Fansided

MLB All-Star break: 10 biggest storylines of 2017

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 7-6. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 7-6. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – JULY 4: Scooter Gennett #4 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a two-run home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 4, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – JULY 4: Scooter Gennett #4 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a two-run home run in the eighth inning during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 4, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

2. The juiced baseball

Home runs are flying out of MLB stadiums at a dizzying pace in 2017, which is only a continuation from record dinger totals last year. Multiple studies have looked into the baseballs the league has been using since the second half of 2015, and the results point to a ball that is more tightly-wound with lower seams. That means a more aerodynamic ball that flies farther when struck.

Commissioner Rob Manfred continues to deny that there is anything different about the baseballs his league is using this year, but it’s too obvious. Scooter Gennett, who has a career slugging percentage under .450 is now slugging over .600 and hit four home runs in a game. MLB can point to the continued shift in players’ swings to increase launch angle and get the ball in the air, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.

Juiced balls on their own are not solely responsible for the rise in home runs. Hitters have become smarter about the value of hitting the ball in the air. The league’s Statcast data system makes it easier to track and quantify the value of hard contact and the type of contact made, but that is not the only factor. Most fans don’t care whether or not the ball is juiced, but it would just be nice to know how impressive the home run totals really are. I, for one, do not want to have to view Logan Morrison’s impending 50-homer season as anything but legitimate.

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