Andrew McCutchen Fires Back After Ex-MLB President Mocks His Claim About Different Balls Being Used

There’s always some mystery swirling around the baseballs used in MLB, and 2025 is no exception. This season, MLB has acknowledged that there’s been more drag on the baseballs. That means those towering fly balls are now falling about four feet shorter than they did just a year ago. It’s a subtle difference, but enough to turn would-be homers into loud outs.

Now, that revelation has sparked debate, and the former Yankees slugger Andrew McCutchen and ex-Marlins president David Samson find themselves on opposite sides of the conversation.

On June 15, McCutchen pulled back the curtain on something most fans hadn’t noticed. He revealed that an MLB official privately admitted to him that the baseballs being used this season are not the same as those from previous years. According to McCutchen, when he pressed the league about whether the issue could be fixed midseason, the answer was a firm no.

But who was the source McCutchen was referring to? Samson reckons that source is someone who doesn’t know anything about baseball. “I would like to tell Andrew McCutchen that your source stinks. And I am not one really. I hear from people in baseball quite a bit. They don’t exactly view me as their go-to friend off the court. But I can assure you in this case, whoever Andrew McCutchen is speaking to, that person doesn’t know squat,” he said on his channel Nothing Personal with David Samson.

Responding to Samson, McCutchen has now offered a strong rebuttal, reigniting the controversy. “My source stinks, David? What a laughable thing to say when my “source” is The Commissioner of MLB, and I have 27 witnesses to back that up. So stick to ur lil channel and do this…” McCutchen wrote on X.

Reportedly, MLB is still investigating the situation but has no plans to make adjustments during the 2025 campaign. “We are aware of an increase in average drag this season and have provided information to the Major League Baseball Players Association on this issue as our experts continue to study any potential causes beyond normal variability in a product made by hand with natural materials,” MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said to The Athletic.

Despite the change in seam of the baseball this year, the figures are not significantly different from last year. According to MLB, the number of long fly balls is in line with last year’s figures through the first 978 games, roughly 40% into the season. As per the Athletic, “MLB cited three statistics: home runs per ball in play were at 4.2 percent this year, compared to 4.1 percent in 2024; batting average was at .244, compared to .240; and runs per game were at 8.6, compared to 8.7.”

Amid this controversy, the Yankees might be the most affected team this year.

The Yankees might have fallen victims of the higher-seam balls

The Yankees, known for their fearsome power grids of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm, and Trent Grisham, are suddenly struggling to do what they do best. Hit the ball out of the park.

Once among the league leaders in home runs, the Yanks now see a dip in production. Their home run average has slipped from 1.12 per game in 2024 to 1.09 in 2025, and overall run production has also taken a slight downturn.

This drop has sparked a growing debate among fans and analysts. With McCutchen’s claim that an MLB official admitted the balls are different this season with higher-seam and with the league confirming added drag, we might know the reason now.

For a roster built around long balls, like the Yankees, any shift in baseball’s seam could force a strategic rethink. If McCutchen’s claim holds, New York might have to adjust its approach. We need to wait until MLB offers transparency or corrective action. Till then, teams and fans will be watching with a wary eye.