MLB Increases Security After “Deflategate”

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week or so, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “deflategate” and the overkill of its scrutiny. Well regardless of your stance on the subject, and the outcome of Ted Wells Report, the MLB has instituted precautions to prevent something like this happening in baseball. The beefed up security on hand will oversee the baseballs being transferred from the locker room to the field.

The new policy will include an MLB security official to watch the baseballs while clubhouse attendants carry them onto the field. If the on the field supply is running low, the MLB official will go get more from the clubhouse, where in the past this duty would have been the responsibility of a ball girl or bat boy. For the most part, this is a good move from the MLB and should prevent any future issues. Angels own C.J. Wilson weighed in on the subject, “Obviously, there’s not as much that you can do to baseballs,” Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson said . “I mean, you can’t change the density of the baseball at any point – unless you dunk them in water. Then they’re going to be 9 ounces, and everyone’s going to blow their arms out.”

Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Hot take from C.J. right there, it’s safe to say no pitcher wants to throw a water logged baseball. The weight of a baseball isn’t something that has been a problem for the MLB in the past. Scuffing baseballs, pine tar, and pitching with a little bit of vaseline have been the main issues for MLB officials to deal with. Throwing a scuffed baseball doesn’t automatically give a pitcher advantage, but it is just another tool that can be utilized if the pitcher is good enough. This only is a problem on turf fields, where hard ground balls often become scuffed, but most umpire crews are smart enough to throw the balls out immediately. Pine tar and vaseline are the sketchier subjects that are harder to notice for umpires, unless of course you’re Michael Pineda, but no questioning that both can give the pitcher an advantage.