Yahoo:
After much discussion, some anticipation and some disappointment, “robot umpires” have finally made its way into professional baseball.
On Wednesday, the independent Atlantic League, which is a partner of Major League Baseball, debuted the electronic strike zone during its All-Star game, making it the first American professional league to do so.
Home plate umpire Brian deBrauwere wore an earpiece that was connected to an iPhone in his pocket. The earpiece relayed balls and strikes after receiving it from a TrackMan computer system utilizing a Doppler radar and deBrauwere called them as he received them .
Because the system is still in its infancy, an umpire is needed behind home in the event that the system fails to pick up a pitch, registers a pitch totally incorrectly or fails altogether.
It’s only a matter of time before this technology enters the mainstream and is used in the big leagues. I think that will be a shame because one of the joys of baseball is that human element of a really bad umpire.
Electronic sensors on the bases, automated pitching, and maybe eventually, robot players?
This will change the way the game is played. Good umpires set a strike zone and are consistent. Good hitters and pitchers take advantage of the differences.
Poor umpires cause unpredictability which makes the game “interesting”.
Lack of variability at the plate means the game will adjust to it. It will mean less variability in the game.
Except the strike zone has an official definition. The definition shouldn’t really vary from ump to ump.
Technically yes.
Take Phil Cuzzi. Big wide strike zone, Cubs didn’t adjust during the NLDS, like to have him behind plate for all star games.
Tim McClelland and Tim Tschida (sp?) had small consistent strikes zones and terrified pitchers. Umps like that seem to have retired lately.
With a “robot umpire” you would get more consistent games which would mean less unusual games. I think baseball would be more boring. Just my opinion though, I am often wrong. 😉