MLB commissioner Rob Manfred satisfied with sticky-stuff protocols

Despite another round of complaints this week from the Mets, who again blasted MLB’s sticky-stuff enforcement in the wake of Drew Smith’s suspension, commissioner Rob Manfred sees no issues with the current protocols.

Manfred, speaking Thursday at the conclusion of MLB’s owners meetings in Manhattan, disagreed with claims that the rule is too loosely defined and the process arbitrary when it comes to the umpire’s inspections.

“First of all, there is nothing arbitrary about the enforcement,” Manfred said. “The umpires all received uniform training on what the use of rosin on the mound — in the way that is allowed under the rules  what that feels like. And what it feels like when you’re doing something illegally. Combining it with rubbing alcohol or sunscreen or some other sticky substance. So I don’t just don’t accept the premise that it’s arbitrary.”

Smith had a different view after he was ejected at the top of the seventh inning Tuesday night by umpire Bill Miller, who checked his hands before he took the mound. The Mets reliever insisted any stickiness was due to “sweat and rosin” — the same explanation Max Scherzer used when he got busted in April.

The Yankees’ Domingo German is the only other major-league pitcher to be suspended this season for a sticky-stuff violation, so Manfred was asked Thursday if he believed those three were the only ones to use an illegal amount of a banned substance.

“No, and I’ll tell you why I answered it that way,” Manfred said. “I am sure, that out of an abundance of caution and good judgement, umpires have had questionable situations that they decided that they’re just not quite sure. And I am 100% certain they err on the side of no violation.”

When a reporter then pointed out how that would make it arbitrary if pitchers are cheating and getting away with the crime, primarily because there’s no exact guidelines for breaking this particular rule, Manfred again didn’t share that perspective.

“I think that it would be arbitrary to take a questionable situation and push it into a violation,” Manfred said. “I think the athlete deserves the benefit of the doubt in the unclear situation.”

But that seems to be the fundamental problem here. Pitchers may have trouble figuring out where that line is drawn. And can’t the interpretation of “too sticky” vary from umpire to umpire? Smith insisted that he did nothing different Tuesday night, and when Miller was pressed on his ruling by a pool reporter, he maintained that Smith’s hands were the “stickiest” he’s felt, just as Phil Cuzzi did with Scherzer. Miller also was asked if he detected a foreign substance on Smith.

“I can't tell,” Miller said. “All I know is whether or not, I don't know what's on his hand, all I know it was sticky, sticky to the touch. It stuck to my hands when I touched it. Not only his pitching hand, but his glove hand as well.”

Without a chemical test, or some analytical evidence — like elevated spin rates — the enforcement feels too subjective. Still, Manfred doubled-down on his umpires.

“We talk to the umpires after each situation like that,” Manfred said. “I think it is fair to say across the board that the violation situations were in the unquestionable zone. Whether you have a number or not, it was absolutely clear that the level of stickiness in each situation could not have been produced by the allowable use of a rosin bag.”

Don’t expect Manfred to loosen up his hard-line stance, either. MLB is committed to increasing offense, as well as reducing the strikeout rate, and that’s going to target anything that gives pitchers a pronounced edge.

“The sticky substance phenomenon was altering the way the game was being played on the field,” Manfred said. “And we feel, from an integrity and fairness perspective, it’s our obligation to do everything we can to make sure those rules are enforced. Where the violations happen to fall, that’s a product of who’s violating, in my view.”

Robo-umps not automatic for ’24

Manfred was not ready Thursday to provide any timetable for the integration of the automated ball-strike system (ABS) — also known as robo-umps — at the major-league level. The system is currently being used at all 30 Triple-A ballparks, with either the entire game being called by the robo-ump tracking device or a challenge format that has umpires in the traditional role, but the ability to review balls and strikes.

“I think you get debate on that among the decision-makers,” Manfred said of going to the ABS next season in the majors. “I think there’s some sentiment among the group that we’ve made a lot of changes here, we ought to let the dust settle. And there are clearly unresolved operational issues with respect to ABS. Despite all the testing, we still have some things that are unresolved.”

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.