It’s an open secret inside the game: Pine tar, and other grip substances, can help a pitcher increase their spin rate. I’ve been asked not to write about it by more than a few pitchers, but at this point there are two pressing reasons to have this discussion.



One is that Trevor Bauer recently pointed out that Gerrit Cole’s spin rate is up dramatically with his new team. The Cleveland righty made mention of the link between grip substances and spin in a response to Driveline Baseball’s Kyle Boddy fielding a question about the Astros spin in general.



This led to a response from Lance McCullers, predictably, because it does border on the accusation of cheating across Houston’s entire staff.



This part of the discussion is overstated. Yes, Gerrit Cole’s increase in spin is remarkable, and strange within the context of how spin normally ages, and how sticky it is year to year. You don’t normally see jumps as large as his.