Robo Umps are Coming - All AAA Parks to Have them Installed for 2023 Season

[Brock Beauchamp]

It will be interesting to follow this story and see how MLB implements it in 2023 and what that means for 2024 and beyond.

A lot of catcher value - and the type of catcher MLB teams want to employ going forward - hinges on their decision.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35434317/sources-all-aaa-parks-use-electronic-strike-zone-23?fbclid=IwAR0Nvtf3X9grmRQnaJOfMS3QeXERaIRJwL-TQOCy7hI4JiRhHxdwa2O7WZo

[nate82]

I am all for our new overlords the Robo Umps.

[Brock Beauchamp]

42 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I am all for our new overlords the Robo Umps.

I hope the challenge system works as well as I think it will. That’s my first choice if things go well.

Another thing to keep in mind is that ten umpires retired this off-season. Not a single one of them was better than average at strike-calling, most were way below average. We could see a significant improvement in calling from that alone. 

[dlk9s]

I have my doomsday shelter and weapons cache ready for when the robo umps come for all of us.

[wiguy94]

6 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

I hope the challenge system works as well as I think it will. That’s my first choice if things go well.

Another thing to keep in mind is that ten umpires retired this off-season. Not a single one of them was better than average at strike-calling, most were way below average. We could see a significant improvement in calling from that alone. 

The Sounds played a series late in the year with the challenge system and I really enjoyed it. The egregious misses get challenged but close calls that go either way are tough to challenge because of your limited challenges. 

[Hacksaw Jim Duggan]

I wonder if the players will continue to argue balls and strikes.  Can the robo umps send players to the showers?

[owbc]

There's a >95% chance that it will be the tennis-style review system when it is implemented in MLB. It has gotten rave reviews while keeping the human element and the art of framing pitching in the game. 

[nate82]

22 minutes ago, owbc said:

There's a >95% chance that it will be the tennis-style review system when it is implemented in MLB. It has gotten rave reviews while keeping the human element and the art of framing pitching in the game. 

I still have no idea why MLB doesn't have the same system for fair or foul on the lines.  Maybe it is a technology issue or a stadium issue but you would think it wouldn't be all that difficult to incorporate into MLB. 

[jerichoholicninja]

Unless this comes to the majors in 2024 or shortly after, this will make OBP skills translating from the minors to the majors more interesting.

[damuelle]

Presently, are there some unique pitches which technically pass through the strike zone but are almost never called strikes - e.g. sinkers that just catch the bottom of the zone when crossing the plate, but then bottom out so quickly that umps always call them a ball?

[owbc]

1 hour ago, damuelle said:

Presently, are there some unique pitches which technically pass through the strike zone but are almost never called strikes - e.g. sinkers that just catch the bottom of the zone when crossing the plate, but then bottom out so quickly that umps always call them a ball?

There are -- especially big looping curve balls. I think that is part of what they have been adjusting in testing. Pitchers will surely try to exploit the edges of the zone. Of course they already do this and hitters are forced to swing given the inconsistency of umpires calling the corners of the zone. I would hypothesize that anyone with above-average command of the strike zone will benefit from this system -- but if the rules are as they are currently written, then hitters/pitchers will have to conserve their challenges and will not want to risk challenging borderline pitches in low-leverage situations. 

So the tennis-style system will correct all of the obvious blown calls. Plus pretty much every borderline strikeout/walk call in high-leverage situations will get challenged, especially late in the game.

I haven't seen it mentioned, but I suspect there will also be a cheating element to deal with. Hitters/pitchers have to make the decision to challenge almost immediately with no help from the dugout, but anyone watching the game has immediate knowledge of whether it was a ball or strike. There are often TVs right behind home plate in the premium seating that will probably have to be put on a 10 second delay, otherwise the fans will yell out "CHALLENGE IT!". Or maybe the fans will try to trick the opposition into making spurious challenges. So much food for thought! 

[MrTPlush]

I like robot umps for challenges…not making literally every call.

I can’t recall how it went in the minors, but I’d love to see a set of limited challenges and the only person who challenges is the hitter/pitcher/catcher…and they have to do it quickly.

A new skill set would be born. Hitter having a good eye and having self control to understand if they should use a challenge on it.

Im not sure using it for every pitch is going to bring some 100% accuracy. From what I have seen it can be pretty subjective and questionable due to what defines each hitters strikezone and a computer to accurately call it. These terrible umpires are off mere inches on the calls many complain about. Will a computer be any better? Maybe more consistent, but accuracy is debatable.

[wiguy94]

37 minutes ago, MrTPlush said:

I like robot umps for challenges…not making literally every call.

I can’t recall how it went in the minors, but I’d love to see a set of limited challenges and the only person who challenges is the hitter/pitcher/catcher…and they have to do it quickly.

That’s exactly what the challenge rule was in the minors. Believe it was 3 challenges and you retain your challenge if it was successful. 

[umphrey]

I hate the delays caused by most challenge systems in sports, especially in low leverage situations, so hopefully they keep that in mind with whatever decisions they make

[wiguy94]

33 minutes ago, umphrey said:

I hate the delays caused by most challenge systems in sports, especially in low leverage situations, so hopefully they keep that in mind with whatever decisions they make

This challenge system takes about 10 seconds because it’s automated. It really isn’t inconvenient or annoying. 

[jerichoholicninja]

If we have the ability to get the call right immediately on every pitch why are we bothering allowing umps to make wrong calls but with the challenge crap? Stop making this so complicated.

[MVP2110]

3 hours ago, jerichoholicninja said:

If we have the ability to get the call right immediately on every pitch why are we bothering allowing umps to make wrong calls but with the challenge crap? Stop making this so complicated.

I agree with this