MLB 'Cracking Down' on Cheating Pitchers

Major League Baseball is increasing its efforts to ban the practice of doctoring baseballs.

Chris Halicke | Mar 24, 2021

Major League Baseball has increased its efforts to maintain the integrity of the game.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, a memo from MLB to its clubs has outlined how they attempt to "crack down" on the use of foreign substances by pitchers to manipulate the baseball.

Specifically, the league will:

Increase monitoring by compliance officers
Inspect baseballs taken out of play, using a third-party lab to check for illegal substances
Utilize spin rate analysis

According to Passan, compliance officers will monitor nearly every facet of the ballpark, including dugouts, bullpens, clubhouses, and batting cages. Then, they will collect a random sample of balls for the lab, who will search not just for the substances themselves, but the types being utilized.

The league also plans to study Statcast data, and will compare spin rate to each pitcher's career norms.

While serving as MLB senior vice president, Texas Rangers EVP and general manager Chris Young visited camps throughout the league last spring, informing them of MLB's plans to crack down on the use of foreign substances to doctor baseballs, according to The New York Post's Joel Sherman. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down camps last spring, MLB obviously put this issue on the back burner.

According to Passan and Sherman, the memo from MLB reads:

“Players are subject to discipline by the Commissioner’s Office for violating the Official Baseball Rules regardless of whether evidence of the violation has been discovered during or following a game.”

Like it or not, fair or unfair, pitchers manipulating, or doctoring, the baseball has always been a part of the game. With the increased knowledge of how spin rate affects fastballs and breaking balls alike, it's no secret that pitchers have utilized foreign substances to help increase their spin rate.

A fastball that is below league average in velocity will appear faster to the hitter if it has a high spin rate. Add that to the trend of increased velocity and breaking ball usage throughout the game, and hitters are being forced to change the way they approach each at-bat.

It's no secret that MLB has wanted to increase the number of balls hit into play. The league is also experimenting with rules in the minor leagues this year that could potentially increase on-base percentages, stolen bases, and could even ban the defensive shift.

Despite the use of foreign substances breaking MLB rule 6.02(c)(4), there has never been an effort like this to ban said substances. In the past, questioning an opposing pitcher meant exposing your own pitchers to the same criticism. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.

Chris Halicke covers the Texas Rangers for InsideTheRangers.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHalicke.
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Published Mar 24, 2021

CHRIS HALICKE