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Up front, I repeat that I will not excuse MLB for the following. Like the era of steroids, MLB knew that players were increasingly using illegal substances to improve their game on the court and did not act. Moreover, just like the era of steroids, there is reason to believe that the use of illegal substances is rampant. This isn’t an excuse for gamers either, but it’s an important context before you get TOO morally fair.
Of course, this time I’m not talking about the kind of illegal substances that you put into your body to improve performance; I’m talking about the kind of illegal substances you put on sure your body to improve performance. Namely, illegal grip enhancing products that pitchers use to generate additional spin, which can have a huge impact on the form and movement of the shots.
Earlier this year, a Los Angeles Angels employee was fired after being hooked up to the distribution of a special grip-enhancing substance outside of the visitor’s clubhouse. Former employee Bubba Harkins is suing the Angels and MLB for defamation, claiming that he has become a scapegoat despite it all being fairly widely known in the game. And in his latest filings, there are significant claims about who was receiving its substance, and / or who MLB already knows how to use illegal adhesion boosters.
From ESPN:
the [filings include] a statement from Harkins in which he recalled an interview on March 26 with attorneys for MLB and the Angels. During the interview, Harkins claims, he identified Cole, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber, Joba Chamberlain, Adam Wainwright and Tyler Chatwood among pitchers who had previously requested his specific mixture of tar. of pine and rosin, which became popular throughout the league after making it for former closest Troy Percival over 20 years ago.
Harkins also named several current and former Angels – Percival, Brendan Donnelly, Kevin Jepsen, Cam Bedrosian, Keynan Middleton, Yusmeiro Petit, Luke Bard, Matt Andriese, Dylan Peters, Jose Suarez, Kaleb Cowart, and Dylan Bundy – who used the blend. .
There are some very recognizable names out there, obviously, and it’s less about doing a “gotcha” than noting how wide it is. These are just the guys named by ONE former club goaltender, and that reaches guys across the league (including, you’ll notice, former Cubs pitcher Tyler Chatwood). Again, the use of illegal grip enhancers is believed to be prevalent throughout the game.
To that end, my beef has never been with pitchers wanting to maximize grip for the sake of grip. Heck, hitters kinda like it when they know a pitcher isn’t going to totally lose his grip and throw one to the head. Plus, with MLB constantly tinkering with baseball, I believe it when pitchers say sometimes rosin just isn’t enough if the ball is too smooth.
Where I draw the line, however, is when the pitchers CLEARLY use the grip to dramatically increase their spin speed. They know the impact it can have on performance, and they know it’s against the rules. So they cheat. Let us be clear on this.
One of Harkins’ most salacious allegations is a text he says he received from Yankees ace Gerrit Cole: “Hey Bubba, this is Gerrit Cole. I was wondering if you could help me with this sticky situation [winky face emoji]. We don’t see you until May, but we have a few road games in April in cold places. The things I had last year seize up when it’s cold….
That Cole is involved here shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, as we’ve talked about it before. An August thread, where Trevor Bauer is necessarily also discussed:
Do you use a little sunscreen to get a good grip? Widely accepted.
Do you use SO MUCH of a sticky substance that it sticks your finger to your hat? This is how you artificially create a super elite spin. The kind that Cole suddenly developed after joining the Astros. https://t.co/26r1EeNU6p
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 8, 2020
See this latest RT on the quote from Bauer (who himself has massively jumped in his turnover this year). Bauer was talking about Houston. The pitchers have gone there, and their turnover rates have jumped miles. Bauer said this can only be done by applying the substance (and there is more to it than pine tar).
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 8, 2020
We should talk about this, because as Bauer was rocking about two years ago (before hopping on board, apparently), using grip boosters to massively increase spin * IS CHEAT *. It’s clearly prohibited by the rules, and it clearly has a significant impact on performance.
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 8, 2020
Just to include this tweet in the thread: https://t.co/Ixca5ryJGK
– Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 8, 2020
Premium? Imagine the stones on this guy to say this now:
It’s almost as if it exists. Sensational. The more you know… how crazy 🥱🥱 https://t.co/oOvktAX71c https://t.co/8eKIkVnTFh
– Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) January 8, 2021
I understand that Bauer thinks he was proving a point last year by massively increasing his own spin speed (which, again, he himself says is not possible without grip boosters), but he also won the Cy Young Award because of it. I really don’t understand how you can do that and then be chirping.
Anyway. Bauer has long been right about one thing, however: there are pitchers who cheat under the current rules. Many of them. Probably too much to “punish” at this point. But MLB will need to keep working on this problem, as the benefits of a massive increase in turnover – however ill-gotten – can be far too great for pitchers to drop, especially when there’s that gray area of: “Oh, well, I’m just using it to have a better grip for control and safety, and MLB doesn’t punish anyone for that, so it’s good if I get a little more spin as well.
Oh, one final reminder: Just adding spin to your throws, alone, doesn’t make you a great thrower. You also need to do this extra rotation work for you, which is a more complex thing, and for which the pitchers are to be commended. But, well, having the extra spin obviously helps movement and life on your courts, which is why teams target it so much.
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