Offense saw a big decline across baseball in 2024.
Even though superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge had 50-home-run seasons, dingers across the league dropped from 5,868 to 5,453. Batting average fell from .243 to .230 and OPS from .711 to .692.
The drop in offensive production resulted from pitchers throwing much harder and incorporating what’s known as a sweeper. On top of that, MLB modified baseballs in 2021 after over 6,700 flew out of the ballpark in 2019.
However, a top MLB play-by-play announcer is openly questioning if baseballs have been changed once again following an early power surge.
Mets announcer Gary Cohen says baseballs ‘more jumpy’
In the first inning of Friday’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso hit a 377-foot opposite field blast to right.
The significance? Alonso connected on a low and away 95 mph fastball from Kevin Gausman with what Mets announcer Gary Cohen called a “half swing.”
“Just a little half swing and he hits it out to the other field,” Cohen said about Alonso’s home run.
POLAR POWER.
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 4, 2025
Pete Alonso goes oppo for a two-run shot! pic.twitter.com/n2UlBFTva4
The home run discussion didn’t stop there, as Cohen questioned if the baseballs had been modified again.
“The ball has really been carrying in the early season,” stated Cohen.
“I mean, you got to be awfully strong to do that, but that was a shocking home run,” he continued, adding how Miami Marlins’ Otto Lopez hit a bomb off the facade of the second deck at LoanDepot Park against the Mets earlier in the week. “But even for Pete Alonso to hit a home run in that fashion is not something you would expect.
“It certainly makes you consider what might be going on, whether the baseball might be a little bit more jumpy than it was last year.”
What's going on with the baseballs?
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 4, 2025
"It certainly makes you consider what might be going on, whether the baseball might be a little more jumpy than it was last year," – Gary Cohen. pic.twitter.com/m45AkZ7WlQ
This comes as torpedo bats, a new specialized bat design, have exploded across the league. The New York Yankees tied an MLB record by hitting 15 home runs in the first three games of the regular season during a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. While there’s not enough of a sample size yet to determine if these bats make a difference, many players have already adopted them.
