2021 No-Hitter 5, Angel Hernandez (1; Spencer Turnbull)

[Lindsay]

HP Umpire Angel Hernandez called Detroit Tigers pitcher Spencer Turnbull's no-hitter against the Mariners in Seattle Friday evening, joined by 1B Umpire Edwin Moscoso, 2B Umpire Lance Barksdale and 3B Umpire and Crew Chief Ted Barrett, the second consecutive no-hitter for Ted Barrett's crew (2021...

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[SeeingEyeDog]

As bad as the press and social media have beat down Angel Hernandez, it's unfortunate they don't lift him up when he has a night like this.

~Dawg

[SH0102]

4 hours ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

As bad as the press and social media have beat down Angel Hernandez, it's unfortunate they don't lift him up when he has a night like this.

~Dawg

I agree with you.  Every time someone tells me how bad of an umpire he is, I say, “he’s in MLB, we aren’t”.

If he is horrible compared to the others around him, I mean, someone has to be the “worst” theoretically, he’s still one of the best 100 umpires in the world.

That said, balls and strikes “greatness” boils down to 2 things, consistency, and borderline pitch accuracy.  A pitcher could throw 10 in a row to the backstop and umpire is graded at 100% for calling them all balls.

He called 1 out of every 6 pitches out of the zone a strike. Where I’m from, doing HS and lower level college, that’s great bc it keeps game moving and guys swinging, but mathematically that isn’t a great day either.

But again, he’s still top 100 in the world , I’d gladly be the “worst umpire” in MLB any day 

[beerguy55]

1 hour ago, SH0102 said:

I agree with you.  Every time someone tells me how bad of an umpire he is, I say, “he’s in MLB, we aren’t”.

 

But again, he’s still top 100 in the world , I’d gladly be the “worst umpire” in MLB any day 

Except for the potential pay cheque and/or tenure, no you wouldn't.

This is a double-edged sword.   Sure, I agree, the worst MLB player ever still played in MLB.   Or, more extreme...the "worst" Hall of Famer is still a Hall of Famer.

But, really, implied in the statement is whether or not that person in question deserves their elite club membership.  Sure, ultimately, in the best 100 people of ANY activity, someone has to be ranked 100, and as long as the guy at 100 should be at 100 and the guy at 101 should be at 101, the conversation ends. 

It's a little different here, and the statement of someone being the worst ump really means "are you really telling me that there are no MiLB/NCAA umpires who could do the job better?"   So, for me, the question is whether or not CB Bucknor should be a MLB umpire...maybe he should have been at one point, but is he still good enough to be one?

Kind of like a Driver's License...sure, maybe you did pass the test, and you qualified when  you were 16.   Does that mean you still deserve to have a Driver's License today?

As far as Hernandez, I don't think he's that bad as far as judgment calls...I think he's terrible at game management, and my impression is he's often looking for a fight, always working with a chip on his shoulder.

 

What you don't want is one or two umps that stand out from the rest as not being up to snuff...umps who are quickly and easily identifiable as "bad" compared to their colleagues create bad impressions for outside observers, especially when they keep umping.  Understanding that some of that is perception...but it still needs to be dealt with.