Shane Bieber

The All-Star festivities got underway Monday night with the Dodgers' Teoscar Hern ndez winning the Home Run Derby as a +1000 longshot - the sixth-longest odds of the eight contestants.Now it's time for the main event.The American League is a slight -120 favorite over the National League in the 2024 Midsummer Classic. Last year, the NL snapped a nine-game winless streak that dated back to 2013 with a 3-2 victory at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The AL will send the Orioles' Corbin Burnes to the mound to take on rookie sensation Paul Skenes, who will become the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.Here are the starting lineups for both sides: American League National League LF - Steven Kwan (CLE) 2B - Ketel Marte (ARI) SS - Gunnar Henderson (BAL) DH - Shohei Ohtani (LAD) RF - Juan Soto (NYY) SS - Trea Turner (PHI) CF - Aaron Judge (NYY) 1B - Bryce Harper (PHI) DH - Yordan Alvarez (HOU) C - William Contreras (MIL) 3B - Jos Ram rez (CLE) RF - Christian Yelich (MIL) 1B - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) 3B - Alec Bohm (PHI) C - Adley Rutschman (BAL) CF - Teoscar Hern ndez (LAD) 2B - Marcus Semien (TEX) LF - Jurickson Profar (SD) Despite two loaded lineups and plenty of pop coming off the bench, All-Star Games were low-scoring in recent years. Six of the past seven games had fewer than 7.5 runs, the current betting total for Tuesday's game. The under is the slight favorite at -120.If you thought betting on the Home Run Derby was a crapshoot, how about the All-Star Game MVP?With limited at-bats, predicting which player will win the award is difficult. You're banking on a player to hit a key home run or cash in a few runners with a timely double. Good luck calling that. MVP odds Player Odds Shohei Ohtani +800 Aaron Judge +950 Bryce Harper +1000 Gunnar Henderson +1200 Juan Soto +1400 Trea Turner +1800 Yordan Alvarez +1800 Adley Rutschman +2000 Bobby Witt Jr. +2000 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. +2000 Christian Yelich +2500 Elly De La Cruz +2500 Jos Ram rez +2500 Ketel Marte +2500 William Contreras +2500 Odds via theScore Bet. Players above +2500 are not listed. Ohtani is the slight favorite over Judge, but it's evident given the condensed prices that oddsmakers have little idea who will win the award. If anything, backing a starter with longer odds, since they are likely to get two or maybe three at-bats, is the most valuable route to take.If you are thinking about backing a pitcher to win the award, keep in mind that only two pitchers (Shane Bieber in 2019 and Mariano Rivera in 2013) have earned the honor since 2000.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the 2024 MLB Draft rapidly approaching, it's a good time to take a look back at some of the best and worst picks by each team over the past 10 years.Arizona Diamondbacks Duane Burleson / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Corbin Carroll, 2019 (16th)Despite his rough 2024, getting a talent like Carroll with the 16th pick in 2019 is still a huge coup for the Diamondbacks. The dynamic Carroll won NL Rookie of the Year in 2023 and still has MVP potential at 23 years old.Worst: Dansby Swanson, 2015 (1st) Arizona traded Swanson less than a year after drafting him first overall in a deal for Shelby Miller that ended up being a huge setback for the franchise. The D-Backs selected Swanson over players like Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Andrew Benintendi, and Ian Happ.Atlanta Braves Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Spencer Strider, 2020 (126th) Landing Strider in the fourth round is one of the best value selections in some time. The right-hander led the league with 20 wins and 283 strikeouts in 2023. His future is still extremely bright even though he suffered a season-ending elbow injury this year.Worst: Braden Shewmake, 2019 (21st) The Braves traded Shewmake to the White Sox as part of a package for left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer ahead of the 2024 campaign. Shewmake never appeared in a game for the Braves and was drafted ahead of players like Anthony Volpe and Michael Busch.Baltimore Orioles Jess Rapfogel / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, 2019 (1st, 42nd)The fate of the Orioles changed forever in June 2019. Baltimore drafted catcher Adley Rutschman first overall and shortstop Gunnar Henderson to start the second round, securing two franchise pillars and future stars who are now leading one of baseball's best teams. Cedric Mullins, a 13th-round pick in 2015, also deserves a mention.Worst: