In June of 2021, Pete Alonso declared a conspiracy with MLB baseballs. Years away from his first trip into free agency, the New York Mets slugger theorized baseballs were changed based on the upcoming free agent class. If the free agent pool was heavy on pitchers, the league would try to increase offense the year prior. If an abundance of bats were entering free agency, pitchers had the leverage.
An unproven theory but with some magic bullet elements to it for sure, his worst fears may be coming true in 2025. Courtesy of Andrew McCutchen, the balls are indeed apparently a little bit different this year and no one can tell him exactly why. Here’s what he had to say:
“I was told by a rep for MLB that the balls are indeed different this year. They stated “higher seams” which produces more drag on baseball, causing baseballs to not travel as far as they should. When asked why, I was told “every baseball is hand sewn so no ball is the same.” When I asked if there is something that can be done about correcting the current performance of this years baseball, I was told there was “nothing” that can be done about it this season BUT, they are “working hard on getting to the bottom of why the seams are higher.”
Could Pete Alonso have even more monstrous numbers for the Mets this year if not for the baseballs?
You’d never know the baseballs were dead if you looked at what Alonso is doing. He’s on pace to set a personal best in RBI. He has been tearing through baseballs most of the year, but the home runs are indeed down lending some extra credence to the theory.
Swapping a couple of home runs for two-base hits hasn’t held Alonso back from putting up eye-catching numbers. Last year’s 31 doubles was a career-high for him and if you have time, there might be enough evidence to suggest there were enough times when balls of his died a little too soon. After all, the 34 home runs he hit in 2024 were a personal low in any full season. He struggled in other ways, limiting him to 88 RBI on the season. This year he’s already at 22 doubles and 63 RBI. Both lead the league.
Alonso isn’t officially a free agent after this year but we know he won’t be opting into the $24 million he could receive from the Mets next season. He has already lived up to and perhaps beyond the $30 million he’s getting paid in 2025. His greatest obstacle might be having enough of a market out there for his services. The Mets should undoubtedly remain in play to re-sign him. As tedious as the negotiations were, the relationship between player and team seems copacetic with no bad blood spilling out publicly. In fact, Alonso seems more in tune with the rest of the team than he did for most of last year both as a performer and person.
Pitchers or hitters will probably always have some complaint about the baseballs. Because they have changed over the years, one side will be left dissatisfied. Right now, it’s the batters’ turn to question what’s going on.
