For crying out loud, can MLB please implement an electronic strike zone already?

[Morgan423]

3 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Embarrasingly bad and then the quick toss after that major screw up? They need a system that allows a manager to challenge a terrible call through the electronic strike zone. These umpires just can't keep up anymore.

IMO, I don't even think you need an appeal system.  An electronic pitch result system should be set up to relay each pitch to the ump in real time (earpiece) within a second or two of hitting the catcher's glove.  The only time the ump would have to overrule is if something happened that obviously impacted the result (like if a misthrown pitch bounced before coming across the plate).

[allquixotic]

[Moshagge3]

1 hour ago, allquixotic said:

I was going to post this! I haven't been able to watch live tonight but Gameday suggests a LOT of iffy calls tonight both ways.

[scOtt]

Most of the time I am against an electronic zone. I think a (SLIGHTLY) inconsistent ump adds to the charm of the game. Or if an ump calls a strange zone but calls it consistently that way. Or when (many) umps call the zone loose early on but it tightens up the later and closer the game gets. I like all that.

 

But a TERRIBLE ump like tonight makes me change my mind. That was ridiculous. I think a little more against us but was just terrible for both side's pitchers. I can't think of enough adjectives. Just embarrassing.

[OFFNY]

o

 

(ORIOLES vs. PHILLIES, 8/12)

 

Hey, if nothing else, the game that tonight's home-plate umpire called was a screaming endorsement for the need to institute an electronic strike-zone.

 

o

[scOtt]

1 minute ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

(ORIOLES vs. PHILLIES, 8/12)

 

Hey, if nothing else, the game that tonight's home-plate umpire called was a screaming advertisement for the need to have institute an electronic strike-zone.

 

o

BOTH benches and batters and pitchers were giving him hell. All night long. Not just us at home with a convenient box on the screen.

[allquixotic]

3 minutes ago, scOtt said:

BOTH benches and batters and pitchers were giving him hell. All night long. Not just us at home with a convenient box on the screen.

At least he was an equal opportunity incompetent umpire!  It would be hilarious if he ended up tossing both teams' managers. I can think of at least a few former Orioles managers who would have gotten tossed tonight. Buck. Earl.

[Chavez Ravine]

17 minutes ago, scOtt said:

Most of the time I am against an electronic zone. I think a (SLIGHTLY) inconsistent ump adds to the charm of the game. Or if an ump calls a strange zone but calls it consistently that way. Or when (many) umps call the zone loose early on but it tightens up the later and closer the game gets. I like all that.

 

But a TERRIBLE ump like tonight makes me change my mind. That was ridiculous. I think a little more against us but was just terrible for both side's pitchers. I can't think of enough adjectives. Just embarrassing.

I agree, although I am more forgiving. This was an egregious case. Presumably (knock on wood) something this bad wouldn’t happen in the playoffs.

Although, as was brought up in the game thread, it does kinda seem like the frequency of really atrocious umpiring has gone up. Not sure if that is true, or if it is true why that might be.

I am still in the human frailties camp. I don’t care that every ball/strike call is correct. I like ambiguity,  idiosyncrasies, having to adjust on the fly, and the occasional horrible injustice inflicted by an indifferent universe.  For me, an omnipresent robo ump would be less fun than having to discuss an occasionally atrocious human one.

[section18]

I stopped counting at 12 blown pitches. Ben could hardly contain himself. There were so many pitches on the line of the strike zone  he missed it's probably over 20 pitches he missed. Really bad !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Aristotelian]

Absolutely atrocious. Never seen umpiring that bad. 

 

8th inning, tying run on second, Castro should have had Quinn struck out on #4. Phillies announcer said "3-1...I think? That looked right down the middle." Also given a free ball on#1. 

Game on the line, Sulser should have had Harper struck out on #4. Perfect pitch painting the corner. 

[allquixotic]

In some areas of private industry, there's a (fairly brutal, honestly) performance management process called "stack ranking." In stack ranking, everyone's performance is compared against each other, using a combination of objective and subjective metrics. The elite few at the top get raises and/or promotions; the solid contributors get to coast along undisturbed; the struggling end up getting "help" to try to improve their performance; and the worst of the worst get fired. This happens on a monthly, bi-annual or yearly cadence depending on the company.

Stack ranking of umpires would be based on their accuracy on calls compared to the "correct" call via video review / electronic strike zone. You could set up the strata exactly as you do for tech workers: give raises to the best, let the good ones keep going, pull the struggling ones from daily MLB games and have them work on their calls and improve in some kind of umpiring camp, and just fire the worst ~1% every year.

The other thing you could do is add more umpires to the umpiring pool. This would increase the "overhead" cost of umpiring, yes, but by adding more umpires without adding more teams or games, you could set up a situation where only the best X% of umpires get to call MLB games on the regular. The rest would either call simulated games, extended spring training games, or minor league games until they get better.

[forphase1]

I've been in the robo ump camp for a while now, and these examples only strengthen my viewpoint.  The time has come to remove ball and strike calls from the umpire.  Make it happen.

[ShoelesJoe]

The problem isn’t just missing pitches here and there, as frustrating as that can be for the players and managers. When an ump is having a bad game the batters, pitchers, and catchers have no idea what the strike zone is going to be from inning to inning or even from pitch to pitch. How was Realmuto to know that last pitch was going to be called strike three to end the game when a better pitch to Harper had been called a ball just seconds earlier? 
 

One of the main advantages of an electronic strike zone would be the consistency of that zone. What’s a strike now will be a strike next inning and next game and next year. I think that’s where the primary value will be found. 

[Can_of_corn]

The Soto at bat from today.  He did not swing.

He got half of them right...is that good?

[backwardsk]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

The Soto at bat from today.  He did not swing.

He got half of them right...is that good?

The tossing guys out from the stands is absurd.  So thin skinned.
 

I think they should live read mean tweets about the umpire’s calls.  Can’t accuse them of arguing balls and strikes.