Brewers Challenge Record

[xisxisxis]

Ran across the data on a teams success rate at challenges for each year and found an odd trend for the Brewers:

 

Year__% Overturned___Rank

2014_____0.630_________6

2015_____0.517________18

2016_____0.489________24

2017_____0.395________27

2018_____0.167________31 (Dead last - Umpire challenges are usually ranked 1 to 3)

 

The Brewers have shown a consistent pattern of getting worse every year at challenges. Seems odd since there's more effort to evaluate whether a challenge will succeed before challenging. Is this significant and what is the underlying cause? Do the Brewers have poor camera angles compared to other teams (it was impossible to cleanly see what happened on Yelich's triple yesterday as there appeared to be no camera pointed near the 1st baseman...)? although that would effect the other team too (no park numbers could be found). Is there a bias in NY? What would lead to such a dramatic drop in the teams efficiency at challenges? I don't really know, but am wondering what others think?

 

For comparison here are the Yankees numbers:

 

Year_% Overturned____Rank

2014_____0.742_________2

2015_____0.733_________1

2016_____0.679_________3

2017_____0.674_________3

2018_____0.600_________6

 

Now that's interesting...

[jerichoholicninja]

[sarcasm]Conspiracy against the Brewers.[/sarcasm]

[Pugger]

CC is about as good at challenging plays as McCarthy is...

[BrewCrew02]

This is just from watching games but it seems like the umpires are more reluctant to overturn calls. Wish they would go to the NFL system of announcing if the call was "confirmed" or "play stands." I feel like any close plays they are staying with the call on the field. I think right before the all star break there were at least 2-3 calls that were challenged and they was evidence that the call should have went in the brewers favor but they stayed with the call on the field for some reason.

[BrewCrew02]

Is there any way to look up the league wide success on challenges? Be curious if the success rate is also trending downward.

[xisxisxis]

I looked at the data for the rest of the teams and sorted by average rank:

 

Team___________________14__15__16__17__18____A

New York Yankees________2___1___3___3___6____3.0

Kansas City Royals______7___6___1___4___2____4.0

San Francisco Giants____7__10___5___8___3____6.6

Miami Marlins___________3___7___6__28___9____10.6

Arizona Diamondbacks___19___4___7__14__10____10.8

Philadelphia Phillies__28___8__11___7___7____12.2

Los Angeles Angels_____12__NA__18__11__11____13.0

Minnesota Twins________18___9___9___2__28____13.2

Seattle Mariners_______11___3__13__16__25____13.6

Cleveland Indians______14__14__15__17__13____14.6

Oakland Athletics______19__18___7__19__13____15.2

Detroit Tigers_________10__27__14__23___4____15.6

Pittsburgh Pirates_____16__15__25___6__16____15.6

New York Mets__________24__13___4___9__28____15.6

Chicago Cubs___________27__12__20__13___8____16.0

Los Angeles Dodgers____13__25__16__10__19____16.6

Baltimore Orioles______19__11__18___5__30____16.6

Colorado Rockies_______30__17__12__23___5____17.4

Houston Astros__________9__21__27__20__12____17.8

Chicago White Sox______23__16__21__21__17____19.6

Cincinnati Reds________25___5__23__22__25____20.0

Tampa Bay Rays_________26__30__10__18__18____20.4

St. Louis Cardinals____29__20__22__12__20____20.6

Atlanta Braves__________4__22__29__25__24____20.8

Milwaukee Brewers_______6__18__24__27__31____21.2

Boston Red Sox_________15__26__26__26__15____21.6

San Diego Padres_______19__23__17__29__22____22.0

Washington Nationals____5__24__30__30__23____22.4

Texas Rangers__________17__29__28__14__27____23.0

Toronto Blue Jays______31__28__31__31__21____28.4

 

The Yankees, Royals, and Giants are consistently in the top 10 of all teams, while the Blue Jays are consistently really crappy at challenges. Several teams show a consistent range for 4 of the 5 years than a vastly different rank the 5th year (Braves, Nationals, Reds, Marlins). A few are very consistent, like the Indians who are consistently average (14/14/15/17/13) and maybe the Angels who are missing 2015 data (12/18/11/11) and the Red Sox who are consistently only 2 ranks (15/26/26/26/15). The Brewers are the only team with a consistent progression over time and are the worst mean rank in the NL Central. Its clear there's some talent to challenges. The harm to the brewers is that they often don't get a second challenge because the first was not overturned. May not make a huge deal, but could it account for as much as 1 win/loss?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This is just from watching games but it seems like the umpires are more reluctant to overturn calls. Wish they would go to the NFL system of announcing if the call was "confirmed" or "play stands." I feel like any close plays they are staying with the call on the field. I think right before the all star break there were at least 2-3 calls that were challenged and they was evidence that the call should have went in the brewers favor but they stayed with the call on the field for some reason.

 

Please no. If I had my way, all replay in every sport is out. Not that baseball is excelling at this, but the NFL is destroying its TV product with all the breaks. Replay system is a nightmare with all the commercials it brings about.

