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your HS varsity strike zone.


Umpire942
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FED book, armpits to knees and accordance to batters "natural stance"

MLB we know is the belt to the knees.

I get flack for not calling those 9 iron just a hair below the knee caps, and calling strikes that are at letters/above belly button.

 

I have a great strike zone, but you always get those complainers, and everyone can miss a pitch in these areas.  So I wish i could take a poll on this one

 

A. Strike at bottom of knee caps!  (i know the pitcher wants it, but that batter really would have to go down and get that one.

 

B. Strike at the letters! (hitters shouldnt complain, these usually get hit allot with left up)

 

C. BOTH

 

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Your strike zone definition is inaccurate

Fed - The strike zone is that space over home plate, the top of which is halfway between the batter's shoulders and the waistline, and the bottom being the knees, when he assumes his natural batting stance...

MLB - The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap.

Maybe you want to rephrase your question.

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1 hour ago, Umpire942 said:

B. Strike at the letters! (hitters shouldnt complain, these usually get hit allot with left up)

 

 

Might depend on how the uniform is designed and worn. ;)

 

That said, if "everyone" is complaining about your zone at a particular level, then it's likely to big / small / wide / narrow for that level in your location.  If it's only one coach in one game, then ignore the complaint (or address it as part of game management, but don't change the zone).

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1 minute ago, noumpere said:

Might depend on how the uniform is designed and worn. ;)

 

That said, if "everyone" is complaining about your zone at a particular level, then it's likely to big / small / wide / narrow for that level in your location.  If it's only one coach in one game, then ignore the complaint (or address it as part of game management, but don't change the zone).

No EVERYONE is not complaining,  But if i hear a somebody thinking i missed (not make one), a game or 2.   Usually pitcher wanted just under the knee caps, and batters made at balls above the belly button at letters.  Ill know most batters prefer the inside strike , then the outside strike.

 

since i dont know the high, low statstic, asking wether the community likes to call the knee benders or the high hard strikes just below the letters

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57 minutes ago, LMSANS said:

Your strike zone definition is inaccurate

Fed - The strike zone is that space over home plate, the top of which is halfway between the batter's shoulders and the waistline, and the bottom being the knees, when he assumes his natural batting stance...

MLB - The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap.

Maybe you want to rephrase your question.

good luck calling a strike at the shoulders

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2 minutes ago, Umpire942 said:

 

good luck calling a strike at the shoulders

 

59 minutes ago, LMSANS said:

 

Fed - The strike zone is that space over home plate, the top of which is halfway between the batter's shoulders and the waistline, and the bottom being the knees, when he assumes his natural batting stance...

 

The top should be the midpoint between the shoulders and waistline. The letters are a good frame of reference, but at least in my area of the country coaches seems to want us to get the low strike than venture up into the high strike. 

 

I generally use the bottom hand of the batter, I have found it gives a good frame of reference to the midpoint unless they have a weird stance. Then of course I get out my tape measurer from my 3rd ball bag that I wear hanging off the back and get an exact measurement. 

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6 minutes ago, ATXBlue said:

 

The top should be the midpoint between the shoulders and waistline. The letters are a good frame of reference, but at least in my area of the country coaches seems to want us to get the low strike than venture up into the high strike. 

 

I generally use the bottom hand of the batter, I have found it gives a good frame of reference to the midpoint unless they have a weird stance. Then of course I get out my tape measurer from my 3rd ball bag that I wear hanging off the back and get an exact measurement. 

ty

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17 minutes ago, ATXBlue said:

I generally use the bottom hand of the batter, I have found it gives a good frame of reference to the midpoint unless they have a weird stance. Then of course I get out my tape measurer from my 3rd ball bag that I wear hanging off the back and get an exact measurement. 

What color is the 3rd ball bag?

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My up and down strike zone varies considerably depending on the level of play. One of the best things I ever did for my strike zone after I worked a game where I was calling 80 mph strikes at or just below the textbook "halfway" point, is I had a long post-game in the parking lot with my partner who had been a high school baseball coach for 27 years. He showed me what a good batter could and could not get a bat on with a natural swing. In my neck of the woods, if you're banging them at the numbers in a varsity game with kids throwing in the 80's, you better be wearing some hearing protection. In all the years I've been umpiring, I don't think I've ever heard a coach complain if strikes are consistently NOT being called above the belly button. They'll bitch about where they think the "knees" ought to be, but I've yet to hear them yell that they didn't get a strike called that was above the belly button but below the halfway point. The don't want it there. Nobody actually in that game wants it there. But if you do call it there, plan on your pitchers working on top the entire game.

Just my two very unofficial cents.

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7 hours ago, Umpire942 said:

I have a great strike zone,

 

5 hours ago, Umpire942 said:

i missed (not make one), a game or 2.

