Ex-Blue Jays All-Star ruffles feathers with recent comments on MLB's hit-by-pitch epidemic

The Blue Jays have so many former players on other teams that it can be easy to forget some of them. Remember 2023 All-Star Whit Merrifield? Well, Merrifield recently found himself involved in an extremely scary incident that has sparked a heated conversation about the state of pitching in baseball. Has the pitching become so dangerous that it's time to start implementing new rules or should we just let the boys play?

In a recent game against the Colorado Rockies, Merrifield was plunked on the left side of the head by a 95 mph fastball from Rockies rookie right-hander Jeff Criswell. It was a scary incident and Braves Manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Merrifield didn't suffer a concussion even though he left the game.

It was the postgame commentary from the utility infielder that has everybody talking and wondering what the broader consequences will be. Citing the perceived lack of consequences for pitchers who frequently hit batters, Merrifield called for rules to punish the offenders.

The 35-year-old fumed after the game that, “I can’t tell you how much my phone was blowing up with players saying, ‘Thank God somebody’s finally talking about this,’” ... "Pitchers, too, which is a bit surprising. I’ve had a lot of pitchers reach out to me and say, ‘Yeah, this is ridiculous what some of these guys coming up are doing.’

There is no doubt that the number of hit-by-pitches in Major League Baseball is skyrocketing. According to the New York Post, there have been more than 2,000 batters hit across baseball in each of the last three years, a pace that is unmatched in more than a hundred years. The question is what is behind the sudden uptick. Some think it is pitchers throwing hard and not knowing where the baseball is traveling. Others believe it is batters standing closer to home plate as they try to swing the bat at all kinds of different pitches.

Regarding that latter point about batters, could it be that batters just don't realize what their forefathers had to endure? Remember, this was once a sport that allowed sliding into second base that would send an infielder to the deepest corners of the outfield. Clearly baseball has taken steps to lower the temperature, which not everyone believes is effective. Breathing oxygen into that line of thinking is Albertus Vaut Barber IV, a former Philadelphia Phillies minor league player who wrote on X, "Imagine football players complaining about being tackled...What is this sport sometimes? 30 years ago they whooped each other- now people can’t get hit?"

“The guys are throwing as hard as they can and they don’t care where the ball goes. It is driving me nuts and I hate where the game is at right now with that."

If there is one axiom in baseball recently, it's that the proliferation of certain problems always seem to cause upper management to implement rules. Think the games are too long? How about a pitch clock aimed at trimming the time of game. Think the extra inning games drag on too long? How about the placement of a runner at second base for each team in the extra frames. Something similar could be occurring as this latest epidemic may land positively with Commissioner Rob Manfred. But how would such a solution work and is it actually effective?

Merrifield serves on the MLB Competition Committee, a group of six owners, four players and one umpire that meet to discuss various rule changes in the sport. Notice something about the composition of that committee? You guessed it, the players are outnumbered by the owners. For the owners, there may not be a large appetite for sweeping change if they also employ pitchers who throw hard and don't know where the baseball is going. Plus, some players may like pitchers who throw hard for their team because they get outs. Does this also mean a loosening of restrictions on the substances that actually may have helped pitchers get a better grip on baseballs? At the end of the day, there may be too many conflicting interests to advance something over the finish line.

In any event, it's a worthy aspiration to bring down the number of hit-by-pitches and keep players as safe as possible. Baseball is a sport where star players can suffer a debilitating injury in these situations. The Atlanta Braves have suffered numerous such injuries this season, placing a crimp in their push to a grab a playoff spot. A star-driven sport like baseball needs to keep its stars protected and it remains to be seen if this leads to a dramatic rewrite of the sport's rules.