Cody Sedlock, 2016 (27th)The Orioles took Sedlock in the first round. The right-hander made one appearance before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations in July 2022.Boston Red Sox Joe Nicholson / USA TODAY SportsBest: Andrew Benintendi, 2015 (7th)Benintendi developed into a fan favorite during his time in Boston, helping the Red Sox win the World Series in 2018. He finished runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 and posted a .789 OPS across five seasons with the Red Sox.Worst: Jason Groome, 2016 (12th) Groome struggled through injuries during his time in the Red Sox system. The right-hander was eventually moved to the San Diego Padres in the Eric Hosmer trade in 2022. Groome has yet to make a big-league appearance and has a career ERA well over five in the minors.Chicago White Sox Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Garrett Crochet, 2020 (11th)Crochet made an immediate impact the same year he was drafted in the first round, striking out a pair in a postseason appearance against Oakland. The talented left-hander enjoyed success as a reliever but has reached another level in 2024 after the White Sox moved him to the rotation. He looks like a bonafide ace for years to come; unfortunately, it looks increasingly unlikely that his future is with the team that drafted him.Worst: Nick Madrigal, 2018 (4th)Madrigal was traded to the Cubs for Craig Kimbrel in 2021. He was drafted one pick ahead of 2021 NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India. Madrigal was expected to be a quality offensive player but has mustered an 87 career wRC+ so far.Chicago Cubs Jamie Sabau / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Ian Happ, 2015 (9th)Happ's been a popular player and a versatile one as well, providing value at the plate and in the field. The 29-year-old has been an above-average hitter (117 wRC+) throughout his career and has the look of a lifelong Cub.Worst: Ryan Jensen, 2019 (27th) The Mariners claimed Jensen off waivers in 2023 after he accumulated a 2 7 record and a 5.77 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 53 innings across two minor-league levels that season. He has yet to make his MLB debut.Cincinnati Reds Dylan Buell / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Jonathan India, 2018 (5th) India hasn't quite been able to replicate his Rookie of the Year campaign, but he's still become a solid player who can hit for a bit of power and steal bases while playing competent defense.Worst: Nick Senzel, 2016 (2nd)Senzel struggled to stay healthy in five seasons with the Reds and hit 40 home runs with a .671 OPS across 433 games.Cleveland Guardians Brian Fluharty / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Shane Bieber, 2016 (122nd) Bieber won a Cy Young in 2020 and is a two-time All-Star. Not too shabby for a fourth-round pick.Worst: Bradley Zimmer, 2014 (21st) Zimmer showed flashes of the tools that made him a first-round pick, but he never put it all together in Cleveland.Colorado Rockies Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Kyle Freeland, 2014 (8th)Despite pitching half his games at Coors Field, Freeland has a career ERA around 4.50 - a pretty strong mark considering the left-hander's home environment.Worst: Riley Pint, 2016 (4th)Pint was a fourth overall pick and was retired from June 2021 until the start of the 2022 campaign. He owns a 27.00 ERA for the Rockies and hasn't fared particularly well in the minors either.Detroit Tigers Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Riley Greene, 2019 (5th)Greene is on pace to set new career highs in almost every major offensive category in 2024 and made his first All-Star team. The talented outfielder is a building block in Detroit.Worst: Casey Mize, 2018 (1st)Mize has dealt with injuries, and his stuff just isn't as sharp anymore. The former first overall pick has been hit hard in 2024 and his strikeout rate has plummeted too.Houston Astros Logan Riely / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, 2015 (2nd, 5th)Bregman and Tucker both became integral members of a Houston core that's won a pair of World Series titles and made seven consecutive ALCS appearances.Worst: Forrest Whitley, 2016 (17th)Injuries robbed Whitley of the opportunity to make much of an impact at the big-league level. The right-hander made his MLB debut in 2024 as a reliever but went back on the IL with an elbow issue.Kansas City Royals Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Bobby Witt Jr., 2019 (2nd)Witt is a cornerstone in Kansas City and signed the biggest contract