I am unclear what you want.  Either it's just a humble brag type of post, or you are calling the zone used in your area, or you are too sensitive to the isolated complaints, or ....

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12 hours ago, noumpere said:

 

I am unclear what you want.  Either it's just a humble brag type of post, or you are calling the zone used in your area, or you are too sensitive to the isolated complaints, or ....

whats preferable to call, the knee caps or the letters.  cause i think you hear more about the high ones, then the 9 iron comment

ATXBlue 's answer was helpful

Should have made this a poll, sorry for confusion

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14 hours ago, Recontra said:

My up and down strike zone varies considerably depending on the level of play. One of the best things I ever did for my strike zone after I worked a game where I was calling 80 mph strikes at or just below the textbook "halfway" point, is I had a long post-game in the parking lot with my partner who had been a high school baseball coach for 27 years. He showed me what a good batter could and could not get a bat on with a natural swing. In my neck of the woods, if you're banging them at the numbers in a varsity game with kids throwing in the 80's, you better be wearing some hearing protection. In all the years I've been umpiring, I don't think I've ever heard a coach complain if strikes are consistently NOT being called above the belly button. They'll bitch about where they think the "knees" ought to be, but I've yet to hear them yell that they didn't get a strike called that was above the belly button but below the halfway point. The don't want it there. Nobody actually in that game wants it there. But if you do call it there, plan on your pitchers working on top the entire game.

Just my two very unofficial cents.

thank you for the cents

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2 hours ago, Umpire942 said:

whats preferable to call, the knee caps or the letters. 

 

Why is it either / or?  If it's a strike, call it.  If it's a ball, don't.  whether it's near the letters, the knees, the inside corner, the outside corner.

 

it might also matter whether it's directly over the middle of the plate and near the letters/ knees or it's near the edge of the plate AND near the letters / knees -- some might say a pitcher can miss (a bit) in one direction and get a call, but can't miss in two directions

 

another analogy some have used:  the strike zone isn't a rectangle, it's more of an egg shape, with the pointy end at the top.

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I like the post about not sweating what others think.  Most people grasp and accept that every close play on the bases will be viewed as “wrong” by half the people in attendance (whichever side it went against)

Strikes are the same way…a pitch that’s close is going to upset defense team/fans if you call it a ball and the offense team/fans if you call it a strike.

the only calls that no one will ever question are the belt high middle of plate pitch and when people are out by 2+ steps on a force.

You know more about rules and zone (should anyways) for a reason, so just call your best game and leave happy.

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4 hours ago, noumpere said:

another analogy some have used:  the strike zone isn't a rectangle, it's more of an egg shape, with the pointy end at the top.

I have always thought of it as an egg, but never heard anyone verbalize or write this.

 

Be consistent. Call it in the 1st inning, call it in the 7th/9th inning. 

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depending on the pitcher, I may go up to the armpits for JV. 

19 hours ago, Recontra said:

My up and down strike zone varies considerably depending on the level of play. One of the best things I ever did for my strike zone after I worked a game where I was calling 80 mph strikes at or just below the textbook "halfway" point, is I had a long post-game in the parking lot with my partner who had been a high school baseball coach for 27 years. He showed me what a good batter could and could not get a bat on with a natural swing. In my neck of the woods, if you're banging them at the numbers in a varsity game with kids throwing in the 80's, you better be wearing some hearing protection. In all the years I've been umpiring, I don't think I've ever heard a coach complain if strikes are consistently NOT being called above the belly button. They'll bitch about where they think the "knees" ought to be, but I've yet to hear them yell that they didn't get a strike called that was above the belly button but below the halfway point. The don't want it there. Nobody actually in that game wants it there. But if you do call it there, plan on your pitchers working on top the entire game.

Just my two very unofficial cents.

This sounds like you are giving the batter an advantage and taking away the top corners from the pitcher. If you can throw an inside pitch at the top of the zone, that's a money pitch. Especially if you can control the low, outside pitch. Top of the zone, usually yields a bunch of pop flys. If the pitcher has a half-way decent defense behind him, he's going to want those. As an umpire, I love one-pitch outs. 

A properly coached team will figure out that you aren't giving the pitcher the top of the zone and take full advantage of it. Last weekend, I rung a kid up on a low outside fastball. He was pissed. As he stormed back to the dugout, the on-deck batter says, "That's been a strike all day, you gotta swing at that." 

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4 hours ago, noumpere said:

another analogy some have used:  the strike zone isn't a rectangle, it's more of an egg shape, with the pointy end at the top.

IAS, what does this mean?  Are you giving the batters the corners on high pitches? And I would guess giving the extreme corners on the low pitch?  I can't vision an egg shape for a strike zone.

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