Question about plate positioning

umpire_scott · May 29, 2014

As a general rule, no. You don't get as good a look at the entire plate, and you'll take a lot more balls in the face.

To learn to call the outside pitch, you need to use all available info, including the position of F2's mitt. You don't need to see the ball hit the edge of the plate in order to call the pitch correctly.

To practice, have a friend hold a ball over the outside corner (and again a couple inches outside, which you should still be getting as a strike) and in front of the plate, and have him move the ball back, as if to the mitt. Then move it wider, and wider again, until you get the hang of how to call it.

Or: just call them all strikes, until you have to start ejecting batters. Then you're probably wide enough.

T-shirt/Bumper Sticker material?

umpire_scott · May 29, 2014

Tucker - I can tell you from experience that it simply take time to get better at calling from the slot. It's sort of like learning the proper shooting technique in basketball. It feels awkward at first, but once you get it down it does work. I know this will shock most of the guys on the boards but I was obstinate initially about working the slot. I swore that I could call a LH batters zone better sitting on the outside corner. So for years I did it this way. I was not umpiring a ton of games so I got the occasional constructive criticism but every time I tried calling LH batters from the slot I felt I was not getting that outside corner so I would revert back. When I moved to STL a few years ago and started doing more higher level games I realized that bad mechanics were a sure fire way to not get assigned games. So I switched to the slot. It took some time, but now I feel very comfortable seeing the whole zone and feel good about my calls. And being anywhere other than the slot actually feels awkward now.

The thing to consider regarding being better over the catcher now is that it is probably because that is where you are most comfortable. The more you are in the slot the more comfortable you'll feel with that and the more accurate your calls will be.

BigUmpire · May 29, 2014

New bumper sticker:

"Just call them all strikes, until you have to start ejecting batters. Then you're probably wide enough". - maven

@maven

grayhawk · May 29, 2014

In that graphic it shows one hand in front, I keep both behind me, is that ok?

As in behind your back? If so, then this is not recommended. It exposes tour elbows and you could suffer a painful shot or an injury.

It's better to put your hands under your hamstrings if you want to protect them. This exposes your forearms, but puts muscle in the path of an errant ball rather than bone.

TStokes97 · May 29, 2014

In that graphic it shows one hand in front, I keep both behind me, is that ok?

As in behind your back? If so, then this is not recommended. It exposes tour elbows and you could suffer a painful shot or an injury.

It's better to put your hands under your hamstrings if you want to protect them. This exposes your forearms, but puts muscle in the path of an errant ball rather than bone.I should have been more specific by back i ment "behind me" my bad, I put them on the back if my thighs/knees

grayhawk · May 30, 2014

In that graphic it shows one hand in front, I keep both behind me, is that ok?

As in behind your back? If so, then this is not recommended. It exposes tour elbows and you could suffer a painful shot or an injury.
It's better to put your hands under your hamstrings if you want to protect them. This exposes your forearms, but puts muscle in the path of an errant ball rather than bone. I should have been more specific by back i ment "behind me" my bad, I put them on the back if my thighs/knees

Gotcha. That's a good place for them. You will find about as many opinions on what to do with your hands as there are umpires out there.

Dan Iassogna puts his hand on (or very close) to the catcher's back. He's probably my favorite MLB umpire, but I would never do this.

Some guys swear by the Gerry Davis (hands on knees) stance. I think this is an injury waiting to happen.

There seems to be a trend in MLB to let them hang in front of the junk. No thanks.

Some use the traditional "forearm with loose fist in front of the stomach" approach.

Some use the scissors which necessitates putting them on the front knee.

I put my hands under my thighs/hamstrings and "lock in". Works for me - some hate the look.

One thing is universal: Don't put them behind the back. Exposes the elbows and looks very Smitty.

TStokes97 · May 31, 2014