I forget where I heard this but it is true, the ups are all measure by their consistency against a true strike zone called by computers. Their accuracy is known and they are graded and rated and promoted or demoted on it. Their ability is measured in percentage which is always in the high %90 percent or they are gone.Originally Posted by User Name?
Which all strikes me odd because I think the majority of them suck......
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed up to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
It's not that "there would be ways". There already are ways, and MLB is using them right now with their Gameday and umpire grading systems.
We miss you Mike.
That's because theyre given a gray area "leeway" in what's called a "borderline strike". Check out a gameday game one of these days, and you'll see this gray area in all its majesty. It's pretty significant.
We miss you Mike.
It's a big part of the game that I don't want to see disappear. It's like ball spots in the NFL. There's always going to be a human element and this "grey" area. Sometimes you benefit, sometimes you don't. But just like the a 3rd and 1 in the NFL, a good team doesn't leave it to chance. You get 2 yards on a 3rd and 1 and there's no worries about getting a "bad spot". You swing at anything close with 2 strikes likewise. Sure, it can change an at-bat here earlier in the count, but it's a 27 out game, with 162 games in a season, and 5 and 7 game playoff series. 1 shitty at-bat or game shouldn't sink a team. Officiating can ruin a game, but is never an excuse for ruining a season or series. Automation is not the answer.
And even if you couldn't... putting electronic markers on a player's uniform, one at the letters, one at the knees, is something that could have done 40 years ago. With modern motion capture that probably isn't even necessary.
If history tells us anything, the path to redeption for any bad baseball team is marked with a deep rotation of durable starters, a world class defense in both infield and outfield, a lineup that can generate runs in more than one way, a bullpen that won't steal defeat from the jaws of victory, and a top end catcher to hold the whole package together. These are the conditions by which victory is achieved, anything that does not accomplish these objectives is a waste of resources.
The OP is silliness personified. The simple fact is that we have a lousy pitching staff. I think it is possible that in these last two games in Toronto when we lost late and despite scoring first 5 runs and the 9 that the Jays are reading our signs. However, I also think that Uehara threw too many "fast" balls (that top out at 86-88 mph) and not enough splitters. Kimbrel has blazing speed but can also be predictable--but the case for the Jays reading our signs is stronger there.
The reality--and the reason why I call the OP silly--is that umpiring keeps getting better and better thanks to the multiple camera replays and the semi-official use of automated strike zones. I say semi-official because the umps still make the calls on balls and strikes and only get feedback later, which is a whole helluva lot better than before those automated strike zones.
A further thought is that I think the hitting lobby continues to be far more powerful than the pitching lobby. You can see this in every game when almost every batter is more than willing to complain about a call, but rare is the pitcher or catcher who will do so.
To be honest, my sympathies tend to be in favor of pitchers and umpires. Pitchers because they have to throw that ball very hard--in the case of starters, 100 times or more a game--with a variety of speeds and spins while still hitting an incredibly small target 66 feet away. They throw so hard they put their arms and shoulders at risk, but they are still nothing if they don't have control.
The home plate umpires, on the other hand, put themselves at risk by just standing behind the catcher. On top of that, they have to make literally hundreds of calls, every one of which is being tracked by special cameras and computers. Did anyone every wonder (as I have) why MLB doesn't simply pick the best home plate umpires, pay them more, and keep them behind the plate? My guess it's because home plate is just too tough a job night after night for the incredibly long MLB season. So the job rotates among the four-man umpire squad.
And don't forget that the umpire's view is inevitably and slightly blocked by the catcher, usually on low pitches and outside pitches. The other issue is that a breaking ball might or might not have passed thru the plane of the strike zone even though it began and ended outside it.
Last edited by Maxbialystock; 05-29-2016 at 06:12 AM.
my aim was to entertain. You make many sensible points. Thanks for the kind words. Never use Taz in the Roger's Centre would make a great T-shirt.
I'm still not sure wHere I stand on robot umps but I will say this: the MLB umpires are doing their job like they want robot umps.....
other names i have posted under: none
Max, your whole post points to the reasoning that the homeplate ump should be a robot (concussion risk, blocked views, k zone already monitored by computers).
What were the most egregious missed strike calls yesterday? I've been going through some Jays AB's on GameDay and I haven't seen anything really bad yet.
How does not having the dumb-ass manager having the chance to argue balls-and-strikes with the ump take away anything from the game. The staged and theatrical managerial tirades face-to-face with the ump are embarrassing. It's not allowed in any other sport. The problem with baseball is that there is no way to penalize this behavior except with an ejection.
Oy vey.
We miss you Mike.
I know that MLB is using a form of it already. I often follow/use it. That is part of the way that I know it's not just my eyesight involved. I was speaking in a parabolic fashion to the other poster.
You succeeded.I almost didn't respond because it was tongue in cheek enough to stand on its own. I thought perhaps you desired a response so I .... ok , I'll shut up now.
[QUOTE=jad;998995]How does not having the dumb-ass manager having the chance to argue balls-and-strikes with the ump take away anything from the game. The staged and theatrical managerial tirades face-to-face with the ump are embarrassing. It's not allowed in any other sport. The problem with baseball is that there is no way to penalize this behavior except with an ejection.[/QUOTE]
There are fines.
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