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Would baseball be a better game with an automated strike zone?

?

  • Better

    Votes: 55 63.2%

  • No change

    Votes: 14 16.1%

  • Worse

    Votes: 18 20.7%
  • Total voters
    87
Will try and find a link, but HBO Real Sports did a feature a few years back where a former player was advocating/demonstrating for a automated system where it would notify the umpire behind the plate on whether it was a ball vs. strike. This was demonstrated at several minor league games - digital zone which turned a light in Center red for a strike. There was no lag in the call - and if you didn't know what was going, would not have noticed. In the same segment, based on his analysis from one year of MLB, the correct call % was somewhere near 75%. As a life long MLB Fan, someone who played ball through college, coached high level youth travel ball, and now has a HS son with D1 aspirations - if we can make the game "accurate" I fail to see why wouldn't at the highest level.
 
BuffInTheWild said:
Will try and find a link, but HBO Real Sports did a feature a few years back where a former player was advocating/demonstrating for a automated system where it would notify the umpire behind the plate on whether it was a ball vs. strike. This was demonstrated at several minor league games - digital zone which turned a light in Center red for a strike. There was no lag in the call - and if you didn't know what was going, would not have noticed. In the same segment, based on his analysis from one year of MLB, the correct call % was somewhere near 75%. As a life long MLB Fan, someone who played ball through college, coached high level youth travel ball, and now has a HS son with D1 aspirations - if we can make the game "accurate" I fail to see why wouldn't at the highest level.
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"tradition"
 
jdtox said:
So whats next then? Robots at the bases too? Sensors in the bags/ball? Where does it end?
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Yes? Why not take the human error out of the rules if able?

NVM saw your answer. I get it but everything evolves or dies. Including games we loved as kids. Circle of life.
 
I personally couldn’t care less whether it’s implemented or not. The strike zone isn’t what is holding baseball back. It’s our short attention spans and about 1000 entertainment alternatives as compared to 25 years ago. As a massive sports fan I’ll always enjoy a day at the ball park. However, unless my favorite team is in playoff contention, even I will be hard pressed to watch a full game on tv.

That being said the over-exaggerated framing of pitches does get a bit annoying to me. So I say implement and let catchers just catch the ball again.
 
Hmmm hadn't really thought about it- but I guess taking some of the error out does make some sense. I would be interested to see how it would be intended to work- feed data to the umpire behind the plate or just automatically throw it out there with a sign? Still have to have the guy behind the plate for HBP/plays at plate etc... but I could see where it would be beneficial.
 
BuffInTheWild said:
Will try and find a link, but HBO Real Sports did a feature a few years back where a former player was advocating/demonstrating for a automated system where it would notify the umpire behind the plate on whether it was a ball vs. strike. This was demonstrated at several minor league games - digital zone which turned a light in Center red for a strike. There was no lag in the call - and if you didn't know what was going, would not have noticed. In the same segment, based on his analysis from one year of MLB, the correct call % was somewhere near 75%. As a life long MLB Fan, someone who played ball through college, coached high level youth travel ball, and now has a HS son with D1 aspirations - if we can make the game "accurate" I fail to see why wouldn't at the highest level.
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Eric Burns was the former player. Here is a link to the preview:

 
baylrballa said:
"tradition"
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Completely agree that is what is always cited.

That is also one of the reasons on why this great game is dying - the inability to adapt. I am lucky that I have a son who is 14 who loves the game and will watch (parts) of 40-100 games per year via the MLB.com app. He is the absolute exception - as out of all of the kids I have ever coached and now all of his HS teammates, hardly anyone watches baseball anymore. Unless your team is in it (much like hockey), there is no general interest amongst the younger generation even during the playoffs. It kills me to see and I am not saying more accurate balls/strikes is the fix, but a game that doesn't adapt is surely dying - which kills me.
 
Automated might be more efficient - but, it wouldn’t be as enjoyable. (Unless you programmed the system to yell “steeee - rike!”)
 
Gut tells me it would be better. I do think the human element is important. Seen a lot of really questionable actions by umps lately though that has really turned me off of the game.
 
I would be for a pitch clock before an automated strike zone. But I am not against an automated strike zone.
 
Pitchers better start learning that 12-6 curve that crosses the very front of the plate at the bottom of the zone and hits the dirt. Can’t wait for those calls to make it up to the MLB level. As egregious as that pitch looks being called a strike it’ll eliminate some bad umpiring in games that matter. So net wash for me.

But it takes away so much of what I prided myself on as a pitcher and catcher. Expanding the zone is a lost art. I loved getting the umpire to call strikes over a ball off the plate back when youth umps called a real strike zone. A good, solid frame job that doesn’t require the catcher moving his glove a foot is a thing of beauty. It’s almost as nice as the catch and point on a ball to get the called strike.
 
I voted yes, but I'm not sure what LA would have to take about if he can't complain about the refs. 😂
 
No, marveling at Angel Hernandez's gross incompetence and wondering how he can keep his job is part of the game...........
 
I'm all for it for balls and strikes.
 
jdtox said:
I think replay should be gone. I hate it, especially in baseball more than any other sport. Other than reviewing a homerun I don't want it. Now....get off my lawn! ;)
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But I agree
 
1860VS said:
No, marveling at Angel Hernandez's gross incompetence and wondering how he can keep his job is part of the game...........
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Pretty sure this guy would call it better than Angel..

 
templeton80 said:
I would be for a pitch clock before an automated strike zone. But I am not against an automated strike zone.
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The Pitch clock is coming this year - Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters will need to be in the batter's box with eight seconds on the pitch clock.
 
Yep, that way there is no doubt on balls and strikes.
 
jdtox said:
I think replay should be gone. I hate it, especially in baseball more than any other sport. Other than reviewing a homerun I don't want it. Now....get off my lawn! ;)
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TRyan said:
The Pitch clock is coming this year - Pitchers will have 15 seconds to throw a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Hitters will need to be in the batter's box with eight seconds on the pitch clock.
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Not to derail the OP thread, but I'm interested to see how this will change the dynamic of the game. Will we see more stolen bases or other things as a result of the offense trying to manipulate the clock to throw off a pitcher's rhythm?
 
hadi05 said:
Not to derail the OP thread, but I'm interested to see how this will change the dynamic of the game. Will we see more stolen bases or other things as a result of the offense trying to manipulate the clock to throw off a pitcher's rhythm?
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I will be interested to see, but I don't think it is going to see more stolen bases IMO - base stealing is relatively dead.

I do wonder how pitchers who are historically very slow (See one of the Cardinal's best relievers Giovanny Gallegos, will be effected).

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In his case he takes, on average, 19.8 seconds to throw the ball with the bases empty, and 24.6 with a runner on base. He will have to make some very major adjustments.
 

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hadi05 said:
Not to derail the OP thread, but I'm interested to see how this will change the dynamic of the game. Will we see more stolen bases or other things as a result of the offense trying to manipulate the clock to throw off a pitcher's rhythm?
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Between the pitch clock and the limit on pickoff attempts I think you will see a slight uptick in stolen bases, but analytics has pretty much killed stolen bases, and ending the defensive shift will give more ammo to the just wait on base and get moved around by a big hit group.

I find it hilarious that baseball is trying all these little things to move the game along that ultimately won't make it any more fun to watch as small market teams still get killed by their lack of ability to compete with the deep pockets of teams like the yankees and dodgers. A hard cap would do so much more to have some parity, and make more games competitive and interesting.
 
In this thread we will determine who has actually called balls and strikes and who hasn't.
 
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