Ever since MLB decided to crack down on sticky substances used by pitchers during games, the decision has been met with a lot of criticism from people around the league, especially pitchers.
The penalty for being caught with a foreign substance is a 10-game suspension without pay, and the team the pitcher represents is not allowed to replace him on the roster.
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter weighed in on the controversy and said that things went too far one way previously and have gone too far the other way in response.
“They’re trying to find a happy medium,” Showalter said.
Buck Showalter on the sticky substances/baseballs/grip conversation: "Let’s face it: The problem is that the pitchers went too far one way. And the question is whether we as an industry have gone too far the other way. They’re trying to find a happy medium."
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) April 27, 2022
Common Ground
A “happy medium” is exactly what is needed in baseball.
Substances that help with grip aren’t substances that need to be banned.
Perhaps the solution is allowing certain substances to be used while others remain banned.
Maybe some research could be done by MLB on certain substances to learn more about what they do, which ones are okay for pitchers to use, and which ones should be avoided.
Substances that affect the movement of the baseball should remain banned.
That would be the best way to reach the “happy medium” that Showalter is speaking of.
There are plenty of ways the league could go about this.
But something to address both sides of the issue is what is needed.
Perhaps Showalter is thinking that problems with grip on the baseball could be part of the issue with so many of his players getting hit by pitches early on this season.
Ultimately, some common ground will be found.
What that looks like is unknown, but in the end, MLB will need to work something out.
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