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Rangers Seeking Level Playing Field As MLB Cracks Down On 'Sticky Stuff'
Like it or not, Major League Baseball has put its foot down regarding the use of illegal substances by pitchers. No more Spider Tack. No more pine tar. No more sunscreen/rosin mix. Nothing. It's all gone.
MLB's rule of doctoring the baseball has been around for over 100 years, but its enforcement is undergoing a drastic change. Umpires will now routinely inspect both starters and relievers, pitchers won't be permitted to wear sunscreen for night games once the sun is down, and players suspended for breaking the rule can't be replaced on the roster.
There are many other specifics for how the league plans to deter the usage of 'sticky stuff' by pitchers. And with league-wide offense on pace to set an all-time low for batting average, MLB decided to take action immediately and begin enforcement in the middle of the season.
Of course, umpires aren't the only ones who can help police the issue. Managers can play a vital role by cracking down on their own team. You may also see managers ask umpires to check opposing pitchers, which is something we've seldom witnessed over time.
"If it's absolutely egregious and we can't deny we're at a disadvantage, then yes," said Rangers manager Chris Woodward. "I feel like I owe that to our players."
Disadvantage. Ultimately, that's what this is all about. As Sports Illustrated has already detailed, many in the game feel like we are witnessing "rampant cheating to a degree not seen since the steroid era."
Chris Woodward, who played in the latter half of the steroid era, understands the impact performance-enhancing drugs had on the game. Not only did players feel like a failure if they weren't putting up video game numbers, they felt pressure to compromise their integrity just to keep a job in the big leagues.
That's the last thing the Rangers skipper wants for his players. And that's why, in his eyes, the foot can come down from Major League Baseball, but it has to remain consistent.
"I feel like I was this guy as a player, where you're operating with high integrity while the rest of the league isn't and you're at a disadvantage," Woodward explained. "At some point, I hate to say it, but if the league doesn't follow through firmly, it's going to go right back to what it was. That's what we're trying to avoid."
"I think what this rule protects is all the players out there who are looking for a level playing field, hitters included," said Rangers general manger Chris Young, a former big league pitcher for 13 seasons. "There are a lot of guys out there who don't use anything and are at a competitive disadvantage."
MLB's updated enforcement of the rule goes into effect on Monday, June 21. Just like any other polarizing decision made by the league, there are those who will like it and others who hate it.
There are many — mostly active pitchers — who believe the league was overzealous with their actions and needed to wait until the offseason to implement drastic changes. Most notably, Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow, who was just recently diagnosed with a flexor strain and partially torn UCL, spent several minutes explaining to the media how he is convinced the change contributed to his injury.
Glasnow, whose preferred substance was sunscreen and rosin, stopped using "cold turkey" ahead of his start against the Washington Nationals on June 8.
"I don't use Spider Tack. I don't need more spin," Glasnow said. "I have huge hands. I spin the ball fine. I want grip."
To compensate, Glasnow adjusted the grip on his fastball and curveball, which required him to hold the ball much more firm than he had before. Just one start later, Glasnow left after 53 pitches on June 14 and was diagnosed with his injury.
But as spin rates have increased, batting average has decreased. For better or worse, agree or disagree, this MLB regime is continuously working to try and level the playing field — sometimes a little too much. After an "alarming" amount of evidence was presented at owners meetings at the beginning of the month, the league decided to take action now.
One Rangers hitter in particular that could benefit from a decrease in spin rates throughout the league is All-Star slugger Joey Gallo, who has been unable to replicate the torrid tear he was on in 2019 before oblique and hamate bone injuries derailed his season.
There may be other variables involved, but Gallo's performance against middle-middle four-seam fastballs has drastically changed over time. From 2017-2019, Gallo batted .396 and struck out only 10 percent of the time. This season, Gallo is batting .222 and is striking out 22.2 percent of the time.
“I figured a guy like him would benefit more than probably anybody in baseball because of the swing-and-miss in the strike zone," Woodward said of Gallo. “If the swing-and-miss in the strike zone is because of the elite movement at the end of pitches and that movement goes away and those balls instead of going in the catcher’s glove are being fouled off or are going forward, Joey’s going to benefit a ton.”
Even the threats of MLB enforcing these rules may have already had an effect. Gallo carries a .899 OPS for the month of June into Wednesday night's game with the Houston Astros, and spin rates throughout the league have decreased over the past several days.
Again, there could be other variables involved. However, if there is a drastic increase in offense throughout the remainder of the season, MLB may have leveled the playing field and fixed a pervasive problem in its game.
More on SI's Inside The Rangers:
- Rangers Young Arms Tested As Altuve, Astros Walk-Off In 10 Innings
- 'What A Joke': Rangers' Kiner-Falefa Snubbed In All-Star Ballot Update
- On The Road To Recovery, Rangers Top Prospect Josh Jung Has Learned To 'Surrender'
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