in franchise history. He could be mentioned among the all-time great Royals when his career is over.Worst: Asa Lacy, 2020 (4th)Lacy is still in the Royals organization but is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old owns a 7.09 ERA in the minors and hasn't thrown a pitch since the 2022 season.Los Angeles Angels Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Taylor Ward, 2015 (26th)Ward has developed into a quality hitter after an inconsistent start to his career. He posted a better-than-league-average wRC+ in each of the last four seasons.Worst: Will Wilson, 2019 (15th)Wilson was traded to the Giants alongside Zack Cozart in 2019, the same year he was drafted for cash considerations and a player to be named later.Los Angeles Dodgers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyBest: Will Smith, 2016 (32nd)Smith's become one of baseball's best catchers and a World Series champion, and he was rewarded with a 10-year, $140-million contract extension in March.Worst: Jeren Kendall, 2017 (23rd)Kendall retired in 2022 after posting a .693 OPS in 1,400 minor-league at-bats. He never made a big-league appearance.Miami Marlins Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Braxton Garrett, 2016 (7th)Although he's dealt with injuries throughout his career, Garrett's been productive when healthy. He owns a 4.03 ERA, 3.84 FIP, and 8.83 K/9 in 326 1/3 innings.Worst: Connor Scott, 2018 (13th)Scott was dealt to the Pirates in 2021 as part of a package for catcher Jacob Stallings. The 24-year-old hit .161 this season at Double-A before the Pirates released him in June.Milwaukee Brewers Norm Hall / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Corbin Burnes, 2016 (111th)Burnes won a Cy Young and developed into a premier starting pitcher after the Brewers selected him in the fourth round.Worst: Corey Ray, 2016 (5th)Ray had two at-bats for the Brewers in 2021 and retired at the end of 2022 after dealing with a number of injuries. He's now managing the Chicago Cubs' rookie-level affiliate. Minnesota Twins Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Royce Lewis, 2017 (1st)Injuries are the only thing stopping Lewis from becoming one of baseball's biggest stars. He showed his immense potential down the stretch of the 2023 campaign, and it carried over as he hit four home runs in six postseason contests.Worst: Tyler Jay, 2015 (6th)Jay made his MLB debut for the Mets this season out of the bullpen. The Twins sent him to the Reds for cash considerations in June 2019. New York Mets Brandon Sloter / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Pete Alonso, 2016 (64th)Alonso won Rookie of the Year in 2019, is a three-time All-Star, and has hit at least 40 home runs three times. That's quite the return on investment for a second-round pick.Worst: Justin Dunn, 2016 (19th)Dunn was traded to Seattle as part of the package that brought back Edwin D az and Robinson Can in 2018. He was then shipped to Cincinnati in the Jesse Winker/Eugenio Su rez deal in 2022.New York Yankees Sarah Stier / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Anthony Volpe, 2019 (30th)Volpe has endured some offensive inconsistency but is an excellent defender at shortstop and has already amassed at least 2.0 fWAR in his first two MLB seasons.Worst: Blake Rutherford, 2016 (18th)The Yankees traded Rutherford to the White Sox in 2017 as part of a deal that brought David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, and Todd Frazier to New York. Rutherford made his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2023 and is currently playing in the Mexican League.Oakland Athletics G Fiume / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Matt Chapman, 2014 (25th)Chapman developed into the game's premier defensive third baseman during his five-year stint in Oakland, winning three Gold Gloves and a pair of Platinum Gloves.Worst: Kyler Murray, 2018 (9th)The A's took a risk by selecting Murray in the first round and hoping he might pick baseball over football. Murray ended up as the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and signed a $230.5-million extension with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.Philadelphia Phillies Mary DeCicco / Major League Baseball / GettyBest: Aaron Nola, 2014 (7th)Nola has been everything the Phillies could have hoped for as the seventh overall pick. The right-hander will likely spend his entire career in Philadelphia and should be among the franchise's all-time leaders in a number of pitching categories when it's all said and done.Worst: Adam Haseley, 2017 (8th)Hasely