The MLB reportedly wants stickier baseballs
Sports, MLB has commissioned Rawlings to manufacturer a baseball with natural tact on the leather.
This would eliminate the need for pitchers to use a foreign substance, like pine tar or sun screen, to improve their grip.
MLB has commissioned Rawlings, its official manufacturer, to produce a ball with natural tack on the leather in hopes of eliminating the need for pine tar, sunscreen and rosin, or any other foreign substances whose use in recent years has blurred the legal-illegal line, sources familiar with the project told Yahoo Sports.
The new baseballs were tested briefly in the Arizona Fall League last year, and Passan says a common complaint was the tackiness did not last long.
Most pitchers around the league use some sort of foreign substance to improve their grip, especially on cold days.