Major League Baseball is testing a new iteration of an 'enhanced-grip' baseball in the Double-A Southern League this season, which starts Friday.
. In other words, the balls were made by Rawlings as usual, and then a grip substance was applied before they were put into use. The plan was to test versions by Dow and Chalkless and compare the results to the traditional mudded baseballs.
One of those experiments was called off after only a couple of weeks because, according to an MLB source, it was clear that iteration was not working.Dow, in conjunction with MLB and in response to feedback from that experiment, made adjustments to the process, and the new version is what is being tested this season. The plan is to use the Dow ball for the first half of the Southern League’s season and the mudded ball for the second half.
"The feedback you get from a pitcher holding a ball in a clubhouse is different from the feedback you get from a pitcher using it in a bullpen session, which is different again from the feedback you get from someone throwing it in a game,” the source said of the slow process of building a better ball.
But, as they have in the past, the league maintains that the current system of applying old-school mud is perfectly sufficient — especially since they introduced new specifications. In June, MLB sought to standardize the process of mud application by reviewing video of every team's preparation. Afor how to handle and store baseballs.
The result, according to the MLB source, is that"the ball today is the most consistent it's ever been.”
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