We’re about 75% of the way through the offseason, and I’m beginning to grow impatient. I’m sure all of you are too. So, I had an idea to keep us all from going mad without baseball.

I’m sure you’ve wondered how a baseball is made and what materials are used. Essentially, the anatomy of a baseball. I myself already know, but maybe you don’t. So, let’s dissect one and see.

We’ll start with a standard Rawlings Major League ball made in Costa Rica just like every one used in the last 20+ years has been.

Nothing special, right? Just wait.

Next, we have to remove the stitches. Yes, all 108 stitches of double-laced, waxed cotton thread. And when I say it was a struggle, I MEAN it was a struggle.

We’re now left with a ball of a bunch of yarn. What may surprise you is that there’s actually 4 LAYERS and 3 DIFFERENT KINDS of yarn used! This 1st is a much thinner white layer to give the ball a round shape.

But wait, what about the bare leather covers? Don’t think I forgot about those. My favorite part of the whole operation involves them.

See those letters? That’s a special code that Rawlings puts on all of its baseballs to show when they were made and what batch they were a part of.

Back to unraveling, after that 1st layer is undone, we reach this much thicker and darker wool layer.

Now we’re really getting down to the bottom of things. After the 2nd layer, a 3rd white layer that’s slightly thicker is to follow.

And finally, our 4th layer is a similar yarn to the 2nd layer is used.

So, what now? Is that all? Nope, not even close. If we unwind that final layer, we come to the center of it all.

This little pink ball is known as the “pill.” It may seem like just an ordinary bouncy ball, however if I were to open in it, there’d be a small ball of cork in the middle. This is the main factor in making a baseball react the way it does.

So, there you have it! The anatomy of a baseball. I thought it was interesting, I don’t know about you guys. That’s honestly all I have for now, the 2025 season is about 65 days away. I’ll leave you all off with everything in a group photo.