RISE OF THE MACHINES
Robot umpires might be coming soon to a ballpark near you
Robot umps are coming. It’s only a matter of time. Among the many rule changes Major League Baseball is experimenting with in the minors this year is the expansion of the use of the automated strike zone, which will be used in low Class A Southeast games.
The so-called “robo-umps” were first tried out in the Atlantic League and Arizona Fall League in 2019, and an MLB news release stated the ABS (automatic ballstrike system) will “assist homeplate umpires with calling balls and strikes, ensure a consistent strike zone is called and determine the optimal strike zone for the system.”
In other words, it’s supposed to be Angel Hernandez-proof.
So how long until it reaches the majors?
“It’s inevitable, right?” Chicago Cubs manager David Ross said. “I think they’re trying to maximize the consistency of the strike zone. It makes a lot of sense. My fear, from a former catcher’s (perspective), is what the product looked like on TV. I loved manipulating the ball as a catcher and the framing aspect and trying to play a kind of cat-and-mouse game and having relationships with umpires and talking about strikes and balls. That (catcher-umpire) dynamic was fun for me.”
The umpire still will be able to talk balls and strikes with the catcher. He just won’t be able to make the calls.
“I know fans are concerned because arguing with the umpires about balls and strikes is one of the few times you can get thrown out,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “That’s going to be tough to do.”
La Russa said he spoke with members of the MLB rules committee recently when they asked for the opinions of some managers. He was in favor or some of the new rules being tried out in the minors, including slightly larger bases and a 15-second pitch clock to speed up
games.
As for robo-umps?
“I saw it here in the Arizona Fall League a couple years ago,” he said. “I don’t know if I have an opinion.”
Well, there’s a first for everything.
La Russa proceeded to laud the commissioner’s office and the rules committee for coming up with ideas and said he was going to ask some umpires how they feel about it.
I’m guessing they feel the same way coal miners feel about the Green New Deal.
When I asked umpire Joe West in 2017 about the possibility of robo-umps, he laughed.
“They’ve tried that,” he said. “But that machine misses more pitches than we do.”
Still, some players are willing to give technology a chance.
“I think it’s time to at least give it a shot … and use that information and knowledge and see what the league thinks,” Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta said.
A call to the Major League Baseball Umpires Association on Friday was not immediately returned.
It wasn’t that long ago, during summer 2018, that former Cubs utility player Ben Zobrist was ejected from a game at Wrigley Field for telling plate umpire Phil Cuzzi the players wanted an automated strike zone.
During spring training in 2019, Zobrist was curious about the Atlantic League trying it out.
“We’ll see how that goes,” he said. “I’ve been told we don’t have the technology for it. But if they have it in the independent league, then ... hmm.”
One complaint from the Atlantic League was breaking balls called for strikes that nudged the corner of the zone at the back of the plate. According to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, the updated automated strike zone will no longer be three-dimensional, “theoretically eliminating those optical-illusion strikes.”
The Atlantic League became the first American pro league to allow a computer to call balls and strikes at its All-Star Game on July 10, 2019.
The following December, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association agreed to cooperate with MLB in the development and testing of an ABS system as part of a five-year labor contract. The umpires also agreed to cooperate and assist Commissioner Rob Manfred if he decided to utilize the system at the major-league level.
The human element is part of the game, but most agree instant replay has improved baseball, albeit while making games longer. Most fans probably are in favor of roboumps, thanks in part to seeing the ubiquitous strike zone graphics on TV that occasionally show pitches outside the zone called strikes, and vice versa.
The graphics aren’t a perfect interpretation of the strike zone, which is from the midpoint between a batter’s shoulders and the top of the uniform pants — when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing — and a point just below the kneecap. They also don’t take into account catchers framing pitches — the subtle art of maneuvering the glove to magically turn would-be balls into strikes.
Umpire Bill Miller, one of the best in the business and the president of the MLB Umpires Association, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel last year most fans don’t understand the TV graphic isn’t always accurate.
“We stand in the slot, to the side of the catcher,” Miller said. “Sorry to get technical. If we stand over the top of the catcher, we get smoked with foul balls and risk getting a concussion. It’s definitely a struggle to see the outside corner of the plate, especially on a lefty with a ball on that hand.
“Most people don’t know, but we get evaluated on every call we make.
We know what pitches we missed, got right, what we accepted and what the catcher influenced. We’re held accountable, trust me. They use a Z.E. (zone evaluation) System. The box they show on TV is not 100% accurate. We always say that there should be a sign that reads, ‘This is for viewing pleasure.’ But you’re only as good as your last plate job.”
Unfortunately, the most well-known umpires are the ones fans most love to hate, such as Hernandez and West. When they make a wrong call, it’s a trending topic on Twitter, and some fans label all umpires inadequate based on the performances of a few.
They’re humans, after all, and the good ones make the game better without much notice.
“And there are a lot of personalities in the umpires where you get to work with them,” Ross said, referring to the frequent discussions of what is and is not going to be called a strike that day.”
The sad part might be that former Cubs pitcher John Lackey is retired, so we only can imagine the scene of him arguing with a computer.
In the statement announcing the rules, MLB consultant Theo Epstein, the former Cubs president, said the game constantly is evolving and “MLB must be thoughtful and intentional about progressing toward the very best version of baseball — a version that is true to its essence and has enough consistent action and athleticism on display to entertain fans of all ages.
“These rules experiments will provide valuable insight into various ways to create a playing environment that encourages the most entertaining version of the game. What we learn in the minor leagues this year will be essential in helping all parties chart the right path forward for baseball.”
So can a robo-ump throw a manager out of a game for arguing balls and strikes?
The answer might come sooner than you think.