Is it just me or are the calls at the plate this year been the worst ever? It doesn’t seem limited to just a few umps. I can’t remember a year where the calls have consistently been this bad.

Normal, even if they get 90+% correct they still miss every 10-12 pitches on average I am guessing. It usually goes both ways.
Some umps are overly sensitive or are on some kind of power trip. Most are good. I would rather it be as is rather than done by computer myself.

A. Henandez is the worst umpire in the history of mlb.
They should of removed him years ago. But his old man was a legendary ump. So I guess his spawn gets a pass.

I would welcome a switch to technology calling the balls and strikes. Nothing worse than an umpire that can't seem to define a strike zone...frustrating for everyone.

Never played pro ball myself, but I would assume that veteran pitchers throw as much to the ump who is behind the plate as to the batter who is at the plate. Umps are human and humans have tendencies. I think this is what makes a sport as much as the rules. I would hate to see a robot umpire. And, after all, it's the same umpire working both teams.

I wonder how much the pitch clock has disrupted the workflow of the umpire. One more thing to keep track of, and more under the microscope in that something new is going to draw greater attention than the aspects of the game that have been around forever.

If the ump establishes their own strike zone, I'm fine w/ that. But they have to be consistent.
But this has always been part of the game.
If you're sitting on 2 strikes, you better be ready to protect the zone +1. It's part of the game.

It's why managers go out there and then get kicked out of the game. It's part of the game. Use your 3 strikes wisely. (Says a first pitch hitter).

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
I would welcome a switch to technology calling the balls and strikes. Nothing worse than an umpire that can't seem to define a strike zone...frustrating for everyone.

Ummm...respectfully, no. In the words of Woody (M. Emmett Walsh) from the movie "Brubaker", "Don't f--- with tradition."

quote:

I would welcome a switch to technology calling the balls and strikes.

AI? No thanks.

If watching the game on TV, how does one determine the umpire's accuracy? Despite the little box outlines you see these days, your perspective is still skewed, while the umpire is literally right there.

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
I would welcome a switch to technology calling the balls and strikes. Nothing worse than an umpire that can't seem to define a strike zone...frustrating for everyone.

Great idea! Next we can switch to a technology playing the game as well....who needs the pesky human factor.

I’ll take the umps over robots. It’s just that I have seen way too many pitches 3-5” off the plate being called for strikes. I’m pretty tolerant of bad calls if the ump is consistent, but when you’re a full ball width or more off the plate and ringing guys up there’s a problem. I’ve seen it more this year than any other year.

Let those umps call the stikes and balls. If they are consistently terrible they will be gone.
A human needs to call 'em/

quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
I would welcome a switch to technology calling the balls and strikes. Nothing worse than an umpire that can't seem to define a strike zone...frustrating for everyone.

NO, NO, and NO! Keep your computer games in your bedroom.

quote:

Originally posted by DoubleAdobe:
Let those umps call the stikes and balls. If they are consistently terrible they will be gone.
A human needs to call 'em/

Except they won't be gone. If this were true Joe West would have gone years before he retired, and Hunter Wendlestat and Angel Hernandez would be working as Walmart Greeters.

There is no viable way to remove an incompetent umpire once he (or soon, she) has got to the Bigs.

I don't really care if an umpire has a strike zone that isn't exactly to spec as long as it's consistent. The worst are the ones that can't even stay true to their own established zone. As mentioned, Hernandez is the most egregious example.

Some umps are outstanding, missing only a half-dozen or so calls, and often still consistent within those misses, but some are just awful, missing 10-15 per game, and calling strikes further outside the zone than balls they've called.

Never understood the arguments against robot umpires.

Would you prefer they removed goalposts in football and had the two dudes underneath guesstimate if the kick would have been good or not?

Would removing instant replay in football, VAR in soccer, or the hawkeye system in tennis help the sport?

Actually, tennis is a great analogy; incredible sports talent that has honed the ability to hit a tiny target consistently, with less than 1-2” of deviation.

It’s been proven that in close calls, I.e. the ones you actually challenge, line judges in tennis are only 61% accurate. That’s abysmal; baseball umpires have similar stats, because even if they only miss 10-15 pitches out of 120, the 10-15 were likely the closest ones, so their accuracy in “tough” situations is quite poor.

Nearly anyone can call obvious balls or strikes, it’s the incredible pitchers that can paint the strike zone edges, or batters that have near perfect spatial perception that should be rewarded.