Tag: Robot Umpires

MLB may introduce robot umpires with an automated ball-strike zone by 2024

Baseball fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see robot umps.

MLB fans may finally get their wish for robot umpires as early as 2024.

On Wednesday, baseball fans were given a sliver of hope on the future of umpires and officiating in the MLB. ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. spoke to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred for a lengthy interview, detailing some important points of interest for baseball fans.

The biggest note of them all was the likely implementation in 2024 of an automated ball-strike zone system, commonly known as robot umpires, according to Manfred. It’s no secret that the MLB’s umpires make some horrifically embarrassing calls, and the introduction of a robot umpire system would help alleviate the issue plaguing the sport.

ESPN’s interview goes into a bit more detail about how this system would be implemented, from umpires receiving calls in an ear piece made by an automated system to multiple manager challenges that would review replays of called balls and strikes. Currently, the minor leagues use a form of robot umpires to assist their officials in making the correct calls.

It sucks that baseball fans will have to wait until 2024 to see robot umpires implemented in some form, but it’s great to hear Manfred pushing forward on a highly-requested change. After all, good things come to those who wait.

[mm-video type=video id=01g54y0qjw8jjpq9d2fk playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g54y0qjw8jjpq9d2fk/01g54y0qjw8jjpq9d2fk-72812edc4e2261f75ca5c772de739890.jpg]

[listicle id=1922784]

MLB umpire Ted Barrett had an absolutely atrocious night calling the Giants-Dodgers Game 3

That’s how you make the case for robot umps.

So much was unusual about Monday’s National League Division Series Game 3 between the Dodgers and Giants. It was the first time the Dodgers had lost 1-0 at home in two years, and the teams had to deal with swirling winds in Los Angeles that were more reminiscent of the Giants’ Candlestick Park days than anything you’d see in Southern California.

It also didn’t help that the home plate umpire had one of the worst nights you’ll ever see in a postseason game.

Umpire Ted Barrett’s strike zone was all over the place on Monday night. He basically made his own case for MLB to institute an automated strike zone.

An atrocious strikeout call on Ronald Acuña Jr. made another strong case for robot umps

Robot umps now.

From pace of play to promoting its stars, there’s a seemingly never-ending list of ways that baseball can improve. But the most frustrating thing about baseball has to be its stubborn commitment to justifying incorrect calls on a pitch-by-pitch basis as a mere “human element” quirk of the game.

Thankfully, there’s some movement in the right direction with “robot umpires” (or, technically, the TrackMan automated strike zone) getting used at lower levels of baseball.

But as we saw during Sunday’s game between the Braves and Phillies, robot umpires need to make its way to Major League Baseball sooner rather than later.

With umpire Brian Knight behind the plate, Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. was called out on a ninth-inning strikeout that should have clearly been ball 4 and a walk.

The low pitch, which wasn’t even framed well, was as bad of a strike call as you’ll see from a big-league umpire not named Angel Hernandez. It changed the inning for the Braves who lost, 2-1.

Knight, in particular, was inconsistent for both teams, and Bryce Harper was visibly frustrated with the calls in multiple at-bats.

But again, it doesn’t need to be this way. It’s not an easy job to call balls and strikes, especially as pitches have more velocity and movement than ever before.

The technology is there. Use it, MLB.

[mm-video type=video id=01f2724mqnqfw400wk playlist_id=01f09p3bf720d8rg02 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f2724mqnqfw400wk/01f2724mqnqfw400wk-205f9e5f1bee6a8a3cd066f6bb7baebe.jpg]