Youth Strike Zone

[tjthresh]

I called my first non JV game today.

One of the teams was less than thrilled with my strike zone.

Let me ask this question. I was under the impression that for youth leagues, this one was 13u, you need to make your strike zone bigger. Is this high and low, or just inside/outside?

[Umpire in Chief]

When you open up your zone go wide.

[moblue]

When you open up your zone go wide.

One exception to this might be if you ever call 9/10 yr. olds, you can pretty easily go up to the armpit on height without anyone saying anything.

Overall though, I agree with UIC. You can't go up very much before the batters have trouble adjusting to the zone.

[JaxRolo]

I think 13u is old enough to stick to belt/belly button height. And like UIC said maybe make it wider.

[moblue]

Wow, I wish I could call in the league you do. No sarcasm intended here. If they are able to hit that zone and not constantly walk people, you must have very good pitching.

I call just a little bit above halfway between the top of the shoulders and top of the pants (basically a little above the bottom part of the chest) on 13 yr. olds. A coach I worked several games for last season told me once that he had told his team "Remember guys, his strike zone is more wide than it is tall." If I tried the belt/belly button height I'd have walkfests every game.

[UmpJM]

I think 13u is old enough to stick to belt/belly button height. And like UIC said maybe make it wider.

Jax,

Don't take this the wrong way, but that's INSANE.

MLB doesn't even have the top of the strike zone called that low.

I would strongly encourage you to "open up the top" of your zone. I think you'll find you and everybody else will have a lot more fun.

I find moblue's suggested top very appropriate for a 13U game.

JM

[JaxRolo]

That's is just how our Association UIC has taught usfor anything 12u and older. I do agree it seems a bit extreme. But I have never heard of a complaint that our strike zones are too small.

But don't tell my UIC but i have been known to adjust when I see the caliber of pitching.

[semper_fi_72]

I called my first non JV game today.

One of the teams was less than thrilled with my strike zone.

Let me ask this question. I was under the impression that for youth leagues, this one was 13u, you need to make your strike zone bigger. Is this high and low, or just inside/outside?

13U doesn't provide me enough information on how to adjust my strike zone for a game.

Regardless of the age level, LL Minor, High School or Adult, I will adjust my strike zone to the pitching and level of play that day.

I work 13U USSSA Tournament games that have excellent pitching.

I generally will not go up and down but will work 1 ball in and out.

Two recent games I worked the plate

3 and a half 1 hr 5 min mercy ruling.

Full 7 innings 1 hr 25 min.

[Mike Prince]

Most of what I call is 9U/10U and I will go as high as the armpits and will go about a ball off of the plate width-wise. I have been told I am quite consistent and rarely get any negative comments on my zone. This zone expansion is also sufficient to get the bats swinging.

I also used to coach and my pet peeve was a kid swinging at a chin-high (or higher pitch), no way I will ever call one that high. I have a few partners that go a little too high at times and in my opinion doing so doesn't really have a good outcome.

[tjthresh]

So, it sounds like I was way to generous for these pitchers. I called a lot of high strikes.

Problem is one team adjusted, the other didn't. That coach just got pissed, and subsequently ejected.

[jnazz]

Open east/west, not north/south. That's my opinion.

[Thunderheads]

I find that the caliber of pitching can dictate this .....

And, also agree that wider is easier to call for 'opening up'. As for height ... the batter will dictate the zone, crouching at the plate, size of batter, etc, (of course) but, .... 14u and down, ...it's bottom of the letters , period,...that's usually a good rule of thumb for me:hi5:

[Stan W.]

If you are getting grief about your zone...........9 times out of 10 you are too high and too low.........

thats all the dugouts/coaches boxes can determine..........go a bit wider.........not higher/lower...

that being said...........I do not have a youth zone.....tried that.....and all it did was louse up my zone for my higher league games....

Now I have worked on a fair consistent zone under the letters to the knee..........a bit wider in and out.......and use it for all the games I call.....

[tjthresh]

Now I have worked on a fair consistent zone under the letters to the knee..........a bit wider in and out.......and use it for all the games I call.....

Since the game that I got all the grief, this is the way I've decided to work.

[wek29]

Ok, forgive me in advance for this, but someone mentioned batter crouching. I had a game where the batters on one team knew the opposing picher was having a rough time. Several of them would have an exagerated crough trying to make the strike zone smaller. (Not sure if the coach put them up to this, but would not surprise me.) I just called the strike zone based on what I saw when they were standing which ticked off some parents when a strike would be in the batter's face. What do you do?

[tjthresh]

If I'm not mistaken, the strike zone is to be set based upon the batter's natural batting stance.

[Mike Prince]

OBR says the strike zone is determined from the batter's stance as he is prepaerd to swing at a pitched ball. No mention of "natural".

If he crouches for the whole pitch, it's going to be tough to call one over his head a strike even though he was a foot taller the last at bat.

Now if he is moving down as the pitch approaches you may have a stronger case for a strike call.

[tjthresh]

The word used in FED is normal, not natural.

"The height of the strike zone is determined by the batter's normal batting stance. If he crouches or leans over to make the shoulder line lower, the umpire determines height by what would be the batter's normal stance."

[Umpire in Chief]

The key part is "as he is prepared to swing." Even those guys who bend down to what would be a crazy small zone have to straighten up to some degree to swing.

[jjb]

It's easy: the next time you see a batter crouch, call "time". Step around and tell him to back up, while you brush the plate. Then peek. I guarantee he will take a practice swing.

There's your stance....

[wek29]

Ha, I like that jjb.

[DirtyDawg]

That's a neat trick!

[yerout13]

the under the letters is a really good rule of thumb for your north at that age group (10U-14U/15U), generally a lot of hitters do have a slight crouch, and those kids, say 5'2" to as tall as 6'0" can live with that strikes zone, and you won't hear much whining from coaches, as they get older, bigger, I tend to get a bit lower on the north, usually about half way between the bottom of the letters and the belt. ok to go east/west like UIC mentioned, a ball or two even, then add a ball each way if you need to open up. The knees is your south... see some guys go a ball below the knees without too many complaints some times. As long as your in that ball park north/south wise, consistancy is really important for the age group, it's actually rarer than you'd think to see umpires consistant with those age groups, hear that all the time from JV coaches.

[JaxRolo]

the under the letters is a really good rule of thumb for your north at that age group (10U-14U/15U).

Around here we are taught to not call a strike anything over the bellybutton a strike for any ages over 12U.

[yerout13]

Around here we are taught to not call a strike anything over the bellybutton a strike for any ages over 12U.

I also try to stay in that general area for JV ball and above (just above the belt etc)