Pittsburgh Pirates’ veteran slugger Andrew McCutchen has spoken out publicly about what hitters across MLB have been quietly feeling all of 2025. Something seemed to be off with the baseball, and it took a fellow hitter to understand it. The balls just aren’t flying off the bat the way they should.
McCutchen revealed on X what he learned when reacting to New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto narrowly missing a home run at Citi Field. In his post, McCutchen claimed that MLB is using balls this season that do not travel as far as one would expect.
Is MLB Using Deadballs In the 2025 Season?
McCutchen quoted a video shared by Mets fan Ben Yoel, captioned: “You can’t convince me MLB isn’t using dead balls.”
“I was told by a rep for MLB that the balls are indeed different this year,” McCutchen said. “They stated ‘higher seams,’ which produces more drag on the 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 year’s baseball, I was told there was ‘nothing’ that can be done about it this season.”
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… https://t.co/StaUR45PFv
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) June 14, 2025
The period from 1900 to 1920 was the Deadball Era of Baseball. This infamous era was characterized by low-scoring games and fewer home runs, with an emphasis on pitching and defense. As McCutchen points out, higher seams create more drag, which prevents baseballs from traveling as far as they otherwise would have.
In fairness, the league isn’t taking the game back 100 years. But when players think their home runs are turning in easy outs, they are bound to get frustrated.
“But they are ‘working hard on getting to the bottom of why the seams are higher.’ So yeah, you’re not wrong, Ben.”
Hitters across MLB have been left frustrated by subtle changes in baseball behavior during the 2025 season. A review by The Athletic found more drag on the ball this year than in any of the nine seasons since MLB began tracking it. “As a result, equally hard-hit fly balls are coming up 4 feet short, on average,” the report said.
Eagle-eyed fans have not missed the impact of the issue either. An X user highlighted the issue when reacting to Austin Wells’ 106.1 mph drive that was caught in center field.
“There have been 596 batted balls in the Statcast era with a 106-107 mph exit velo and a 32-34 [degree] launch angle,” @HalToHell noted. “The average distance is 411 feet.”
There have been 596 batted balls in the statcast era with a 106-107 MPH exit velo and a 32-34 LA.
The average distance is 411 feet. https://t.co/c9sc9KF3Nu
— . (@HalToHell) June 15, 2025
Instead of clearing the wall, Wells’ blast fell short, as more cases continue to be highlighted about MLB’s so-called deadened ball.
MLB Downplays Impact of Ball Changes
According to The Athletic, “MLB’s position is that gameplay is largely unaffected.”
“The league said that the results through Monday, which marks the first 978 games, or about 40 percent of the season, are ‘in line’ with last year through the same amount of games.”
Unlike the juiced balls that defined the late 2010s, scoring isn’t significantly down from years past, allowing the league to write it off as a non-issue.
“Long fly balls hit at similar trajectories travel about four feet less than they did through this time last year,” MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said. “In terms of outcomes on the field, 2025 remains in line with 2024 results.”
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While MLB has chosen to downplay concerns over changes in baseball’s behavior, players and fans will be watching closely, and more cases of should-be homers are likely to be highlighted. When that happens, will the league admit fault and fix the issue, or will hitters be left to adjust to the change?