Today’s MLB umpires are some of the best around, but they’re still human. And when humans deal with split-second decisions on 100 mph fastballs, well, mistakes happen.
Imagine trying to judge the exact location of a tiny white ball whizzing by at over 100 miles per hour. That’s what umpires do every pitch. Now add in breaking balls that curve and dive, and it gets even trickier.
Then there’s the strike zone itself. It’s supposed to be a precise box over the plate, but it’s not always called the same way. Different umps might have slightly different interpretations, and they can be influenced by things like the batter’s stance or the pitcher’s delivery angle.
Also, umpires behind the plate deal with weird angles. Their view isn’t quite the same as the batter’s, so it can be tough to judge pitches on the edges of the zone. Plus, just like athletes, umpires can get tired during a long game. This can lead to them missing calls, especially late in the game when the pressure is on and everyone’s watching.
Remember the Angel Hernandez incident in 2019? He called a strike on a pitch that was way outside, a moment that still makes fans cringe. Or how about Joey Votto’s check swing in 2013? Replays clearly showed he didn’t hit the ball, but the call went against him.
With all these errors, it’s no wonder that the league is planning to resort to technology for help. Enter “robot-umps,” which would call balls and strikes electronically. One system uses fancy cameras to track the pitch and see if it crosses the strike zone.
But is technology the answer?
Former MLB manager Joe Maddon has a different idea. He thinks instead of “robot-umps,” human umpires should wear earpieces that give them real-time feedback during the game. Maddon even points out that relying solely on technology can lead to strange-looking calls, even if they’re technically accurate.
“I like the idea of having the system, but maybe having a little earbud in the umpire’s ear for when he misses something and he’s alerted to when he misses something so that during the course of the game he might be able to improve his strike zone based on information. Tech is taking over the world, man. I’m not into that. I mean, I know a lot of people are. I like heartbeats. I like human beings. I like to be augmented with what we’re doing, but not taken over by it,” shared Maddon.
Well, Triple-A baseball is already in the middle of carrying out a system that combines technology and human judgment.
Triple-A’s ABS Challenge System Takes Center Stage
Triple-A baseball has been using a system that combines technology and human judgment for ball and strike calls.
The home plate umpire makes the initial call on balls and strikes, just like in a regular game. If a team disagrees with the call, they can use one of their limited challenges to have it reviewed. A tracking system called Hawk-Eye is used to analyze the pitch electronically and determine its exact location relative to the strike zone. If Hawk-Eye shows the call was incorrect, the umpire will overturn it. A successful challenge means the team keeps their challenge for later in the game.
Initially, Triple-A games used a split system. Three games per week used the full ABS system, where the computer called all balls and strikes. The other three games used the challenge system. However, in late June, MLB decided to switch all Triple-A games to the challenge system. This allows them to gather more data on how the system works with human umpires involved.
Fans and players seem to prefer having umpires make the initial call, with technology as a backup for egregious errors. This allows MLB to see how well this system works with real umpires before they unleash the robots (or at least, the robot-umps) on the big leagues.
So, while Triple-A isn’t using fully automated umpires, the ABS Challenge System is a baby step towards applying technology to officiating baseball.
