Fired Angels Employee Alleges Knowledge of illegal fist material used by Cole, Verlander, Scherzer, Wainwright and more

At first I’ll say again that I will not exempt MLB from any of the following. Not unlike the steroid era, MLB has known that players are increasingly using illegal substances to improve their play on the field, and they have failed to act. Moreover, it is no different from the era of steroid, There is reason to believe that the use of illegal substances is widespread. Neither of them is an excuse for players, but it is an important context before you get morally good.

Of course, this time, I am not talking about the type of illegal substances you put into your body to improve performance; I’m talking about the kind of illegal material you lay down On Your body to improve performance. They are illegal grip-enhancing products that shooters use to generate additional spin, which can affect the shape and movement of pitches greatly.

Earlier this year, Los Angeles Angels employee has been fired After connecting it to distribute a special substance that enhances cohesion outside the visitor club. Former employee, Bubba Harkins is suing the Angels and MLB for defamation, claiming he became a scapegoat despite the fact that this was widely known in the game. And in his most recent files, there are significant allegations about who was receiving his substance, and / or who MLB already knew was using illegal grip boosters.

From ESPN:

The [filings include] A statement from Harkins referring to an interview conducted on March 26th with lawyers from MLB and The Angels. During the interview, Harkins claims to have identified Cole, Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Corey Cloper, Juba Chamberlain, Adam Wainwright and Tyler Chatwood among the shooters who previously ordered a specific mix of pine tar and pine tar, which became popular throughout the league after arriving at Troy Percival The former is the closest in over 20 years.

Harkins has also named several current and former Angels – Percival, Brendan Donnelly, Kevin Gibson, Cam Pedrosian, Kenan Middleton, Yosemero Petit, Luke Bard, Matt Andressi, Dylan Peters, Jose Suarez, Caleb Cowart and Dylan Bundy – who used the mix.

Obviously, some of the names are recognizable there, and the point is not related to the work of “Guskatk” because it is about noticing how broad that is. These are just the people named by a former club host, and he’s hitting players across the league (including, you’ll notice, former Cubs pitcher Tyler Chatwood). Once again, the use of illegal grip boosters is believed to be prevalent throughout the game.

To this end, beef with pitchers has never wanted to maximize their grip for grip. Heck, hitters kind of like when they know the archer won’t completely lose his grip and throw one over their heads. Moreover, with MLB constantly tinkering with baseball, I think that’s when shooters sometimes say rosin is not enough if the ball is too smooth.

However, I do draw the line when shooters clearly use the grip tools to greatly increase their rotation rate. They know the impact it can have on performance, and they know it’s against the rules. So they cheat. Let’s be clear about that.

One of Harkins’ most vulgar claims is Text message saying he received from Yankees Ice Gerrit ColeHi Bubba, I’m Gerrit Cole. I was wondering if you could help me with this sticky situation [winky face emoji]. We don’t see you until May, but we do have some road games in April in cold weather places. The things I had last year crash when it gets cold … ”

No one should be surprised at Cole’s involvement here, because we’ve done this before. A topic from August, in which Trevor Bauer is necessarily also discussed:

Using a little sunscreen to get a hold? Widely accepted.

Do you use so much sticky material that your finger gets stuck on your hat? This is how you artificially make an Elite spin. The kind that Cole suddenly developed after arriving with the Astros. https://t.co/26r1EeNU6p

BleacherNation August 8, 2020

See another RT on Bauer’s quote (who himself has jumped his turnover dramatically this year). Bauer was talking about Houston. Jugs went there, and their turnover went up by miles. This can only be done by applying a substance (and there is more tar than pine tar), Bauer said.

BleacherNation August 8, 2020

We have to talk about this, because like Bauer had been ironing about two years ago (before he jumped on board, apparently), using grip boosters to dramatically increase spin * is cheating. * It’s clearly prohibited by the rules, and it’s clear that it has a huge impact on performance.

BleacherNation August 8, 2020

Just to include this Tweet in the thread: https://t.co/Ixca5ryJGK

BleacherNation August 8, 2020

Bonus? Imagine the stones on this guy to say this now:

It is almost as if it were there. wow. The more you know … how crazy he is 🥱🥱 https://t.co/oOvktAX71c https://t.co/8eKIkVnTFh

Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) January 8, 2021

I understand that Bauer thinks he’s been fixing a point in the last year by dramatically increasing his turnover (which, again, self-says it’s not possible without grip boosters), but he’s also been awarded a Cy Young for that. I really don’t understand how you can do that and then the chirping comes out.

In any case. Bauer has always been right about one thing: There are pitchers that cheat under the current rules. A lot of them. Maybe too many “punish” at this point. But MLB will have to keep working on this issue, because the benefits of the massive spin rate increase – even if done illegally – can be too much for shooters to turn down, especially when this gray area of, ‘Oh, well, I’m using it Just to get a better grip for control and safety, and MLB isn’t punishing anyone for this, so it’s okay if you also get a little more spin. ”

Oh, one final reminder: Just adding a spin to your shows, alone, doesn’t make you a great player. You also have to make this extra spin Work for you, Which is more complicated, and shooters deserve credit for. But, well, getting the extra spin clearly helps with the movement and life of your stadiums, which is why teams target her so much.