A “widespread paranoia” has spread across MLB about players tipping their pitches from the mound, according to The Athletic’s Andy McCullough, Dennis Lin and Cody Stavenhagen.
Trying to decipher a pitcher’s tells with the aid of technology is within the rules of the sport, as long as that information isn’t electronically relayed to the batter. This is an area where teams are devoting serious time and attention.
“When asked which teams excel at this art form, players pointed to the clubs with both the deepest pockets and the keenest eyes: The Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies were all mentioned, as were the Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers,” McCullough, Lin and Stavenhagen wrote. “To be successful at scoring runs in this era requires the ability to pick up tips.”
A somewhat recent example of what’s happening came in the San Diego Padres’ 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 9. San Diego’s home broadcast showed Red Sox coaches looking at Robert Suarez’s body positioning as he prepared to throw a fastball or changeup.
It’s not as though tipped pitches are a new development. For as long as baseball has been played, opposing teams have sought whatever competitive advantages they could find, and that included spying on any telling indicators from pitchers.
The Athletic posited that the trend might be increasing thanks to the pitch clock. When pitchers have less time to prepare, they’re more prone to fall into habits that spoil their offerings.
“It’s usually never something that big, honestly,” Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman said. “It’s usually something you’re like, ‘How could they even see that?’ A lot of times it’s at an angle where you’re like, ‘Well, they’re not ever going to see that angle.’ But someone might.”
We’re even at a point where hitters are going out of their way to bluff when they’ve decoded a pitcher’s signals.
In an April game between the Padres and San Francisco Giants, Giants catcher Patrick Bailey at one point gestured to teammate Mike Yastrzemski about what pitch might be coming. San Diego’s Nick Pivetta seemed to be visibly affected by the tactic.
“You’re just trying to create paranoia,” Bailey told The Athletic. “I think any chance to get the attention of a guy making pitches, it’s definitely an advantage.”
The MLB playoffs offer no shortage of storylines to follow in the fall. All of the focus on tipped pitches makes for one of those compelling subplots.
