New study links changes to the baseball to the record number of home runs in MLB - CBSSports.com

Yeah, I know. Been saying it for a while now, welcome to the party. Launch angles my butt.

It's what they did to get fans back after cancelling the World Series in 1994. And please don't tell me MLB didn't know about the performance variations inherent in their ball specifications. It's called plausible deniability. 

from CBSSports.com
New study links changes to the baseball to the record number of home runs in MLB - CBSSports.com:

"This is why people are wondering whether MLB is using a juiced baseball these days ...

SEASON HOME RUNS PER TEAM, PER GAME
2017 1.26
2016 1.16
2015 1.01
2014 0.86

That's a steep upward trend when it comes to home runs on a league-wide basis. As well, that 1.26 figure from last season is an all-time record by a wide margin (breaking the 1.17 mark in 2000).

Part of what's going on is a widespread emphasis among hitters on elevating the ball via an increased launch angle. A bigger factor, however, appears to be structural changes to the baseball itself. The seams may be lower and tighter, and the ball may be bouncier and -- to hear some World Series participants tell it -- slicker.

MLB has countered that the contemporary baseball still falls within the normal ranges when it comes to official specs. Part of the issue, though, is that those normal ranges are fairly sprawling. In other words, two balls can satisfy those criteria and behave quite differently off the bat. "

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