Juiced Baseballs

Are baseballs on steroids? That would explain how the number of home runs has dramatically increased over the past few years. According to multiple studies, baseballs used after the 2015 season were less air resistant and bouncier. One study concluded that, after using x-ray technology, balls produced after 2015 had cores that were 40% less dense which would explain how a ball might travel further. The total number of home runs hit in 2018 were 5,585 but the total number of home runs hit in 2019 so far is already 5,591 with the season coming to an end in a month the number of home runs hit this year is expected to surpass the the 2017 record number of home runs which was 6,105.

MLB Baseballs are manufactured by Rawlings and in June of 2018 MLB purchased Rawlings with Seidler Equity Partners. Earlier in the year Commissioner Rob Manfred said that “This year the baseball has a little less drag. It doesn’t need to change very much to produce meaningful change in terms of the way the game is played on the field.” The less-dense core and the ball having less drag will cause the ball to go farther which means more home runs. The ball’s seams were lowered by a few millimeters and was made a little smoother than it was last year. Will the increased home runs be better for the game in the long run. Only time will tell.