News: Major League umps to eject more, do homework

[Patrick Szalapski]

This from AP. P-Sz
===================
NEW YORK – "Yer outta here!" could be heard a lot more often at the ballpark this year.

Baseball officials are telling umpires to eject pitchers who throw deliberately at hitters' heads, not to give them a warning first.

"They've always had that authority," Frank Robinson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline, said Wednesday. "We just wanted to reinforce it and make it clear they would have our backing if they took that action."

If a pitcher throws at any part of a batter's body other than the head, the umpire can either eject the pitcher or warn both teams that the next pitch thrown at a hitter's body will result in an ejection.

The planned crackdown was first reported Wednesday by the Detroit Free Press. It means pitches like the one Roger Clemens beaned Mike Piazza with last July will result in ejections. Clemens was not tossed in that game.

"It's reinforcement of the current rule and clarification," said Ralph Nelson, the baseball vice president in charge of umpires. "The rule has always given the umpire, once he determines intent, the ability to either warn or eject.

"What we're basically saying is that if it's up around the head, you can pretty much determine that's intent, and that in so doing, as the rule book spells out, you can bypass the warning. What we've trying to do is make enforcement more consistent with the rule book than in the past."

Commissioner Bud Selig put his staff in charge of umpires last year after owners abolished the league offices and league presidents. One of management's goals was to gain more control over umpires and have fewer brawls.

"I think players understood what was going on on the field, and I think things got better as the season went on," said Robinson, who handed out lengthier suspensions than the league presidents did. "We're trying now to stay on top of things, just like the book strike zone."

Baseball has told umpires to call the strike zone as it's defined in the rule book, which says a strike is any pitch over the plate from the top of the knees to the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of uniform pants.

To aid umpires, baseball agreed to a five-year contract with Questec Inc., which will provide five devices that can track balls and strikes to within two-fifths of an inch.

Questec already has developed technology for Fox's baseball telecasts that can track pitches within two inches.

"It will determine at the end of the day how many pitches umpires were correct and incorrect on," Nelson said. "It's an effort to develop consistency in the strike zone among umpires. We're not trying to replace umpires and we're not using this to evaluate umpires. We're using this to train."

When the system is in place, Nelson said, an umpire would receive a disk after a game that will allow him to review pitch calls. A similar system was used after last season in the Arizona Fall League.

"He can work on areas of his game that need help and he can go over it with his supervisors," Nelson said. "The umpires were very involved with the development as we were rolling this thing out."

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by Patrick Szalapski
This from AP.
===================
NEW YORK –

---[snip]---

To aid umpires, baseball agreed to a five-year contract with Questec Inc., which will provide five devices that can track balls and strikes to within two-fifths of an inch.

Questec already has developed technology for Fox's baseball telecasts that can track pitches within two inches.

"It will determine at the end of the day how many pitches umpires were correct and incorrect on," Nelson said. "It's an effort to develop consistency in the strike zone among umpires. We're not trying to replace umpires and we're not using this to evaluate umpires. We're using this to train."

When the system is in place, Nelson said, an umpire would receive a disk after a game that will allow him to review pitch calls. A similar system was used after last season in the Arizona Fall League.

"He can work on areas of his game that need help and he can go over it with his supervisors," Nelson said. "The umpires were very involved with the development as we were rolling this thing out."

EEYAAAHH! How long do we think this will remain simply a training tool? Who will be the first MLB umpire to get fired because he was consistently unable to match his calls to the machine? How long will it be before this training tool is used to decide who gets the plate in a World Series game? Only God, Sandy Alderson and Ralph Nelson know, apparently. (grin)

[senior]

Warren:

I can hardly wait to see how some of the World's Best grade out using this technology. I predict that the "better" ones grade out very well, and the "marginal" ones will struggle with it.
Actually, just following directions on the strike zone won't be that difficult, and the disciplined strike callers will look good. The "creative" and erratic callers will struggle, and the world will know who can rise to the occasion and follow instructions, and who can't. The ability to call "bangers" at first base with almost 100% accuracy indicates to me that with a comparitive effort, a consistent, larger strike zone can be called.
Perhaps we may see more MLB umpires go to the AL box in order to get a "better" look at the zone.

[Edited by senior on Feb 14th, 2001 at 07:34 PM]

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by senior
I can hardly wait to see how some of the World's Best grade out using this technology. I predict that the "better" ones grade out very well, and the "marginal" ones will struggle with it.

Ah, but will WE ever really know? The piece makes the point that the performance is on disk, presumably CD, and given to the official concerned. If I were that official, and my performance ended up on CNN, I'd be pretty pi$$ed at being second-guessed by a machine. The FOX device is only accurate to within 2 inches. Most of us should be able to call within that margin of error; about one ball width. The device MLB has bought is accurate to within 2/5ths of an inch; around 10% of a ball width - at 90+ mph ... on the outside edge ... from the slot? That's much different. The system they have initiated only works as long as those finer results remain secret within the group. The first guy who gets fired because of it will sure kick up a stink, though. Maybe they will all have to go back to the AL Box, as you suggested.

Frankly, I'm a bit of a romantic so I hope they ALL succeed in calling the required zone accurately (most of the time). It only reflects well on the rest of us when the MLB guys are proven to be spot on with their judgement. Unfortunately that is rarely played up by the media as much as the bad calls are. It usually doesn't sell advertising. Umpires are still the people the fans LOVE to HATE!