hit .264 with a .695 OPS over parts of three seasons with the Phillies before he was dealt to the White Sox in 2022. Pittsburgh Pirates Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Jared Jones, 2020 (44th)Paul Skenes deserves a nod as well, but Jones has taken the league by storm in his rookie campaign. The second-round pick's fastball/slider combination evokes comparisons to Spencer Strider - pretty impressive company.Worst: Travis Swaggerty, 2018 (10th)Swaggerty had one hit in nine at-bats for the Pirates in a five-game stint during the 2022 campaign. Pittsburgh designated Swaggerty for assignment later that season and he's currently playing for the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. San Diego Padres Chung Sung-Jun / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Jackson Merrill, 2021 (27th)Merrill's hit his stride in his first season and looks like a strong candidate to win NL Rookie of the Year.Worst: Hudson Potts, 2016 (24th)Potts was traded to the Red Sox in 2020 for first baseman Mitch Moreland. Currently a free agent, Potts owns a career .716 OPS with 90 home runs in 2,436 minor-league at-bats.San Francisco Giants Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Patrick Bailey, 2020 (13th)The Giants have been searching for a successor to Buster Posey and could have their man in Bailey. He's one of MLB's best defensive catchers and is making legitimate strides offensively this season.Worst: Joey Bart, 2018 (2nd)Bart was the Giants' first potential Posey replacement. However, the former second overall pick hit just .219 across parts of four seasons in San Francisco before he was designated for assignment in April.Seattle Mariners Sam Hodde / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Logan Gilbert, 2018 (14th)Gilbert narrowly edges out George Kirby. The right-hander has been a steady and consistent performer for the Mariners since making his debut in 2021. Worst: Evan White, 2017 (17th)The Mariners signed White to a six-year contract before he appeared in a game. The first baseman failed to live up to the deal, hitting .165 in 84 games before he was traded in December 2023. He's currently in the Los Angeles Angels organization.St. Louis Cardinals Mitchell Leff / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Alec Burleson, 2020 (70th)Burleson's enjoying the best year of his career in 2024 and has already set career highs in home runs and RBIs. Worst: Delvin P rez, 2016 (23rd)P rez is currently a free agent and owns a .642 OPS in 1,722 minor-league at-bats. Tampa Bay Rays Steph Chambers / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Shane McClanahan, 2018 (31st)McClanahan blossomed into one of baseball's best starting pitchers, making a pair of All-Star Games in his first three MLB seasons. He has a career 3.02 ERA in 74 starts with a strong 10.1 K/9.Worst: Brendan McKay, 2017 (4th)McKay tried his hand at becoming a two-way player but injuries derailed any momentum. He's still in the Rays organization, attempting to return from a myriad of injuries.Texas Rangers Julio Aguilar / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Josh Jung, 2019 (8th)Jung made the All-Star Game and helped the Rangers win the 2023 World Series while hitting 23 home runs in his rookie season. Worst: Bubba Thompson, 2017 (26th)Thompson has bounced around, spending time with the Royals and Reds after Texas designated him for assignment in August 2023. Toronto Blue Jays Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images Sport / GettyBest: Bo Bichette, 2016 (66th)Bichette led the American League in hits in consecutive seasons and has made a pair of All-Star Game appearances. He could eventually sit atop a number of franchise offensive categories if he remains with the Blue Jays beyond next season, when his contract is set to expire.Worst: T.J. Zeuch, 2016 (21st)The Blue Jays took Zeuch in the first round over pitchers like Cole Ragans, Dane Dunning, and Nick Lodolo, all of whom went on to have productive MLB careers. Zeuch made seven starts for the Blue Jays, posting a 4.59 ERA with 5.7 K/9.Washington Nationals Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyBest: Mitchell Parker, 2020 (153rd)Parker, a fifth-round pick in 2020, made his MLB debut this season and has become a key contributor to the rotation. The left-hander posted a strong 3.44 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in his first 16 MLB starts.Worst: Jackson Rutledge, 2019 (17th)Rutledge is pitching at Triple-A and has struggled to the tune of a 6.86 ERA in five MLB appearances (four starts) across the last two seasons.