I love this, have seen it throughout the minor leagues and it works and adds around 13-17seconds per challenge.
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The Competition Committee has the authority to implement a rule change after 45 days, so any offseason measures go into effect the following season.
The players on the Committee may well be in support of the automatic zone regardless. (It’ll perhaps be more interesting, if ultimately irrelevant, to see how the lone umpire representative votes.) MLB initially had floated the concept of using a completely electronic strike zone, but it backed off that after receiving player feedback that it’d have too adverse an impact on catchers who make a living off their pitch framing acumen. They’ve tested the challenge system for years in the minors and introduced it to MLB Spring Training this year.
Human umpires will continue to make the vast majority of the ball-strike calls. Each team receives two challenges that would turn to the electronic zone to potentially overrule a call they feel is incorrect. Challenges must be called for in real time by either the hitter, catcher or pitcher. An overturned call does not result in a forfeited challenge. The limit on the number of incorrect challenges encourages players to challenge only if the call is either so egregious that they’re confident they’ll get it overturned or comes on pitches that might be particularly decisive to the outcome of the game.
Additionally, Manfred was noncommittal on when the league had interest in moving forward with a potential change to allow hitters to use bat tracking metrics to challenge check swing calls.
But now that the league is admitting that their umpires dont get balls and strikes right do they need to set some more strict rules around what qualifies for ejection? I ask because a lot of them simply seem to be about “showing up the umpire” because they are unquestionable in their calls
This should lead to far less arguing over balls and strikes if you win the challenge you get to carry them forward. If you lose you don’t, and it isn’t just hitters that can challenge, catchers can also challenge.
I think it will lead to a whole new statistic on the umpires and their calls at the plate. Who is good who isn’t who gets fired.
Greg Maddux should thank his stars he didn’t pitch in this era.
I guess i am just sick of the umpires that think people watch for them and they get power hungry with their quick trigger. Hopefully a rule change like this leads to less of those individuals remaining in the game
I am mixed about this. But umpires have opened this door.
Can we see a fully automated umpire system in the not-too-distant future? I am starting to wonder. Add a little gps in the core of the baseball and they might be in business. (think the old tracking hockey puck which I actually liked)
I don’t think that will happen, fully automated that is.
The ABS challenge program is working well in the minors and I think it will improve the quality of umpires over time. Same time it’s easy to be critical sitting on my couch but with all the movement on these pitches today I would be horrible as an ump.
There will always have to be a live human because someone has to go out and check Phil Neikro’s glove. But… If automation can call balls and strikes, it can call plays at the bases, foul balls, and home runs. It will be the subjective calls like fan interference that keeps humans as umps.
I think the bats are too good for it to happen anymore but when a riding two seamer used to saw off and break a corked bat was one of my favorite plays in all of sports. The looks on all the players’ faces was priceless.
Yet, come playoffs, the strike zone shrunk for him, or, should we say, became what other pitchers faced all season. His playoff record is not good, Glavine the same.
I loved watching the Braves fold in the postseason, almost as bad as the Bills in NFL.
You and me both, one of my favorite WS for that exact reason.
I worked for an international firm and my Brave disgust was well known. All season I would get shit about how the Braves were going to win it all. Uh, guys, regular season Braves and postseason Braves are two very different things. You win the regular season and majority of the time, large majority, I win the postseason.
