Home-run surge above board: MLB
SAN DIEGO— With home runs up to a level not seen since the height of the Steroids Era, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says he is not worried performance-enhancing drugs are a reason for the increase.
There was an average of nearly 2.32 home runs per game before the allstar break, up from 1.90 in the first half of last year and the most before the break since 2.56 in 2000.
“The increase in the number of home runs takes place against a very, very different backdrop,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday.
“It takes place against the backdrop where Major League Baseball does 22,000 drug tests a year.”
Thirteen players have been suspended this year under the bigleague drug program, including NL batting champion Dee Gordon of the Miami Marlins, nearly double the seven suspensions issued in all of 2015.
Offence started perking up during the second half of last season, and last year’s home run average ended at 2.02.
“If it was performance-enhancing drugs, you’d be much more likely to see it begin at the beginning of the season, right, with the off-season being a period of temptation,” Manfred said. “So we think it has to do with the way pitchers pitch, the way hitters are being taught to play the game. We’ve seen some unusual developments in terms of what you traditionally thought of as home-run hitters being moved up in the lineup, just to get them more at-bats.”
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons at times pushed Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion to the top of his batting order.
Manfred rejected the notion baseballs might be juiced and referred to the resignation in 2013 of Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Ryozo Kato after a change in the manufacturing of balls for the Japanese leagues.
“There are certain mistakes in life that if you pay attention to what’s going on around you, you are not inclined to make,” Manfred said. “I like my current gig. So I think you can rest assured ... the baseball’s the same as it was last year.” MAJOR ISSUE: The firing of Fredi Gonzalez by the Atlanta Braves in May has left MLB sensitive to the lack of Latino managers.
“The absence of a Latino manager is glaring,” Manfred said Tuesday.
“There are 30 jobs and there are 30 high-turnover jobs when you’re talking about field managers, and you’re going to have an ebb and flow in terms of diversity. Given that there is no central authority sitting above the 30 clubs saying, “Look, we want to have this makeup among these employees.’ ” MLB often celebrates its diversity. Among 864 players on opening day rosters, disabled lists and the restricted list, 82 were born in the Dominican Republic, 63 in Venezuela, 23 in Cuba and 17 in Puerto Rico.
“I firmly believe that having as diverse a system as possible from top to bottom is beneficial to the industry, so not just on the field, off it as well,” union head Tony Clark said.
“And to be in a position where we don’t have those that reflect our membership in positions of leadership is disappointing.”
Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera, a two-time AL MVP, was surprised when the lack of Latin managers was pointed out to him Monday. “How can it be possible?” he said. “It appears strange to me that there are so many Latino players and not a single manager. Maybe something needs to be done.”