Ex-Red Sox Star Takes 1-Word Dig At Cubs Amid Calls For Major MLB Overhaul

The scoreboard told one story, but the pitcher’s identity told another. During a blowout win, the Chicago Cubs opted to send out position player Jon Berti to end the game. While this might have passed as a quirky late-game tactic in the past, this time it hit a nerve, particularly considering the growing trend of teams using non-pitchers to eat up innings. The move was highlighted on X by @MatthewNichol5, who remarked that “Position players pitching has gotten way out of hand.” That post did not go unnoticed, especially by a former Red Sox star. 

Enter former infielder Jeff Frye, better known online as @shegone03. Frye, who has never been shy about defending baseball’s traditional values, dropped a single word in response: “Unbelievable!” The timing of his dig could not have been sharper, coming just days after a league-wide debate was sparked over the Orioles’ rookie Coby Mayo launching a 462-foot bomb off a position player. A video that should have celebrated a young slugger instead fueled the ongoing debate over whether gimmicks like position players pitching undermine the integrity of the game.

This moment is not an isolated one; it is part of a bigger trend that is now under serious scrutiny. Position players pitched over 140 innings in 2024—more than triple the total from a decade ago. 

While some bullpens defend the strategy as a team-saving necessity, MLB veterans are sounding the alarm. “It’s ruining the game and making a farce of statistics,” one former All-Star told USA TODAY. “Just wait until one of these guys gets hurt.”

The criticism is not about robbing the game of fun; it is about safeguarding its legitimacy. As the former Red Sox star’s tweet went viral, it symbolized what multiple fans have been thinking. They are not asking for robotic regulations; however, they are asking for accountability. They don’t see a rookie hitting a moonshot off a second baseman as baseball—they see it as exploiting a loophole that has gone too far.

However, the online noise is not new. Just a few days back, a Hall of Famer stepped in with an old-school flamethrower take, throwing more gas on the fire.

John Smoltz fires blistering critique, following Red Sox legend’s dig

Leave it to a Hall of Famer to say what so many fans have been thinking. John Smoltz did not sugarcoat anything during his appearance on the Flippin’ Bats Podcast. The veteran’s rant on the growing trend of position players pitching cut through the noise. “It’s the most embarrassing thing in anything you can do in sport,” the former Braves star asserted. And this was not just some offhanded review—he came in hot, saying the frequency of such appearances mocks the entire base of what makes baseball competitive.

His point was not about nostalgia. Smoltz is not just upset because things are not “how they used to be.” He highlighted how, despite the rule changes implemented in 2023 to decrease the use of position players as pitchers, the tactic is becoming even more common. Teams still find loopholes. Whether it is a 10-run lead in the ninth or an 8-run cushion earlier, franchises keep pushing it. And Smoltz, who racked up over 3,000 strikeouts in his career, sees this as a troubling reflection of modern baseball’s priorities.

The real kicker here? Smoltz is not alone. He joins a chorus of respected voices calling for change, not because the game needs to be “less fun,” but because it needs to be fair. The line between showmanship and disrespect, between smart managing and stat-padding, has blurred too much. And for stars who built their legacies on competing against elite talent, watching someone like Coby Mayo go yard off a second baseman does not sit right. 

Smoltz’s voice might push MLB to take action as it weighs its next steps. If a Hall of Famer thinks it is “the most embarrassing thing in sports,” maybe it is time to listen to him and others.

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