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Major League Baseball has an umpiring problem. That problem? Too many of their umps stink at their jobs.
If you think I’m being mean then I suggest you take a look at this list I put together of the worst calls by umps in just the month of June alone. You’ll be stunned by bad it has become.
You’ll see balls a few feet outside and balls a few feet inside get wrongly called as strikes.
You’ll see balls that are way too low get called as strikes.
You’ll see a terrible pitch get called a strike that ended a game.
You’ll even see one pitch that was right down the middle get called a ball.
It’s all just so, so bad and embarrassing and it’s about darn time that something gets done.
Well, I now have some good news. MLB commish Rob Manfred told ESPN that these robot umps are likely coming and they could be implemented in the 2024 season.
I have two things to say about that: Hooray! And: Hurry up!
Manfred, who knows a thing or two about being bad at his job, said that the robots will likely be used only on balls and strikes and that it could be setup in that the umps behind home plate would have an ear piece in their ear that helps them get the right call.
Here are more details from the ESPN piece on Manfred:
In 2024, Manfred says, the automated ball-strike zone system, or as it’s commonly called, “robot umpires,” will likely be introduced. One possibility is for the automated system to call every pitch and transmit the balls and strikes to a home plate umpire via an ear piece. Another option is a replay review system of balls and strikes with each manager getting several challenges a game. The system is being tested in the minor leagues and has shaved nine additional minutes off the average game length this season, MLB data shows. “We have an automated strike zone system that works,” Manfred says.
MLB’s umps have shown they need a lot of help so this would be a great thing, though I feel like some of the egomaniacal men in blue might have a problem with that but to them I say – tough luck.
Baseball players and fans deserve a lot better than what they’re currently getting from umps and these robot umps can’t get here soon enough.
This will actually be good for baseball, which is crazy to think about because Manfred usually does only things that are bad for baseball.
What a world!
Quick hits: Mike Trout annoyed by own pitcher… Brooks Koepka was right about ‘sell out’ prediction… 20 best NBA free agents, ranked… And more.
– Mike Trout looked so annoyed the other night when he saw that his own pitcher was tipping his pitches.
– Brooks Koepka was absolutely right when he said back in February that someone would “sell out” and join the Liv Golf tour.
– NBA free agency starts today at 6 p.m. ET and my pal Charles Curtis has ranked the 20 best players that will be available.
– The Nationals got burned by an weird ‘fourth out’ rule that I didn’t know about.
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