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Lucas Sims expects a consensus among his Cincinnati Reds teammates about their favorite - and least favorite - MLB mounds. A few hours before a home game in late May, he approaches fellow reliever Emilio Pag n in the clubhouse to test his hypothesis.Pitching mounds are an unusual feature to begin with. They're the only elevated surface in any major sport, going against the concept of a level playing field.Relievers in particular are accustomed to seeing mounds at their worst. They might follow a half dozen or more pitchers who created divots and potholes next to the pitching rubber and at the landing area. Relievers are like recreational golfers with afternoon tee times, dealing with dimpled greens on a busy Saturday.Baseball stadiums all have unique perimeter dimensions but on the infield, every distance is set by rule. The measurement from the back point of home plate to the pitching rubber is 60 feet and 6 inches everywhere, and the mound is expected to be 10 inches above the field at its highest. But what it's made from and the way it transforms over the course of a game are different from ballpark to ballpark."Least favorite mound?" Sims asks. Mark Kolbe / Getty ImagesTaken a bit by surprise, Pag n considers the question before answering."Colorado," the veteran says. "I don't like the top surface they use in Colorado.""It's like putty," Sims agrees. Sims admits his distaste for Colorado could also stem from his memories of playing there. Pitching in the thin air nearly a mile above sea level is generally not a great experience. He owns a career 7.20 ERA at Coors Field.Pag n adds another contender: "San Francisco is very hard."Sims nods - he doesn't like Oracle Park either. It's tough to feel confident his landing foot will secure itself to the mound."San Francisco is as hard as a rock," Sims says. "Very hard."Do they speak about mound quality often? "We talk about it every day," Sims says."Every day we come in, 'Hey, does the mound looks good today?'" Pag n adds.They both love Yankee Stadium. "Everyone says Yankee Stadium is one of the best," Sims says. "Material-wise, feel, the way it holds up. Your cleats sink into it but don't dig into it. There are no holes. It's kind of weird that it's not a universal thing. It's different from place to place. Some places are rock-hard. Some places are kinda soft and get chewed up."Lucas Sims pitches at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona, the spring training home of the Reds and Guardians. Norm Hall / Getty ImagesSays Pag n: "They have it down to an art where your cleats go into the mound, but you are not ripping out a hole. You feel you are very well grounded on the mound ... like you can feel the mound through your cleats."A pitcher's trust in his plant foot is crucial. The kinetic chain begins there: that transfer of energy from a pitcher's interaction with the ground, ultimately reaching their throwing hand."In Atlanta, they used to just dump water on it," Sims said of his time with the Braves. "I was starting for most of my time with Atlanta. I'd go throw, like, twice and my whole spike would be caked, the whole underside."A few weeks later, I asked Kansas City Royals reliever Will Smith about the mounds he prefers. The veteran has pitched in 32 past and present MLB stadiums during his career. While he didn't pick a clear No. 1, he also included Yankee Stadium in his top tier."Both New York mounds, D.C., they have that sticky clay," he said. "It doesn't get torn up as much and your cleat sticks in the ground a lot better than most."Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller is happy to blow up the idea that Yankee Stadium is the pinnacle.Miller was walking down into the visiting dugout from pregame throwing in Cleveland when I posed my question. Perhaps he's a homer, but he cites Seattle as a favorite.His least favorite? "Where was the sandy one?" Miller asks a teammate walking by.New York, he's told."Yankee Stadium is not my favorite," he says. "It is one of the softer ones I was talking about. It felt like my cleats stick a little more. I didn't like that. I like it when it's pretty firm. Whenever it's too soft, you end up digging a hole and that's not good."The mound at Yankee Stadium before first pitch against the Dodgers on June 8. