Well, there’s a few things. I’ll talk about two.

First… safety. The M.L.B., as far as I’m aware, hasn’t provided a clear list of approved alternate substances that pitchers can use. I’ve never pitched, but as far as I’m aware, having something that helps your grip can reduce the risk of having a bad pitch that hits players. That’s why some hitters have come out and said this was a poorly-executed idea.

I think the timing was the weirdest part for me. The M.L.B. said they’d start enforcing it 10 days after their announcement. In the middle of the season. Again, that left players and teams little time to adjust for something that they could’ve implemented on Opening Day next year.