MLB Dog Days: Are Baseballs Using Performance-Enhancing Drugs?
Each week over the summer, UNPLUGG’D Staff Writer Andrew Golden will be bringing you new storylines to follow from America’s Pastime. This week, he writes on a Home Run Derby for the history books and the baseballs that might be the culprit
During Monday’s Home Run Derby, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put on a performance for the ages. In three rounds, he crushed a record 91 home runs over the walls of Progressive Field, while also setting the record for most home runs in each round.
In arguably the best individual performance fans may have ever seen at a derby, Guerrero’s performance was a microcosm of the MLB as a whole this season: demolishing home runs at a record pace. This season, the MLB has seen a new record with 3,691 home runs in the first half of the season, which is on pace to break the 2017 record of 6,105 in a season.
Ahead of the Home Run Derby, Justin Verlander made volatile comments at his press conference, calling out the MLB for changing the baseballs. The 36-year old hurler said there’s no coincidence that the MLB owns their ball provider, Rawlings, and this season is on pace for an all-time record of dingers. He also cited increased viewer ratings as his reasoning.
Coming into this year, Verlander’s career high in home runs allowed in a season was 30 in 2016. However, in half of a season in 2019, he has already given up 26, despite most of his other numbers being the same.
Commissioner Rob Manfred responded to Verlander’s statements and said the MLB has not altered the baseballs and it could simply be a problem with the way the science behind the structure of the baseball.
Personally, I don’t think believe the notion that the MLB didn’t alter the baseballs. Not only did the home run numbers increase in the major leagues, but Triple-A has seen increased home run numbers with the same balls.
Like any fan, it’s great to see players improve on their previous seasons in the majors. As a Braves’ fan whose team was coming off of a division title, seeing Dansby Swanson improve significantly from last season was a bright surprise for me.
But his home run numbers have jumped from last season, as he’s already hit 17 home runs after hitting 14 last season. While his power numbers have taken a jump, some people have cited working with Chipper Jones this summer and his ability to hit the ball to different fields.
Even looking at Freddie Freeman, the NL’s All-Star game starter this year, he hit 23 home runs last year and has already matched that total through his first 91 games. This just doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Manfred makes it out to be.
The problem that the MLB faces now is whether they should make changes to the ball and try to alter the ball. Ultimately, I think that changes should be made because baseball is becoming more of a strikeout-home run league. Personally, I don’t think it’s fun to sit through and watch a game where players over half of the at-bats with two or three home runs to make up for all of the offense. Sure, it might make the game more exciting to see home runs, but baseball is so much more than just that and unfortunately fundamental pieces of the game are being pushed out.
Whether you agree with Justin Verlander or Rob Manfred, it’s very clear that changes have taken place based off of the home run numbers. Players aren’t miraculously just increasing their home runs numbers across the league and minor league levels without some sort of systematic change. Moving forward, the MLB needs to realize that the new balls are having an extreme impact on the game and figure out what tangible steps can be taken to fix their mistakes. If not, we could be looking at even more home runs and strikeouts moving forward.
Inside the Park: Second Half Headlines
First Base: Bellinger or Yelich? Or maybe Bell?
For most of the season, the NL MVP race has been a two-man competition between the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger and the Brewer’s Christian Yelich. Both rank near the top of the league with nearly identical stats as Yelich and Bellinger rank one and two in home runs with 31 and 30, respectively. Their average is separated by .06 percentage points, but their OBP is a slimmer .01 margain. It seems like the two superstars are going to continue to put on a show in the National League and hopefully neither player slows down. Aside from them, there are a few other contenders but the biggest name is probably Josh Bell, who had a bad month of June but picked up the pace before the All-Star Break and leads the NL in RBIs with 84.
Second Base: A Five Team Wild Card Race
With the Astros, Twins and Yankees leading their division by a solid margin headed into the second half, many competitive AL teams are going to have to fight for their playoff lives through the Wild Card. As of today, the Tampa Rays are 1.5 games ahead of the Indians for the first Wild Card spot. After the Indians, the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers are within 0.5 and 1.5 games of the second Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are by far the most talent of the competitive Wild Card teams because they returned the bulk of their talent from last year’s World Series team, but they aren’t guaranteed a spot. Look for some of these teams to make moves before the trade deadline as they make a push for October.
Third Base: Who’s Going to Come Out of the NL Central?
Coming to this season, baseball fans believed that the two most competitive divisions in baseball would be the NL East and NL Central. While the NL East hasn’t lived up to the expectations that people set, the Central certainly has. Coming into Saturday, the Reds, who are at the bottom of the division, are only 5.5 games back of the first-place Cubs. Both the Cubs and Brewers weren’t playing their best baseball heading into the All-Star Break so it remains to be seen who gets hot late in the season. If I had to put money on one team, I would put it on the Cubs. They bolstered their bullpen with Kimbrel and have a better pitching rotation than the Brewers, which could pay dividends late in the season.
Home Plate: Starting Pitching: Buy or Sell?
There are lots of pitchers with the potential to get traded to contenders by the July 31st deadline, from San Francisco’s duo of Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith to Zach Wheeler, Trevor Bauer or Marcus Stroman. Some people have even mentioned Mike Minor, who has had a breakout season at 31, but with the Rangers still in the Wild Card race at this point in time, it remains to be seen if he will get traded. While these are all quality players to acquire, they are going to come at a steep price. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees make a move for a big name like they always do or to see a borderline team like the Padres go out on a limb and try to acquire a quality starter to bolster their rotation. The Braves, Brewers and Red Sox are also possible trade destinations.
Andrew Golden is a sad Knicks fan who is having a rough go after the first batch of NBA Free Agency. You can follow him on Twitter here.