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesIn discussions with a variety of pitchers, it's clear there are different preferences for surface types and mound conditions. Quality varies between ballparks and even changes within games."Some mounds are significantly worse than others, which is kind of surprising," Sims said. "Some of them are beautiful. Some are just kind of standard. Others hold up well during well during day games, and others, by the third inning it is a rock."ConstructionSince Progressive Field opened in 1994, Brandon Koehnke has been its head groundskeeper.He grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, the longtime home of a Chicago White Sox Class A affiliate. There, at Goodland Field, he began working as a member of the grounds crew at age 12."Long story short, I basically turned that job into my career," Koehnke says.What's unusual about Koehnke is he also played professional baseball. A shortstop, he reached Class A with the short-season Boise Hawks in 1987.After his playing career, he began working on the grounds crews at Florida-based spring training and development complexes. He was hired to be the stadium manager for Cleveland's new spring training home in Homestead, Florida, but Hurricane Andrew flattened the area in the late summer of 1992, before it had even opened. Cleveland then hired him as the caretaker of its major-league stadium.Brandon Koehnke repairs the mound at Progressive Field while his then-3-year-old son watches in 2002. David Maxwell / Getty ImagesKoehnke's had the job ever since, and he's constructed an awful lot of pitching mounds in that time.That construction begins anew each spring, Koehnke explains. The mound sits through winter, and when its tarp covering is removed in the spring, the hill doesn't look like it did when the Guardians' previous season ended."It's a hunk of dirt that has to be reshaped," Koehnke says, "You can imagine the freeze, thaw, freeze that will happen. When we open it up in the spring, it is not a mound. The big component is reshaping it. You re-establish the distance. You re-establish the height."Major League Baseball rulebook The top of the mound is actually flat, a rectangular area he calls the "platform." According to MLB rules, this flat area must be 5 feet wide and 34 inches from front to back. The pitching rubber, or pitching plate, is centered in the platform's area width-wise but located further forward, toward home plate.The first 6 inches in front of the rubber are in that flattened space. Then the gradual descent begins. The mound is to descend 1 inch in the first 18 inches toward the plate, and then 1 inch for every foot.The mound is 18 feet in diameter with the rubber placed nearer the back of the structure, and it's shorter and steeper in the rear compared to its front slope.How often are the dimensions measured? "We get measures on a yearly or biannual basis," Koehnke says. "So it's not as if someone is not looking. MLB does a good job of making teams conform to these specifications."What is the mound made of? Unlike its dimensions, there are no rules on what material is used because climates vary around the continent."Take the word 'dirt' out of it," Koehnke says. "The entire mound out there is compressed clay."Clay is technically not dirt: Clay is comprised of inorganic minerals, whereas dirt or soil contains a whole host of things, including organic material. Crucially, clay can handle the stress of an MLB game."Clay will retain some moisture to it through a two-and-a-half-hour game," Koehnke says. "Moisture is what holds it together. That's what I'm looking for. Something that can withstand the pounding."Koehnke looks at weather radar images along with umpires during Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. Diamond Images / Getty ImagesKoehnke doesn't believe in soaking a mound before a game, but a mound that doesn't naturally retain moisture is a big problem during a day game."Oh boy, is that thing going to dry out," he says. It'll crack and crumble, and the footing will suffer.On top of the base clay, Koehnke's mound is topped with a light layer of calcined clay: a super-heated variant with coarser grains. This layer doesn't stick to cleats in the event of rain, and it also protects the mound from becoming too dry."For lack of a better term, it's cat litter," he says. A ball rests on the mound before first pitch at Progressive Field last June. Ron Schwane / Getty ImagesIn some ballparks, like Yankee Stadium, a layer of calcined clay appears lighter in color on the throwing area and gives the mound a two-tone look.Do the two clay variants mix throughout the season, creating instability? No, Koehnke says. After games, grounds-crew members remove any debris and calcined clay from the mound. They fill divots and holes in the landing areas with