Batting Around: Is MLB ready for robo umps or is a challenge system the best use of the automated strike zone?

Throughout the season, CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down just about everything. The latest news, a historical issue, thoughts on the future of baseball, all sorts of things. Last week we debated the best third baseman in baseball. This week we will cover the automated hitting zone (ABS for automated balls and strikes).

Are you in favor of a fully automated strike zone?

Matt Snyder: I like using ABS as a hitter challenge system, which would certainly catch the most egregious errors without full automation. I witnessed this work well in the minors earlier this season, where the batter needs to signal immediately (it was by tapping the top of his helmet in the direction of the home plate umpire right after the call) and then the videoboard in the outfield shows the strike zone. graphic attack, similar to MLB Gameday’s plotting pitches. In fact, it only delayed the game five seconds each time and that’s a small price to pay to fix terrible missed calls.

I don’t want this to happen in every field. I don’t love the idea of ​​the pitcher barely reaching the front of the strike zone with a big pitch and manipulating the system, plus there’s a slight built-in delay between an umpire hearing the call and then signaling. Sure, it’s just a second or two, but it’s all the shots in a game, not just one or two challenges.

Umpires are actually very accurate at calling balls and strikes, which is a ridiculously difficult task with the naked eye these days. Get help while realizing that they are good enough that they don’t need to be completely replaced.

RJ Anderson: Smarter people than me say the technology doesn’t exist yet for a fully automated zone. Who am I to disagree? Either way, the challenge system seems like a perfectly adequate compromise for all parties involved – it gets more decisions right without making referees obsolete; does not require players to fully adjust to the automated zone; and hey, maybe MLB can sell branding rights to strike zone challenges, generating more revenue along the way. Everyone wins. Additionally, we avoid the negative after-effects mentioned by Snyder above.

Mike Axisa: I’d like to see full ABS eventually, yes, but not anytime soon. The technology isn’t there yet — MLB tells us this every time it adjusts the strike zone in the minors, which happens every year now — and the strike zone is too important to use an automated system that’s still in place. progress. In minor leagues where ABS is used, the walk rate is very high. Nobody wants to see more walks (they’re boring) and this suggests there are still bugs to work out in the strike zone format.

A challenge system is a good intermediate step and, given this in the minors, the process is very quick. Nothing like regular instant replay where you wait in the dugout to hear the video guy, then the refs call the replay team in New York, etc. Regular instant replay takes a few minutes. ABS challenges in minors take 10 to 15 seconds. I think it’s a good first step towards an automated zone. ABS is not yet accurate enough to be fully implemented.