Four Perspectives: How Do MLB and MiLB Balls Differ?
Pitchers need to get used to a different ball when they reach the big leagues. The variance is slight, but it is nonetheless noticeable. That was the opinion of four pitchers to whom I spoke, and facts back up their feelings.
According to a source within Major League Baseball:
- The MLB ball is made in Costa Rica, and the MiLB ball is made in China.
- The MLB balls cost more.
- There are some differences in the materials, such as the kind of leather.
- Tests are conducted, and the performance of the balls are in line with one another. Even so, major-league pitchers on rehab assignment are allowed to use MLB balls during their minor-league outings.
That last bullet point seems especially telling. Given the availability of that option, there is clearly a difference.
Here is what the handful of hurlers — all of whom pitched in both MLB and Triple-A last season — told me in mid September. Along with the physical feel of the spheroid, pitch movement and the carry of fly balls were also addressed.
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On the Construction and Feel of the Ball
Ben Heller: “It seems like it’s a bit tighter in the big leagues. And the ball is slicker, too. The way they rub it down here makes it a little slicker in your hand, so I find myself trying to get a little moisture to counteract that.”
Jonathan Holder: “There are a little less seams here (in MLB). It’s also a little slicker, so it’s harder to get a grip, but I wouldn’t say I notice it that much. For instance, the college ball was completely different. They’ve changed it recently, but when I was [at Mississippi State], it had huge seams and didn’t move as much.”
Blake Parker: “It’s a completely different ball. The seams are tighter, and they’re smaller (in MLB). It seems like the ball in general is tighter, kind of how… the way it’s put together. Maybe it’s the way they wind it up on the inside? But you can feel the difference. It’s tighter, or maybe I could say it’s denser.”
Kirby Yates: “The seams are higher in the minors. Big-league balls, the seams are a little smaller and they’re wound a little tighter. It’s always been like that, and I’ve gotten used to it. When I come back up, or get sent back down, I already know how to adjust. It’s not like it’s a huge, drastic change, though.”
On Differences in Pitch Movement
Heller: “My fastball actually rides a little bit more. For whatever reason, it has more life to it in the big leagues than it does down in the minors. I feel like my slider moves less. The minor-league balls, with the bigger seams, give my slider a little more downward break. I can start it at the batter’s hip, or almost at his shoulder, and it will break down for a strike. With the big-league balls, if I leave my slider up at all… it seems like it just spins. I need to drive it down, and really finish it, to get that good break.”
Holder: “I think I’ve seen a slight difference. The ball might move a little more here. I think it makes my breaking stuff a little better. Fastballs — if you’re a sinker guy, which I’m not — might be helped moving down in the zone.”
Parker: “Up here, I think you can get more movement on a sinking-type pitch, or a cutter or a hard slider. You may not have as much seam to work with, but there’s more ball in the sense of the density. You can kind of manipulate it better, because it’s smaller. Does that make sense? You can put that little touch on it.”
Yates: “I can’t say there’s a real difference in how my pitches move. Not that I really notice, anyway. For instance, I don’t think my slider is better in either Triple-A or in the big leagues.”
On the Carry of Batted balls
Heller: “I feel like the big-league balls fly a little bit more. I don’t know if they’re harder than the minor-league balls, or what it is. Balls that seem like they’re going to be routine flies… I even notice it in batting practice. I’ll feel like I’m camped under a fly ball, and it will go 10 feet over my head.”
Holder: “They might carry a little farther here. I’ve heard guys say they’re a little harder, but I can’t say I’ve really noticed it myself. I haven’t been here very long.”
Parker: “The ball seems to carry farther here, but that could be the wind currents and how the stadiums are. You also have factor in that the guys up here are the best of the best, and they can hit the ball a long way. Whatever it is, the ball definitely seems to fly compared to down in the minors.”
Yates: “I think the ball goes further — it flies better — in the big leagues. I’ve hung stuff in Triple-A where guys have put on a good swing and it was an out, whereas in the big leagues it was probably a home run. That could be the hitters, too — I’m not 100% sure — but it does seem like it flies more. Regardless of the reason, the balls here are definitely different.”
David Laurila grew up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass. He authored the Prospectus Q&A series at Baseball Prospectus from December 2006-May 2011 before being claimed off waivers by FanGraphs. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidLaurilaQA.
Wonder if pitchfx and exit velocity comparisons for individuals could be done to prove any of this? Also, seems that some pitchers might project better or worse depending on their repitoir. As some pitches might be less or more effective in the minors. Would be interesting.
I have heard Tim Kurkjian say before that MLB foul balls and balls that are taken out of game play go to the minors, and that there is someone evaluating the condition of these balls to determine if they are good enough to use in a game, or bp, infield drills, etc. Is there any truth to this at all, or did he just make this up?
At what park do more than an insignificant number of foul balls end up anywhere but in the crowd (either directly or tossed there by players, base coaches, etc)? And in a given game you only see two or three balls rejected by the pitchers. I would expect most of those find use in batting cages or drills. I’d be surprised if there’s some kind of organized operation that collects balls at a big league stadium, grades them, and transfers them to the minors.
I remember reading something about this year’s ago. Might have been a Kirkjian piece. If I remember correctly MLB uses new balls for BP, and when those are deemed too worn for MLB they are sent down to be used in BP for MiLB.
An industry where badly run subsidiaries go for $1.5B….can’t afford to standardize the balls. I don’t understand so much of how baseball chooses to work, frankly.
It’s the same with nutrition in the minors. The teams have invested millions in some of these kids, but hey, let’s give them a low per diem and just have them eat every meal at Carl Jr’s.
The MLB balls cost more.
Of course. And they should too. MLB players are paid more. They should be hitting new expensive balls. MiLB players aren’t paid anything and that message needs to be reinforced with milb balls. I’m surprised that they use new balls in milb. They should be reusing balls from little league, and factory rejects, and if necessary rocks/stones. And they should be grateful that they are allowed to play baseball at all.
Why would that be surprising? Accurate Scouting and properly preparing them for the majors would demand that the Milb and MLB balls be similar. Hence the test and new balls.
Great article! I had made the assumption that the MLB ball was much different, hence the huge power increase last year. I am still a bit skeptical seems like there were several players that had good/decent numbers in MILB yet they blew up once reaching MLB (last year) In spite of better pitching, larger parks. etc. When was the interviewing for this story done?
Hard to tell whether they are talking about minors or majors. One guy says seams are smaller and another says they’re larger (in MLB), I think?
I’m pretty sure they go further in MLB because they’re hit harder. Whether they go further in addition, for other reasons, IDK and I doubt the pitchers can tell since they’re facing different hitters.
Unless there is a huge difference between the construction or composition of balls, I would not trust what a pitcher says. When they do blind taste tests with expert wine connoisseurs, they pretty much can’t tell the difference between expensive and cheap wines.
“Hard to tell whether they are talking about minors or majors.”
For some of the quotes, it’s impossible to tell.
They were all in MLB with the Yankees when I spoke to them. Will add clarification to the initial quotes where it wasn’t clear. Thanks for pointing this out.
How in the world can players be properly evaluated when they are playing with different equipment, even if everybody is playing with the same stuff? This could be a reason that Jacob deGrom’s stuff played up so much in the majors. No wonder 15 HR’s in the Carolina League is considered 65 power.
There was a MLB study done on balls used about 15 years ago that showed MLB balls travelled about 8 ft further in the 400 ft test. I believe that to still be true , at a minimum, based on many minor league players seem to show a big power jump when called up
http://baseball.physics.illinois.edu/UML2000.pdf