ESPN Article: Automated strike zone an improvement baseball needs

[BrewCrewFan]

The change:

Implement automated strike zones.

How it would work:

Computer systems, rather than umpires, identifying the location of balls and strikes is hardly a new concept and actually one of the easier changes to implement. QuesTec, the original company involved in automatic pitch data collection, was working on this issue 20 years ago, with the first QuesTec stadiums going live in 2001. Sportsvision's technology, popularly known as PITCHf/x, HITf/x and FIELDf/x, is already widely used, and MLB's Statcast already present advanced versions of this data to the public. While you still need the home plate ump for a number of judgment calls, the information detailing whether a ball is in the strike zone can be relayed to the ump within the blink of an eye.

Why it would help baseball:

One of the most important aspects of any sport is that everybody plays by the same rules. And one thing that's clear is that in baseball, not everybody has the same strike zone. While a checked swing is a judgment call, where a pitch is actually located is not. We know for a fact that different umpires have different strike zones and that home plate umpires are more or less likely to call a pitch a strike depending on the specific situation. We even have, in recent years, new tools that track how good catchers are at framing pitches. That we have data for how well a catcher can get strikes properly called (or successfully get strikes that are unproperly called) just boggles the mind. Can you imagine if the NFL had stats on how often a running back tricked the refs into thinking he was down by contact before fumbling the football? Or if the American Bar Association had stats on which lawyers were good at fooling judges with bad case law?

The difference between a ball and a strike is massive, which means getting it right is important. In 2015, batters put up an .815 OPS after a 1-0 count and a .609 OPS after an 0-1 count. For 2-1 versus 1-2, that's an .873 OPS versus a .423 OPS. That .423 OPS on 1-2 isn't all that impressive, but it beats the .000 OPS for batters who are walking back to the dugout after an erroneous strike three. If human error can turn Josh Donaldson into a Triple-A hitter or a Triple-A hitter into Josh Donaldson, it strikes me that we should probably try to eliminate that human error. (Sorry about the pun.)

Integrity in a sport isn't just making sure the players are all following rules but making sure that the rules are being enforced in a consistent and fair manner. A game in which veteran pitchers don't magically get more strike calls on the corners is a fairer, better game.

Link: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14599589/re-imagining-baseball-robot-umpires-home-plate

Robot umps or nah?

 

[cavsfan817]

Dumb idea. Haven't needed it before and we don't need it now.

 

[catman]

With the command that pitchers currently have, they are able to adjust to the strike zone the physical umpire gives them. As long as each umpire is consistent in his/her strike zone, pitchers can throw to it and hitters can adjust as well. Stay with the humans, but grade them with machines. The grades are for consistency.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

No. Keep some sort of human element to the game.

 

[cavsfan817]

With the command that pitchers currently have, they are able to adjust to the strike zone the physical umpire gives them. As long as each umpire is consistent in his/her strike zone, pitchers can throw to it and hitters can adjust as well. Stay with the humans, but grade them with machines. The grades are for consistency.

Exactly. Players aren't dumb. They scout umpires just like they scout players and they know when certain guys like low strikes, whether they give a little more on the inside/outside corners, etc. There always seems to be this debate on replacing umpires with machines, however the players don't seem to be complaining that much. Of course you're going to get bitching in certain games or moments, that's always going to be a part of the game.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Exactly. If the players don't want it then why bother adding it?