These Pitchers Have Been Hit Hardest By MLB's Sticky Stuff Crackdown
A week into the on-field foreign substance checks, pitchers' spin rates have plummeted around major league baseball, though velocity has actually gone up a bit, enabling many pitchers to maintain a high level of performance. Others, though, not so much.
Week into the enhanced foreign substance enforcement era.
— Codify, Inc. (@CodifyBaseball) June 28, 2021
Red is spin rate, blue is velocity.
(7-day rolling MLB fourseam fastball averages)@PitchingNinja @enosarris @jaysonst pic.twitter.com/wJLvbTEUpb
Gerrit Cole's struggles since the sticky stuff scandal came to light have been well-documented. In fact, while his spin rates continue to drop significantly from where they were earlier this season and in the previous couple of seasons, the results have been borne out in his other numbers as well:
- Strikeout rate: 14.8 per 9 IP in April, compared to 9.3 in June
- ERA: 4.65 in June, compared to 1.78 pre-June
Cole's almost-tearful plea for MLB to ease up on their plans has fallen on deaf ears, and now he and many other pitchers are being forced to 'get a grip', without the benefit of added grip.
Other pitchers who have had a hard time dealing with the new reality of the foreign substance checks:
Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians:
The Indians' ace got lit up big-time by the light-hitting Seattle Mariners in his last start on June 13th: 10 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 innings. The spin rate on his curveball was down a whopping 14% in that start. The next day, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain.
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers:
Burnes' spin rates are down quite a bit, and it seems to be having an effect. Through June 6th, his ERA sat at 1.97. In his previous three starts: 4.71.
Tyler Mahle, Cincinnati Reds:
Another pitcher who's lost some spin, his 3.32 ERA at June 5th, has risen almost half a run, due to a 4.91 ERA in his last four starts.
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox:
Another huge spin rate faller, Cease has been up and down in his past few starts, though his 2.98 ERA at the end of May is up nearly a full run, after a 5.56 ERA in five June starts.
There are others who've seen significant spin rate dips, such as notables like Max Scherzer, Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler, but so far, their performances haven't been greatly affected.
Just as the umpires will continue to check gloves and hats on the field, we'll surely see a continued check of the spin rate metrics and who is being impacted most.
Photo Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
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