What Domingo German’s spin rate says about cheating, explained
By Josh Wilson
Theory: Domingo German having his best stuff all year is proof of cheating
The narrative is there implicitly. German struggles in his first two outings and then comes out and tears it up in his third all of a sudden. Seems fishy, so he must be a Michael Pineda repeat, yeah?
Here are the facts as they pertain to spin rate: Domingo German’s average spin rate pre-fourth inning was above his previous season high on two pitches on Saturday — Changeup and fastball.
Conclusion: This theory is up for debate and needs a larger sample size
It is not abnormal for pitchers to have really good days. But besting your season single-pitch peak in spin rate on two pitches on average over the course of three innings is either extremely impressive or indicative of an advantage.
I have to admit, I’m skeptical. That said, professional sports is all about freak athletics and players digging in to do the unthinkable. It’s a pretty pessimistic reaction to assume one amazing performance is due to cheating.
German has faced just 57 batters so far this season. We would need to revisit this particular part of the data to argue conclusively over this particular aspect of the argument.
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