As the season progresses, there have been reports of a significant issue with baseballs in 2025. And apparently, one umpire admitted such to Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen acknowledged the fact that such balls aren’t “carrying” as much as usual.
Andrew McCutchen Shows Real Problem with Balls
Andrew McCutchen shared a video on X from Ben Yoel that showed a ball that was drilled by Juan Soto. Despite looking very good off the bat, the ball died in front of the warning track. This prompted McCutchen to state that one umpire told him the seams on the ball this year are higher, which are causing some home runs to die on the warning track. The carry on balls are very important for home runs.
One video from Made the Cut shows that the expected batting average for Soto, based on his launch angle and speed (which also determines distance on homers), is above .300. Expected batting averages at worst are 20 to 30 points better than the actual batting average. However, Soto’s is .248, much worse than his expected average. The video also shows that many balls were crushed but fell dead on the warning track.
Oh, and to convince you a little bit more, in the statcast era, 14 of the 26 biggest gaps between the true average and expected one are from 2025, but that is just a coincidence, I’m sure. Not to mention, the raised seams also affect the pitchers delivery of each pitch.
When Will the Problem Be Fixed?
The problem hasn’t even been identified yet. The MLB knows that the seams are higher than usual, but still doesn’t know why. Unfortunately, the problem is likely to remain for the rest of the season, as the MLB cannot change balls that easily. However, expect the MLB to address this problem by next season once it is identified.
The question remains, though: how come other players are absolutely destroying home runs left and right? The reality is that, despite certain players having amazing seasons, others, such as Soto and McCutchen, are experiencing issues. Certain players rely more on line drives to carry out of the stadium instead of just raw power. Without carrying, many balls that are expected and usually carried out are dead. Homers are still coming often for many players, but the reality is that there is still an issue to fix.
These Balls are Affecting Games
On Friday, as the Mets attempted to take down the Tampa Bay Rays, the Mets were down 7-5 with Soto up with two outs and one on. Soto absolutely clobbered a ball to deep right field, only for the ball to die on warning, ending the Mets’ attempt to win the game in bad fashion. If the ball had gone out, the Mets probably would’ve won that game, considering they were at home, and extra innings would have happened.
The problem becomes a bigger issue when considering this fact. Instead of just individual stats, this dead ball could also affect games, which will in turn effect seasons themselves. This loss ended a 6-game win streak and started a 5-game losing streak, yikes. It’s not all the ball’s fault, but wouldn’t the Mets have been more confident with a 7-game winning streak and a comeback victory at that? Probably. The reality is that this problem needs to be addressed.
It is official, the MLB itself has recognized that the balls this year are different. Andrew McCutchen himself noted that the balls are being made with issues, specifically higher seams. The MLB needs to quickly address these problems in order not to affect games.
Main Image: © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
