Why the "Juiced" Ball is the Worst Thing to Happen to Baseball Since Steroids
- iAmMizz!
- Jun 21, 2019
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2019
The MLB has seen a shift in their viewers the last 25 years or so, only that shift has come in the form of stagnation. While in other sports, and baseball in the past, fandom grows through the youth, the MLB has had trouble holding the attention of younger patrons. Attendance has waned, and interest has faded in favor of the more high octane. The NFL has been the king of American sports for a long time, but NBA and NHL have made major strides as well with higher scoring and quicker tempos. More niche sports like those involved in the realm of X-Games and Motorsports have also gained popularity. This is consistent with our society as a whole in the 21st Century. Millennials (my generation) are generally criticized for their reliance on technology and social media based interaction, which has led to a need of fast information coupled with a lack of patience. I don't disagree with any of this, I've grown up around it all my life. Only we are no longer the youth, and Generation Z (born year 2000 and up) is twice as disconnected. Attention span in children has to be at an all-time low, granted I have no factual evidence to back this claim aside from time spent observing our youth of America, but to me it is a problem. This is a sports article though, not a societal piece, so this is more about how the MLB has perceived this as a problem for it's own future. I see the concern, but I don't agree that an entire sport should change because of a cultural issue (soccer, another slow-paced game, is still extremely popular around the world), and if changes are made make the right ones.
The MLB has made several amendments to its rules over the last few years in order to win back the youth of America. Most have made the headlines, attempting to shorten the length of the games, or the speed at which they're played, but this wasn't enough. Commissioner Manfred decided he needed the excitement of the steroid era back, but with steroids deemed illegal and the idea of praising cheaters an obvious bad look for the league, he decided to just go ahead and do the cheating himself. Juice the baseballs (which basically means manufacture them so that they travel further off the bat), deny it, and let the hitters do the rest... because there's nothing better than nonstop homers, right? For children, this may be so (honestly I'm not even sure of that), but for the older fans who have loved this game for what it is at its core (a game of failure, a chess match, small ball, something that takes hard-work and a lot of grind), too many home runs actually kills the intensity of the game. There are less rallies, dynamic at-bats, and suspenseful moments. It's like in a film, would you rather see continuous explosions or well-written build ups that culminate in a thrilling climax? I know my answer, and perhaps I identify more with the older generations, but they're the ones that have built this league up over time! They're the ones Manfred should thank for his job. Instead, it would seem that the new MLB would rather slight their long-time fans in favor of the home run looky-lou's. These are the same fans that came running in the steroid era, the fans that complained about lack of runs after it, and the fans that want a DH in the National League. If it were up to me, I'd tell these fans to get lost and go running to whatever mind-numbing activity they can find and leave America's past-time to the true fans of the sport (go watch the newest Fast and the Furious or John Wick 5 instead)... but the MLB is a business after all. The MLB has made every attempt to appease these fake fans that need constant action and entertainment, and it has slowly ruined the fabric of the game.
Some blame the players for the way the game has changed, but I see this as an easy excuse. In any sport or line of work, the employees will adapt to the way success is measured. Right now, the whole system has been corrupted. A high slugging percentage is the best way to get paid as a hitter, while high strike outs and velocity get you more cash as a pitcher. This has led players to change the way they swing, throw, and train. There are more hard-throwers than breaking-ball pitchers in the modern MLB. There are more "launch angle" home run hitters than guys looking to bat for high average. Teamwork and hustle have become less valued than overall stat lines. For some in this league of disparity, even winning has become less important than personal numbers. This has all negatively effected the sport, and it's crippling the league.
