According to the memo, which was obtained by The Athletic from major-league sources, those steps include: •Umpires’ inspections of pitchers’ hands and fingers, which began last season, will increase in “frequency and scope,” the memo states. Inspections are expected to be far more thorough than the often-perfunctory checks that umpires performed last year. •Those inspections will now include “randomized checks of fingers (including removal of rings worn on either hand of pitchers), hands, hats, gloves, belts/waistlines and pants.” Pitchers may be subject to checks “before or after innings in which they pitch, and managers may make inspection requests of a pitcher or position player either before or after an at-bat.” •The random checks are a change from last season, when inspections of starting pitchers were generally performed after the same innings every game. Hitters have suggested that pitchers were using stickier substances in innings when they knew they wouldn’t be checked. And there was enough fluctuation in inning-to-inning spin rates that it raised eyebrows across the sport. •Most significantly, umpires would be empowered to be more aggressive about inspecting pitchers than in the past. According to the memo, if an umpire observes a pitcher “attempting to wipe off his hands prior to an inspection, the player may be subject to immediate ejection for violating the rules by attempting to conceal a foreign substance.” If the umpire observes that suspicious behavior, the umpire can now go to the mound, to perform an inspection, in the middle of an inning. •Pitchers who are caught possessing or applying any foreign substance would be subject to immediate ejection and automatic suspension, the memo states. Any player who refuses an inspection would also be ejected and suspended. And managers who argue these ejections would likewise be subjected to immediate ejection and a suspension. Team officials have been told by MLB this spring that the league is not taking these measures in response to any particular incident, such as Mets manager Buck Showalter’s request that umpires check the ears of Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove during last year’s postseason. Instead, MLB is reacting to data that shows spin rates have ticked up steadily since the league’s much-ballyhooed June 2021 crackdown on Spider Tack and other high-potency sticky stuff. That data seems to indicate pitchers have found substitutes for Spider Tack that are less detectable and easier to mask or wipe away. Here, via The Athletic’s Eno Sarris, is a breakdown of how average spin rates, for four-seam fastballs, spiked just before the crackdown in June 2021, dipped dramatically after the crackdown and then crept back up in the months since. MONTH | SPIN RPM | MPH Sept. 2019 | 2,299 | 93.5 Sept. 2020 | 2,303 | 93.4 May 2021* | 2,324 | 93.7 July 2021** | 2,240 | 93.7 Sept. 2021 | 2,262 | 93.7 April 2022*** | 2,256 | 93.7 Sept. 2022 | 2,292 | 94.0 (*-month before crackdown) (**-month after crackdown) (***-MLB begins inspections of pitchers’ hands and fingers for first time)
It should be relatively easy to break this data down by team. Who are the biggest suspected spin rate cheaters? Someone get Drellich and Passan on the case
2020 to June 2021 On one end, there are the Dodgers. On the other end, there are the Astros. Dodgers spin rate has't bounced back though. As far as after June 2021, Cease and Giolito lost spin in June 2021, but have gained most of it back. I'd guess the CWS are the likeliest to be hurt the most by MLB checking more vigorously for sticky stuff. Possibly Padres. Not too familiar with all their pitchers, but Musgrove looks like a big hypocrite.
They don't REALLY care about the speed of the game, the main thing they want is more offense. They'll stretch the game out a bit if it helps hitters, but not if it helps pitchers.
Brilliant move, because the Ump Show is what everyone comes to see and hasn't been the slightest problem in the past.
Baseball Savant has a search feature. Just limit pitches to 4S fastballs (other pitches are more velocity dependent) and do searches on spin rates before and after June 2021. On Cease and Giolito, only Cease's spin rate has bounced back while Giolito's dropped, but stayed down. I was thinking of Lynn, but he's now with the Cardinals. The Astros spin rates went up in 2022, but that is a result purely on getting Verlander back, and Javier, Garcia, and Urquidy getting more innings.