 

There is no reason for umpires to exist. The tech already exists to get things right on the field instantaneously with lasers. The only use for NFL referees are the judgement calls like holding and PI which could likely also be done with tech if they really wanted.

 

Replay was a great idea and a failure in practice. They're still getting plenty of calls wrong with it and it has removed all suspense from the NFL games. Touchdown! Scan for flags...wait for replay to confirm it was a TD...ok, celebrate, or realize it wasn't and go back to square one.

 

I hate it.

[JohnBriggs12]

I looked at the data for the rest of the teams and sorted by average rank:

 

Team___________________14__15__16__17__18____A

New York Yankees________2___1___3___3___6____3.0

Kansas City Royals______7___6___1___4___2____4.0

San Francisco Giants____7__10___5___8___3____6.6

Miami Marlins___________3___7___6__28___9____10.6

Arizona Diamondbacks___19___4___7__14__10____10.8

Philadelphia Phillies__28___8__11___7___7____12.2

Los Angeles Angels_____12__NA__18__11__11____13.0

Minnesota Twins________18___9___9___2__28____13.2

Seattle Mariners_______11___3__13__16__25____13.6

Cleveland Indians______14__14__15__17__13____14.6

Oakland Athletics______19__18___7__19__13____15.2

Detroit Tigers_________10__27__14__23___4____15.6

Pittsburgh Pirates_____16__15__25___6__16____15.6

New York Mets__________24__13___4___9__28____15.6

Chicago Cubs___________27__12__20__13___8____16.0

Los Angeles Dodgers____13__25__16__10__19____16.6

Baltimore Orioles______19__11__18___5__30____16.6

Colorado Rockies_______30__17__12__23___5____17.4

Houston Astros__________9__21__27__20__12____17.8

Chicago White Sox______23__16__21__21__17____19.6

Cincinnati Reds________25___5__23__22__25____20.0

Tampa Bay Rays_________26__30__10__18__18____20.4

St. Louis Cardinals____29__20__22__12__20____20.6

Atlanta Braves__________4__22__29__25__24____20.8

Milwaukee Brewers_______6__18__24__27__31____21.2

Boston Red Sox_________15__26__26__26__15____21.6

San Diego Padres_______19__23__17__29__22____22.0

Washington Nationals____5__24__30__30__23____22.4

Texas Rangers__________17__29__28__14__27____23.0

Toronto Blue Jays______31__28__31__31__21____28.4

 

The Yankees, Royals, and Giants are consistently in the top 10 of all teams, while the Blue Jays are consistently really crappy at challenges. Several teams show a consistent range for 4 of the 5 years than a vastly different rank the 5th year (Braves, Nationals, Reds, Marlins). A few are very consistent, like the Indians who are consistently average (14/14/15/17/13) and maybe the Angels who are missing 2015 data (12/18/11/11) and the Red Sox who are consistently only 2 ranks (15/26/26/26/15). The Brewers are the only team with a consistent progression over time and are the worst mean rank in the NL Central. Its clear there's some talent to challenges. The harm to the brewers is that they often don't get a second challenge because the first was not overturned. May not make a huge deal, but could it account for as much as 1 win/loss?

 

A lot of Counsell's lost challenges are because he goes by the "use em if you got em". I don't think he loses them early in games all that often, but if he still has one in his pocket later on, he'll take shots even when it's not all that clear.

[jerichoholicninja]

This is just from watching games but it seems like the umpires are more reluctant to overturn calls. Wish they would go to the NFL system of announcing if the call was "confirmed" or "play stands." I feel like any close plays they are staying with the call on the field. I think right before the all star break there were at least 2-3 calls that were challenged and they was evidence that the call should have went in the brewers favor but they stayed with the call on the field for some reason.

 

They do report whether it was confirmed or upheld to the press box. The radio guys almost always mention it. They seldom do on TV.

[xisxisxis]

Is there any way to look up the league wide success on challenges? Be curious if the success rate is also trending downward.

Here are the yearly totals and % Upheld:

 

Year__Total__%Upheld

2014___1279___52.62%

2015___1317___50.72%

2016___1451___48.24%

2017___1312___52.59%

2018____847___58.91%

 

Less being overturned in 2018 (on pace for ~1400 for all of 2018).

[xisxisxis]

A lot of Counsell's lost challenges are because he goes by the "use em if you got em". I don't think he loses them early in games all that often, but if he still has one in his pocket later on, he'll take shots even when it's not all that clear.

 

In years that Counsell managed (2015 thru 2018) his number of challenges per year ranked 25th, 13th, 10th, 27th. So there is some trend to more challenges over the 3 years form 2015 to 2017 while his % overturned was dropping, but this year he's near dead last in # and %overturned.

[ecjimg]

Arent there 30 teams in MLB? (Whats with the 31 rankings?)

[xisxisxis]

Arent there 30 teams in MLB? (Whats with the 31 rankings?)

Umpire initiated reviews are a separate category.

[CheezWizHed]

Aren't the umps that review the challenges located in NY? Makes you go Hmmmm....