Fact Check: Do increasing spin rates prove MLB has a "sticky substance" scandal on its hands?

Increasing spin rates is something all pitchers strive to do. In the analytics boom, spin rate has been one of the biggest data points for pitchers. The more spin a pitch has, the more difficult it is to hit. With certain pitches, higher spin rates mean more movement on the ball.

This peaked in 2021 when almost every single MLB pitcher was using SpiderTack or some other sticky substance to grip the ball better and improve their spin on the ball. Those substances were then banned and baseball instituted checks between innings for all pitchers.

Now, even without "sticky stuff", spin rates are back on the rise. Max Scherzer was recently ejected and suspended for 10 games over something on his hands.

MLB analyst David Cone then followed it up by showcasing on Sunday Night Baseball how sticky rosin, the only legal substance left, can be when mixed with alcohol.

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Are increasing spin rates cause for concern?

Spin rates continue to rise, though they're not quite at the level they were when SpiderTack and other concoctions were so common.

Increasing spin rates are the talk of baseball

According to Fansided, the averages have gone up compared to the first 24 games of 2022:

• Fastball: Up 24
• Changeup: Up 54
• Curveball: Up 31
• Cutter: Up 24
• Sinker: Up 35
• Slider: Up 12

Naturally, the league is not seeing the unreal spin numbers from two seasons ago, but something has changed. Whether or not the increasing spin rates are due to more cheating remains to be seen, though.

What MLB will do about pitchers like Scherzer pushing the legal substances to the limit remains to be seen, too.