Foreign substances remain a hot-button topic in MLB after the commissioner’s office said it would begin to check pitchers and catchers for sticky substances that could be used to enhance spin rates.
Athletics reliever Lou Trivino went into detail about his thoughts on it all.
“I think there’s definitely some concern,” Trivino told NBC Sports California’s Brodie Brazil and Dontrelle Willis on Friday. “I’d love to talk about it.”
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Trivino mirrored what A’s manager Bob Melvin previously said believing the new regulations, which will be implemented beginning Monday, are good for the game.
“My only concern is the ball that we get, they might as well soak it in baby powder and then throw it out there -- and they’re expecting us to throw that,” Trivino said.
The new regulations were bound to happen after MLB sent out a memo out in March saying the league would monitor and collect baseballs, and analyze Statcast data related to spin rate.
According to a press release from MLB, numerous complaints from players, coaches, umpires and executives that there had been “a prevalence of foreign substances use by pitchers in MLB,”
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“I’m not saying I think the Spider Tack is nonsense, I think that stuff is ridiculous, but my only complaint is just make it so that the ball isn’t a pool cube, you know? That’s all,” Trivino said. “I think at the end of the day, I think it’s good for the game, I think it’s kind of ridiculous guys can just get add 400 spin rates, whether it’s a fastball, curveball, I think that’s crazy so I think it’s a good thing. But over time, I just hope they put something on the ball before they give it to us that it’s not the slickest thing. That’s all for me.”
A’s infielder Jed Lowrie said this season is the most difficult time he has ever had hitting, and he has been in the majors for 14 years. Whether that has to do with the uptick on sticky stuff or not, we couldn’t be sure.
"Yeah, I mean -- obviously this is a hot button topic and I believe MLB is addressing it right now and I'm sure there's something in the works,” Lowrie said earlier this week. “Whether that is something that is -- the sole reason the offensive numbers across the league -- hard to say, but like I said, I know the league is starting to look at it more closely and I don't know if that's what they think the reasoning.”
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“Let's just put it this way, it's above my pay grade,” Lowrie added.
In its press release, MLB said those who violate the rules will be subject to a 10-game suspension and subject to progressive discipline. Teams won't be able to replace the suspended player, meaning they will have to play a man short for 10 days.