We'll start with the three true outcomes (a nickname for mashers who tend to only walk, strike out, or hit homers). These three outcomes are probably the most boring possible outcomes in the MLB. Don't get me wrong, a clutch home run or strike out for a pitcher in a big moment obviously gets the adrenaline going... but imagine a game where every at bat had one of these three results (and no possible other hits). Just humor me for a moment and imagine that. Nine innings of only strike outs, walks, or big fly's. Would that really be something you'd want to watch? Defense would no longer exist, neither would stealing bases or running hard on close plays. How bout sacrifices and role players? Nope. The game would basically be a home run derby with an actual pitcher throwing the ball. Now I know this is hyperbole, but if you look at the numbers, this is the way the game has trended over time. According to Baseball Almanac, 2017 had the most home runs in baseball history with 6,105. The first time the league breached 1,000 homers was 1922, and there's been a steady increase since then. Some of this is because there are more players and teams, another aspect is that the athletes are bigger and stronger than ever before (that includes pitchers because simple psychics will tell you that the harder someone throws an object, the farther it will travel if you connect with it going the opposite direction), and the last obvious difference is the stadiums. They're built for home runs nowadays. The dimensions are generally smaller, and more hitter friendly. There was also a league record number of strike outs in 2018, at an unimaginable 41,207 K's. MLB first broke 40K in 2017. These numbers have also progressed over time, like the home run. This may not be effected by the juiced ball, but with players understanding it's now easier to hit home runs (keep in mind they also get paid more when they hit HRs), they tend to swing for power rather than contact (meaning more swings and misses). According to CBS Sports and writer Dayn Perry, in 2019 we are on pace to see over 6,500 home runs and three teams are set to shatter the club HR record set by the Yankees in 2018 (267). The Twins (projected as high as 320 by some), the Mariners, and the Brewers are the three, and 23 total teams are on pace to break 200 this year (another record). Even more shocking is the fact that the 2019 Brewers, Padres, and Mariners are the top three teams all-time in terms of percentage of runs yielded by the long ball, and eight of the top 15 teams in baseball history for this statistic have also come from this season. It's appalling, and many pitchers and fans have voiced their frustrations with Manfred's game.
The need to produce higher power totals has also changed the clubhouse. With many uneven divisions in the modern day MLB, and a very long season overall, players find themselves competing more for themselves than their team by the time we hit the All-Star Break... and can you really blame them? If you're 20+ games back of first place in your division, winning becomes an afterthought to swinging for the fences. With systemic flaws like this, you might ask me what my solution is. Well I didn't actually have one until I heard former player and now broadcaster, Keith Hernandez, make a tremendous point during a recent Mets game. Hernandez has a similar mindset as myself, and he realizes that the reversal has to begin with the league, not the players. De-juicing, or deadening, the baseball is the obvious first step. Correct that impurity Manfred. The big alteration would come with the stadiums though. If dimensions were expanded in newer stadiums, and even adjusted in current stadiums where applicable, hitters would have to adjust... aka, make it harder to hit home runs and players won't swing for them as much. This would reshape the league and cause batters to focus more on contact, finding gaps (with more field to work with), and true hitting rather than slugging. Contracts and salaries would also adjust, as .300 hitters, as well as speed and defensive players would gain value again (and be rewarded accordingly), just as much as the power bats. I think this shift in focus would also cause strike outs to decrease, which would keep the ball in play, bringing passion and dramatics back to baseball. Closer games may not yield closer divisions (the solution for that may be a shorter season), and these changes wouldn't be overnight, but I believe there would be more excitement in a sport of clutch hitting, pitching, defense, and hustle. Home runs and strike outs have lost their luster (this happens with anything that you have an excess amount of), but if they happen less frequently, they will also gain more attention from fans. When I see eight or nine homers in a game this year, I just shrug. Same with 12-15 strike outs from a pitcher. It's almost expected, and that in itself is an unfortunate thing because it takes away from its rarity. These performances used to be classified as exceptional, now they're just commonplace.
Bottom line, Manfred swung for the fences in attempt to save baseball, but so far he's failed miserably only making matters worse... you think the commissioner is familiar with the expression "warning-track power?"
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