base clay and flatten the repaired areas by repeatedly thumping them with a tamper. The surface is once again pristine - ready to be re-topped, then scratched, clawed, and cratered the following day.Perception While mounds are the same height and distance from home plate (or at least they're supposed to be), the way pitchers perceive them is different.Pitchers say they detect differences in mound height. Back in May, several Dodgers pitchers said the mound seemed lower at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati."I know this one looks a little shorter, but our field is crowned," Pag n says. "I had this conversion with our head grounds-crew guy. He said because of the slope of the field, you cannot build up the mound any higher. It does look very short, but once you start throwing it feels the same."Koehnke said most modern fields are perfectly flat, which is verified by laser surveying, but other ballparks might be crowned - featuring an elevated center portion sloped downward from the infield - to help with drainage.On other mounds, pitchers feel taller.Guardians pitcher Shane Bieber said he feels more elevated in Toronto. He owns a 3-0 record and a 2.01 ERA in three career starts at the Rogers Centre.Mariners starter George Kirby believes perception matters."I like to feel on top of guys. A good downslope," he says. "Backdrop kinda matters, too. There are some places with funky backdrops."For instance, Kirby feels taller on the mound in Oakland, but visually, he doesn't like the field-level suites added in front of the original wall in Oakland's spacious foul territory. "Sometimes it feels like you are further away than 60 feet," he says.Kirby owns a 3.36 career ERA but a 4.26 mark at Oakland Coliseum."Perception-wise, it's hard to explain, but some places when you look at the catcher, it almost looks shorter," Mariners teammate Logan Gilbert says. "Some places are the opposite. Not sure why it works out that way."They each feel closer to the plate at T-Mobile Park. Does that psychological element matter? Gilbert owns a career 3.72 home ERA compared to a 3.43 mark on the road. Kirby owns a 2.83 ERA at home and 3.89 mark on the road. It's tough to know.Etiquette If a pitcher doesn't like the state of the mound, he can call for help.The grounds crew will come out and fill a divot that might affect his landing spot, or a drying agent can be added to absorb water if it has been raining.Social pressure, however, can affect the decision to ask for help."Last year, I was pitching at home against Lance Lynn. He dug a giant hole, like a crater," Miller says. "In the fourth inning, it got to the point where I was dragging my foot, and I got a blister right here. I took my shoe off and I was bleeding and I had to deal with it for the next month. That's not fun. Last year, I was too scared to say anything because I was a rookie. It was like my 10th start. I don't want to be complaining about the mound. But if it happened again this year, I would have them fix it."Bryce Miller pitches at T-Mobile Park in 2023. Stephen Brashear / Getty ImagesPag n says he tries not to pause the game if possible."The last thing we want to do is call the grounds crew out to fix something you can probably pitch around," he said. "At the same time, it's a very important part of the game. There are some guys, because of the force they put in the ground, they create bigger holes. Where you run into trouble is if it's where your toe or heel normally sits, because then you are off balance." Pitchers generally have slightly different stride lengths and landing points, so it's not an issue. But sometimes they overlap in awkward ways."There's a balance there," Pag n said. "I need it to be good enough to pitch, but I can pitch through some stuff. One time I just moved over on the rubber because there was this huge hole. No big deal, I thought. And with my first pitch, I smoked the guy in the helmet. I thought 'OK, I have to move back to the other side.' Just a little bit of a shift and your release point is different, everything moves differently."I ended up sending a text to the guy on the other team, 'My bad, I wasn't trying to hit you.'"Koehnke even likes the interactions when he's called out to make fixes. "It's always kind of cool to end up talking to somebody out there."What the pitchers and grounds crew know is that every time there is a visit, the playing surface they encounter won't be quite the same."All the mounds are different," Kirby says. "I feel like you're never going to get the same one."Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.