Posted on 12/22/2019 4:47:19 AM PST by Libloather
The electronic strike zone, also commonly refereed to as "robot umpires," could make its way to Major League Baseball at some point during the next five seasons. The Major League Baseball Umpires Association agreed to cooperate with Major League Baseball in the development and testing of the electronic strike zone, Associated Press' Ben Walker and Ronald Blum report.
**SNIP**
Last month, Manfred said the automated strike zone will be used in some minor league ballparks during the 2020 season as MiLB works to improve the technology. Here's the short version of how the technology works: The home plate umpire will wear an ear piece during the game, and they will hear a "ball" or "strike" call on each pitch. The pitch is identified using a Doppler radar system, called TrackMan. The umpire will hear and relay the call. For an in-depth look at the technology, including thoughts from players and personnel, you can read more about the initial experiment with the Atlantic League here.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbssports.com ...
I don’t mind the autozone if it is indeed a hovering three dimensional shape that is height adjusted for the stance of the hitter. I want that weird rear protruding angle for big 12-6 curve balls and even eephus pitches.
I don’t think an autozone will be disruptive, the new rules that seems like they will screw a lot of things up are the pitching change/minimum batter faced and defensive shift restrictions. Those two really seem like a step too far.
Freegards
Leave it alone no electronic calling. Nothing better than a good old argument, ie, Billy Martin, Lou Pinella, Leo the Lip, Earl Weaver.
“Interesting. I assume the strike zone is roughly cube-shaped. Does the ball have to be completely within the zone, or may part of the ball extend beyond? If so, then how much?”
The ball only has to touch a piece of the strike zone to be called a strike.
What do managers do if the bot gives a bad call, throw water on the bot’s circuitry?
And frankly, if the computer generated calls prove to be correct, it would speed up the game as players and managers would quit griping about calls at home plate.
First off get the Umpires in shape.
Also, for their own ‘safety’ a rigid physical every year and a ‘flexible’ age limit.
Would also like to see them try and make being home plate ump a position that is earned, not one that changes every night.
I realize none of them alone are really workable but after that performance in last years World Series something has to be done.
As the ‘man’ said, when the ump has BOTH teams barking at him, it is time for a change.
Today too many called strikes are assumed, dependent on who the pitcher or catcher is...it appears that certain pitchers get a ‘break’ in the same respect they have been saying....’If that was a strike, HE would have swung at it’ ie Ball 3....
Yes, the announcers are just announcers but when they start with this ‘if Jack doesn’t get that pitch today, he is in for a long day’ and pointing out how the catchers ‘snatch’ the ball into the strike zone. ‘They’ tell us what a great job the C is doing.....wouldn’t you think if they pointed it out enough the umpires would ‘catch on’?
An excellent argument for the batter...
Mr Umpire, you just said I didn’t check my swing, I ‘broke my wrists’ and went around.
Where was the pitch?
Was it a ball or strike?
Was it inside or outside, up or down, curve or drop?
It is impossible for you, standing behind me, to have a correct answer for all my questions, yet you answered them.
I understand that they can’t get ALL the calls correct but that is part of the game. Seems today all the Ump does is make the call and have the attitude ‘If I am wrong, the replay will get it’.
Maybe a stiff fine for an overturned call based on how long it took to overturn it.
If the replay booth turns it over in 20 seconds, maybe a 10000 fine and working downward from there.
When the players come to bat their batting average is shown, the pitchers ERA etc, just put how much the ump has been fined for the year for his ‘mistakes’. A little ‘self help’ humiliation never really hurt anyone. <: <: <:
Yes, arguing should be brought back and this new 3 batter rule is ridiculous.
They are really going to ‘waste’ time checking the ‘injury’ out then giving the ‘new guy’ all the time he needs to warm up.
Easy to ‘tweak’ a toe or finger and show up tomorrow.
Just list it in his ‘press release’ that the pitcher has a chronic, trick thumb and it goes out every once in a while.
Pretty soon it will be called ‘Relief Pitchers Disease’ along the charade of the batter that gets plunked in the knee, hobble down to first, glaring and giving ‘my career is over’ looks and when the pitcher ‘throws’ it away trying to ‘keep him close’ he sprints to 3rd.
NO ONE ‘questions’ his injury then....
The day Curt Schilling said he studied tape of the umps so he could figure out their individual strike zone should have been the end of humans behind the plate. Umps have been bringing this on themselves for a long time.
I remember him from the beer commercials.
If any part of the ball touches any part of the zone during its flight, it’s a strike...even if it’s just the seam “brushing” the edge of the zone.
Make baseball even more boring than it already is. What a great idea.
We have a winner!
The way to deal with this problem (in all sports) and to improve the sport for spectators and teams, would be to state “this is a fast and complicated game, and judgment calls are necessary. We always try to get them right, but the officials are human too (and part of the game). So grow up and understand that its not perfect, but things average out.”
But, in the face of incessant instant replays and with gambling, and potentially millions of dollars on the line with every call, along with the possibility of federal and state investigations (and possibly direct oversight, OMG) as well as lawsuits, the pressure to make every call perfect will win out.
The games will become hours longer as each play (imagine every football game lasting almost 6 hours?) is litigated and the “tech” results are examined, and they will die as bored and insulted fans switch off.
” I miss Billy Martin.’
Takes me back, I was working at a hotel, front door, and Billy Martin and Mickey Mantle use to come in in the afternoon for a while, nice guys, I kept their car up front.
I hate seeing the cgi strike box that the tv stations add to the baseball game as a pitch is thrown.
It is not needed at all.
Same for football during a play. Use it after a play or a pitch but not live.
no, there ball has to touch the zone, any part of the ball. But that is not how it is called.
the players adjust to the umpires. What they want formost is consistency.,
the replay brought tech into the game. I think the genie is out of the box.
if you have 88 humans doing something which requires judgement, there is no way to have precise consistency. They are calling unbelievable breaking pitches and 100 MOPH fast balls some move laterally, some move down, some are in a straight line.
You will not get machine consistency.
breaking the wrist is not the indicator of the swing. It is the position of there bat visa vis the plate. If it goes too far it’s a swing. If you hold the tip off the bat back it’s not a swing.
I like this story about Ted williams. About whom it was said his eye were so sharp he could read the stamp on the ball.
Old time umpire williams comes to bat. Rookie pitcher. Pitcher throws one on the outside edge. ball one. pitchrr stares and turns and rubs the ball.
Throws one on the inside edge. Ball two. The pitcher steps down the mound and glares. The umpire brushes off the plate giving the pitcher his butt. Where was that pitch blue the pitcher demands.
The ump replies. Son, Mr. Williams will let you know when it’s a strike.
Here is what I was told in 1969 at umpire school and when I went into the league. College coaches in soCal had already told me. Don’t call the high strike. That’s when we get home runs hit against us.
In the league the ump scout came around and told us squeeze the zone down and call the ball an inch or two outside.
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