Taking the Balls and Strikes from the HU

[Guest Dave]

Guessing some have read seen this?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/independent-team-to-use-computerized-video-system-to-call-balls-and-strikes-020858975.html

 

http://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/shea/article/First-computerized-strike-zone-in-pro-ball-coming-6398030.php?t=bef4286c85&cmpid=twitter-premium

 

Maybe because of calls  like these:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-seasons-five-worst-called-balls/

 

 

Thoughts and opinions?

[Tksjewelry]

Yeah, cause hackers won't have a hayday with that. 

[ZebraStripes]

What a crock.  Spend a fortune on a system to get the 4 or 5% of pitches that the system thinks that the umpire got wrong.  Would they spend a fortune like that to raise a batting average by 4 or 5 points?

[umpstu]

What about the slider that breaks through and crosses the strike zone, yet breaks so hard that it drags the catcher's glove two feet away from the plate?  Technically a strike, but a good umpire will never call that and any coach worth their salt would not want that strike for either team.  Let's just let all jobs be in China or something or, as Trump said today, he's going to bring them back from China and Japan. Japan?

[grayhawk]

I am actually interested to see how they try to implement this.  Will there be a traditional plate umpire with gear on?  I would think so to be able to judge HBP, CI, BI, etc - all of which is best viewed from behind the plate.  How is the strike/ball call conveyed?  Through the umpire?  Via the scoreboard?

I wonder how many players will actually start believing that the pitch we told them caught the bottom of the zone, or the outside corner is actually a strike.  And those 2 zone pitches that have been called balls?  Better start swinging at those, boys!

[ElkOil]

"He’ll donate $100 for every walk and strikeout - and $10,000 if he ejects a player or manager for arguing balls and strikes."  Something feels weird about this part, particularly.

 

Maybe because of calls  like these:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-seasons-five-worst-called-balls/

 

 

Thoughts and opinions?

After reading that and seeing the calls, I feel SO MUCH BETTER about myself!  Especially when you see the low outside quadrant with a call rate of 78%.

[Rich Ives]

What about the slider that breaks through and crosses the strike zone, yet breaks so hard that it drags the catcher's glove two feet away from the plate?  Technically a strike, but a good umpire will never call that

It'll get called a strike in MLB.

[umpstu]

It'll get called a strike in MLB.

And watch all hell break loose.

 

[TheRockawayKid]

Does Pitch f/x accurately reflect the fact that the strike zone is 3 dimensions, AND the radius of the baseball (the fact that nicking the outside corner is still a strike)? It doesn't seem that it has. 

[DVA7130]

It's really funny to see how little clue the author of http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-seasons-five-worst-called-balls/ has.

Every single one of those were absolutely butchered by the catcher