Sources: MLB umpires to crack down on pitchers using illegal substances on baseballs

[Auggie]

espn.com

After repeated efforts by Major League Baseball to dissuade pitchers from using illegal substances to get a better grip on the ball and create more spin, the league is going to crack down on the practice by giving umpires more latitude.

Details on the more aggressive enforcement were still being worked out after owners were informed that the practice is prevalent around baseball, sources told ESPN.

MLB has gathered plenty of data after two months of collecting a random sampling of baseballs and shipping them to a third-party laboratory for inspection of foreign substances. But it will not use that data to punish pitchers retroactively, a source told ESPN. That information, however, could be communicated to umpires so that they know whom to closely monitor within games.

Umpire enforcement, which will now take place more regularly without an initial ask by a manager, is a crucial element to MLB's hopes of policing foreign substances. But other aspects are expected to be involved, including the possibility of suspensions for those caught using.

MORE: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31561291/mlb-umpires-crack-pitchers-using-illegal-substances-baseballs

Applause, with noted exception (which is a little troubling): But it will not use that data to punish pitchers retroactively, a source told ESPN. That information, however, could be communicated to umpires so that they know whom to closely monitor within games.

This is troubling: The article reports pitchers that umpires "monitor" could be based on a "random sampling of baseballs," meaning it would not be impartial.