Ditch the challenge system go full replacement for umps behind the plate
this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2025
16 points (100.0% liked)
Baseball
861 readers
1 users here now
The fans' home for baseball.
Mods wanted!
If you’re a member of the original mod team for r/baseball (or just wish to help out in general), DM @headie_sage@fanaticus.social and I’ll restore your position :)
AL East
!tampabayrays@fanaticus.social !orioles@fanaticus.social !nyyankees@fanaticus.social !torontobluejays@fanaticus.social !redsox@fanaticus.social
AL Central
!minnesotatwins@fanaticus.social !clevelandguardians@fanaticus.social !whitesox@fanaticus.social !motorcitykitties@fanaticus.social !kcroyals@fanaticus.social
AL West
!texasrangers@fanaticus.social !astros@fanaticus.social !angelsbaseball@fanaticus.social !mariners@fanaticus.social !oaklandathletics@fanaticus.social
NL East
!braves@fanaticus.social !miamimarlins@fanaticus.social !phillies@fanaticus.social !newyorkmets@fanaticus.social !nationals@fanaticus.social
NL Central
!buccos@fanaticus.social !brewers@fanaticus.social !reds@fanaticus.social !chicubs@fanaticus.social !cardinals@fanaticus.social
NL West
!azdiamondbacks@fanaticus.social !sfgiants@fanaticus.social !dodgers@fanaticus.social !padres@fanaticus.social !coloradorockies@fanaticus.social
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Not unless and until the entity in control of the robo umps isn't thr MLB itself. No one should want that in the hands of the ownership. There'd be zero oversight over the zone at all.
This is the league that mysteriously starts swaping out baseballs when certain players are garnering national media attention. Don't think the strike zones won't start shifting when it becomes convenient.
That's easy to rectify. Post every call publicly for audit.
The crazy part is that we have a system to call the pitches perfectly, they admit that umps are wrong 6% of the time, and they are still doing this halfway nonsense instead of just calling the pitches correctly instead of letting umps continue to be wrong
I think the players like the fact that some umps have slightly different zones. As long as the zones are consistent, it can give observant players an edge.
Nothing in the rules of baseball says umps are allowed to make their own zones. They are instead saying they want to play a different made up game
The game as it's been played for 120+ years, though.
Oh then are you suggesting we should get rid of all the other things from the last 120 years like aluminum bats, cleats, safety bags, helmets, instant replays, etc?
Chess needed rule changes for hundreds of years. And ABS isn't even a rule change, it's just playing by the same rules more accurately. I don't understand why baseball fans are modern day luddites
Well no. The rule itself has changed several times over the years. It now reads:
The official strike zone is the area over home plate 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 at a pitched ball -- and a point just below the kneecap.
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone
Which, when you think about it, isn't really all that precise. Where exactly are the shoulders in a stance? How is a "kneecap" measured? What if the batter hops around a bit when he swings? I hate to break it to you, but the robo-ump is probably guessing too, at least on the high and low calls.
And it's not so much that they call the rule differently, but they are human and see the strike zone differently.