to soar. The fact that nobody seemed to care, most notably the Phillies themselves, that Aaron Nola tied Tom Seaver’s record of 10 consecutive strikeouts (in Flushing!) speaks to just how prevalent they have become in a season dominated by pitching.
Most pitchers that use traditional stuff claim that it simply provides them the ability to get a proper grip on the ball, while the “stickier” stuff like Spider Tack affects a pitcher’s spin rate. The latter type of substance appears to be the actual focus of baseball’s latest crusade, with the goal of evening the playing field for hitters increasingly at a disadvantage. Whether due to a lack of expertise or will, though, the new check covers any substance being used on the mound.
Although one week is an absurdly small sample size, have we actually seen a decrease in the spin rates across the league? Gerrit Cole, probably the game’s most infamous alleged user of illegal substances outside of Trevor Bauer, saw the spin rate drop on all of his pitches during his first start since the commencement of the inspections. Sports media jumped all over it. Surely this is proof of his guilt in using those substances.
How about the spin rates on deGrom’s arsenal during his last start, and the first where he was actively checked for that sticky stuff? The table below compares the average spin rate on his pitches during his first 11 starts against their rates during his start this past Monday.
| Pitch Type | First 11 Starts | Last Start | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 2724 | N/A | N/A |
| SL | 2614 | 2580 | -34 |
| 4FB | 2427 | 2364 | -63 |
| CH | 1612 | 1493 | -119 |
Well, that’s awkward.
While the drops in spin rate for each pitch weren’t as dramatic as Cole’s, there’s still a drop. Does this prove that Cole and/or deGrom were using illegal substances before the crackdown? I’ll let you be the judge of that, but first I’d like to present the following graph from Baseball Savant. It charts the differences in spin rate for deGrom’s pitches through all of his games so far this season.
Unsurprisingly, the spin rate for his pitches fluctuate every start while generally staying within a fairly tight range. He’s a human being (despite convincing evidence suggesting otherwise), and each start comes with its own set of circumstances, conditions, and adjustments. The rates are bound to vary game-by-game.
There’s no doubt that most pitchers have been using some kind of substance to maintain their grip on slick baseballs. It’s been part of the game for decades. The thing that the commissioner should key in on, then, are those players that are using truly game-changing substances to alter their spin rates and artificially elevate their performances. Refusing to differentiate between pine tar and whatever homegrown concoctions were making the clubhouse rounds will continue to lead to situations faced by the likes of Glasnow. The finely-tuned mechanics of a major league pitcher are incredibly sensitive to changes, and cracking down on all substances in the middle of the season is probably the worst aspect of this entire situation.
Clearly something needs to be done about the rapidly increasing strikeouts and generally suppressed offense. Pitching duels and masterful hurling performances are one of the best parts of the game, but nobody wants to see an entire season of batters flailing and striking out most of the time. While the use of substances like Spider Tack do need to be dealt with, perhaps the league should focus on producing a baseball with enough grip for pitchers yet not deadened to the point that extra base hits are a rare occurrence. That’s just crazy enough to work, though obviously easier said than done.
Oh, and maybe find some way to address the culture of offense that values exit velocity and launch angle over contact that’s a primary contributor to the game’s current dilemma. Good luck with that one, though.
By the way, I totally believe the massive drop in Cole’s spin rate is pretty convincing proof of his use of that good sticky stuff.
Rob, when Cole was asked two weeks ago if he uses that stuff, he didn’t answer the question. While JDG has denied it – and his teammates vehemently have denied it – let’s see a few games worth of material. He may have also dabbled in the stuff, or may not have, but six more shutout innings today would be pretty nice.
I object to the demonization of the strikeout.
People are kidding themselves that weak grounders and pop ups are exciting and strikeouts are dull. It was exciting to watch Nola challenge Seaver’s consecutive K mark and if the people in the Phillies’ dugout didn’t get it – well, that’s on them.
Perhaps if Reid-Foley struck those batters out in the 8th inning rather than allowing the ball to be hit in play, the Mets would have won the game.
My preference is for the game to find its own equilibrium. At some point a team is going to succeed by having multiple guys sacrificing power for contact and then others will follow suit. It’s a copycat league and the issue is that most teams are followers, not innovators.
SA, understanding your position, say we allow hitters to use steroids as a result of the pitchers using the sticky stuff, is that better? True sport is when the playing field is evened through the absence of enhancers and the athlete performs with sheer talent. Seems though, today that is somewhat blurred.
We already allow athletes to use steroids. Cortisone shots are a common thing for athletes to use and cortisone is a steroid.
LOL…
At some point articifially-enhanced connective tissue will be used, and Tommy John surgery will allow new ligaments to be inserted, and pitchers will be able to throw 120mph… might as well let robots play the game…
Almora as a fifth OFer who comes in for defense I’m ok with. Almora as a guy who starts 2-3 times a week seems a little crazy.
I am not a fan of cheating. Yes, most every competitor looks for any edge, and humans have historically pushed well beyond the gray area between legal and illegal. However, this mid-season crackdown on the sticky stuff is a train wreck on multiple fronts. I don’t consider deGrom any better or any different than Kole, or any other pitcher, regardless of the spin rates. MLB opened itself up to this witch hunt mentality. My preference would be to deal with it in the offseason and include some input by the players. Yes, spider tack i cheating, but maybe the solution was to allow the pitchers to something more than rosin. Maybe a tube of sunblock next to the rosin bag makes more sense. Why do hitters get to wear batting gloves and use pine tar? For that matter, why can hitter use goalie equipment to hang over the plate? Yes, offense is down, but it’s not just spin rate. I am watching a $360 million player who, in key late situations that require a hit, not a home run, has a little league approach that gives a pitcher in trouble a huge advantage. That is not because of spin rate, it’s because many of these guys either refuse to adjust to the situation or simply can’t do it.
Very fair points TJ, right on on Lindor.
Almora’s fuse is burning down. He’s fine playing the outfield, but not so fine that we can afford his automatically bad ABs. Seems to me he was confused long ago when he adopted the power-hitter approach; he should instead be a contact hitter with some speed… battle at the plate, get on base, run the bases, be a pest. He’s not Mike Trout.
He might walk into the occasional HR, (the McCutcheon catch was actually a HR, Keith saw it right!) but it’s hard to do when you are sitting at home after being DFAed… again.