The balls have been a frequent topic of conversation throughout the first month of the Major League Baseball season. Eric Chavez, the hitting coach for the New York Mets, added a new wrinkle into the discussion.
By and large, the balls don’t seem to be traveling as far in 2022 as we’ve seen in recent seasons. It’s been brought up by fans and players, alike. But according to Chavez, that isn’t always the case.
Chavez said (per Tim Healey, Newsday) that in the days leading up to a nationally televised game with the Philadelphia Phillies, Mets hitters told him that the balls in that game would travel better. As it turned out, that’s what happened.
MLB fans voiced their opinions on it. Though, one completely absent emotion was surprise.
HRs during national broadcasts:
ESPN: 1.5 per game (4 games)
Apple TV+: 2.3 per game (20 games)
TBS: 1 per game (4 games)
Overall: 2 per game (56 homers in 28 games)2022 overall: 1.09 per game (792 HRs in 724 games) https://t.co/flMGgaR2DW
— Meditations in Panic City (@MedInPanicCity) May 7, 2022
I 1000000% believe this https://t.co/aUHTsYn0Px
— Matt (@ImGriz_) May 7, 2022
Doesn't surprise me at all https://t.co/EUPFZaWoY4
— Trav (@_TRAVY) May 7, 2022
This is a FACT
No conspiracy here. https://t.co/TTNnSpEVcm
— Tyler (@WardyNYM) May 7, 2022
Someone had suggested this in the comments of a tweet a couple weeks ago. Interesting to see people actually handling them have the same thought. https://t.co/RS3DeUMNyP
— commissioner shayla (byron buxton enthusiast) (@shaylarz) May 7, 2022
Wasn’t there a thing this past offseason that said they did the same thing last year? It was pretty obvious that the ball was flying further at the FOD game last year https://t.co/oCDKrQ2pek
— Papa Cole (@papa_cole45) May 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/baseballgaloot/status/1523029249937920001
To be fair, the Field of Dreams game from 2021 is probably not the greatest example to bring up. Yes, the balls were live in that game. But it was also the only game played in that season at that stadium. That park may just be particularly hitter-friendly. As future games are played there, we might get a better answer to that.
If the assertions of Chavez and the Mets are, in fact, correct, there are some confusing elements.
One, shouldn’t MLB do this in every game? Remember, unlike the NFL and NBA, MLB rarely draws big national ratings. Where MLB does do very well is in regional ratings. So, if the people want to see the longball, shouldn’t that be something MLB wants to give them as much as possible? If fans are seeing and (at least, theoretically) liking home runs in the regionally broadcast games, they may be more inclined to watch the national games, even if their favorite teams aren’t playing.
Two, MLB doesn’t seem to know what it wants its fans to see. In 2023, we’re going to see a ban on the shift, with no more than two infielders allowed on either side of second base. Along the same lines, MLB is implementing larger bases.
The purpose of these moves is to make MLB less dependent on the true results of strikeouts, walks and yes, home runs. So, do fans want to see more balls in play, more stolen bases and less dependence on those true results? If that’s the case, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for MLB to eschew these things and make nationally televised games a glorified home run derby.
What Chavez and the Mets are asserting could well be true. But while it may not be surprising, it sure is confusing.
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