THE LONG BALL IS BACK
Astros’ Justin Verlander calls out MLB on balls
Mar 2, 2018, 6:58 am
Justin Verlander does not like being lied to by MLB. Bob Levey/Getty Images
Now that Major League Baseball has done their best to take “the juice” out of the players, have they essentially injected it into the baseballs?
Based on a new study by FiveThirtyEight.com, MLB executed obvious changes to the baseball that have resulted in a record number of home runs, despite the fact the league continues to deny it has changed the balls and that they all fall within the acceptable ranges for baseballs.
Astros’ star Justin Verlander is calling baseball’s bluff.
“All I’m saying is I don’t care if balls are juiced (seriously). We’re all using the same ball so it’s a fair field. My issue is I don’t like being lied to. I knew something was different. Century old records are being broken and numbers are skewed.”
This was tweeted by Verlander on his personal account Thursday evening, and he followed it with a graph depicting Home Run tendencies based on exit velocity and launch angle. The graph showed a significant spike in home runs from 2014 to 2017 with similar numbers in each regard. You can see the graph in his tweet below.
https://twitter.com/JustinVerlander/status/969390004769316864
During the 2017 World Series, several pitchers remarked how the ball felt ‘slicker’, making it harder for them to get a grip on the ball and more difficult to throw breaking pitches. Other noticed factors to baseballs have been that the ball’s seams are lower and tighter, and that the ball is bouncier than in the past.
MLB has maintained the baseballs fall within normal ranges, but the fact is those ranges are quite substantial and baseball closely guards what those ranges are.
Rob Arthur and Tim Dix of FiveThirtyEight.com had baseballs examined by scientists from the University of Southern California and Kent State University. The balls were also X-Rayed.
What they learned is that the cores of the new balls weighed less and had a lower density. Alone, those changes wouldn’t equate the home run surge. However when you combine this information with previous research conducted by TheRinger.com with The Baseball Research Center at UMass Lowell, and Washington State University, which show lower seams, as well as differences in circumference, all these changes together have combined to create a ball that travels further than its predecessors used before the All Star Break in 2015. (You can see their research here: https://www.theringer.com/2017/6/14/16044264/2017-mlb-home-run-spike-juiced-ball-testing-reveal-155cd21108bc)
So 2017 saw the most home runs hit, ever. It blew the old record, set in 2000, out of the water. While top power hitters aren’t hitting insane numbers of home runs, guys who aren’t power hitters are hitting more home runs. This indicates that the power shift isn’t individual player related or something to be explained by certain big time hitters using some sort of performance enhancer to inflate home run totals.
While MLB continues to stonewall everyone with the idea the balls are within their allowable range, and act like there isn’t a difference that would create an environment where home runs would surge, ace pitchers like Verlander who handle these baseballs incessantly know and feel the difference.
Thursday, Verlander called MLB out. It’s time for many more players to do the same, and force the league to adopt far stricter models for its baseballs to maintain the game’s integrity.
Patrick Creighton is the host of “Nate & Creight” heard weekdays 1-3pm on SportsMap 94.1FM, as well as the host of “Sports & Shenanigans” Sundays 12-5p on SB Nation Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @pcreighton1
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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