As for your predictions, who do you perceive as the "marginal ones"? Just curious.

Cheers,

[Edited by Warren Willson on Feb 14th, 2001 at 08:05 PM]

[Ump20]

Originally posted by senior
Warren:

...Actually, just following directions on the strike zone won't be that difficult, and the disciplined strike callers will look good. The "creative" and erratic callers will struggle, and the world will know who can rise to the occasion and follow instructions, and who can't. The ability to call "bangers" at first base with almost 100% accuracy indicates to me that with a comparitive effort, a consistent, larger strike zone can be called...
[Edited by senior on Feb 14th, 2001 at 07:34 PM]

It does not seem logical to me to assume that all these years it has been the umpires who have determined the major league strike zone. If they could call higher strikes and it is a "rule book" strike why hasn't that been the case? In amateur ball one of the guidelines frequently given to rookie umpires is to "see more strikes" or "call more strikes". All things being equal strikes are better than balls. I believe Major League umps would prefer a larger strike zone if that's what baseball wanted. It seems to me that the power has shifted from the umpires' union and the National and American leagues to Major League Baseball itself especially since the umpires are no longer segregated into AL and NL. I would agree with Warren who surmises that the CD "tool" will be used not for training, but for evaluation. What happens when we see an increase in hitting, lower batting averages, and lower scoring games? If games are speeded up and attendance stays strong than umpires will have no choice but to change their "standards" of what constitutes a strike. More importantly managers and hitters will have less influence on the zone because MLB will have the "proof" right there on CD.

I have heard little about how other umpires will alter their strike zones. What about college, high school, American Legion and Connie Mack? Most well regarded umpires are not now calling the "book zone". That is one reason "rule book" umpires have more difficulty than their real Top Dogs. If the major league zone is going up by the height of three baseballs what adjustments, if any, have you discussed in your associations? Jim/NY

[edhern]

An interesting discussion took place at the Southern Umpire's Clinic. It was attended by Steve Rippley, Gerry Davis, Ed Hichox, and Paul Nauert (three were involved in Wendelstat's school). They claim the current zone was not low. A strike was called at the proper level when the batter is "prepared to swing at a pitched ball" which they considered after he strided, which is 4-6 inches lower that his starting batting stance (which turned out to be about belt level when it was demonstrated). Under the new way the zone will be called, it will be now pitches under the front elbow when the batter is striding.

BTW, if you don't have five weeks, the 4 days at the Southern Umpire's Clinic is excellent.

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by edhern
An interesting discussion took place at the Southern Umpire's Clinic. It was attended by Steve Rippley, Gerry Davis, Ed Hichox, and Paul Nauert (three were involved in Wendelstat's school). They claim the current zone was not low. A strike was called at the proper level when the batter is "prepared to swing at a pitched ball" which they considered after he strided, which is 4-6 inches lower that his starting batting stance (which turned out to be about belt level when it was demonstrated). Under the new way the zone will be called, it will be now pitches under the front elbow when the batter is striding.

I was always taught that the top of the zone is assessed with the batter in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball. The mid-point between the top of the shoulders and the belt turns out to be at about the bottom of the sternum bone, which you should be able to find easily with your finger unless you're built like me. If you find that point, and then bend over into a normal batting stance, it brings the top of the zone in at about a whole ball (maybe two) above the belt, which is what I have always called.

The problem, as I understand it, is that many MLB umpires have called a zone where the ball never rises above the belt, and in some cases not even above mid thigh. That's fine by me if those umpires calling the top that low also give the pitcher some on the outside to compensate. I can accept that and most MLB batters can still hit those pitches.

Your point that the top is called in the swinging stance and not the standing stance is valid, however. Three balls above the belt in the swinging stance is NOT the mid-point between the shoulders and the belt. If that is what the MLB umpires are being coached to call, that is NOT a "rule book zone". My take is let's wait until the FOX replays of actual games with their Questec machine accurate to 2 inches and SEE what they are calling, rather than speculating about it.

I think for me to call what Alderson wants at the level I call (ave. equiv. Minor A-AA), the pitchers are going to get LESS air to work with around the plate, not MORE. That's because his requirement to call a "rule book zone" isn't going to affect my upper limit as much as it is going to bring in my outside edge by up to 2 balls! The pitchers aren't going to enjoy that at all! That will produce MORE hits, higher scoring and longer games! That is Alderson's real objective, I'd say. We haven't been asked to go there, yet, but if the new MLB zone lasts the season I'm sure we WILL be.

Cheers,

[senior]

Very interesting, Ed:

I don't believe there is any support in the rule book for the "swinging" zone. If the hitter swings, who cares where the zone is? What we're after are more strikes to be called by the umpire when the batter TAKES the pitch which sails down the center of the plate in the upper 25% of the strike zone. I can just imagine Albert Belle getting a called strike in the upper part of the zone, and saying "But Ump, if I had swung at that, it would have been too high". I'd hope the Umpire would say "Well, Albert, that's what we're trying to do here, get you to swing at those".
My understanding of the zone has always been that it is judged as the batter takes his normal STANCE, not as he's screwing himself into the ground on a swing.

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by senior
I don't believe there is any support in the rule book for the "swinging" zone. If the hitter swings, who cares where the zone is?

---[snip]---

My understanding of the zone has always been that it is judged as the batter takes his normal STANCE, not as he's screwing himself into the ground on a swing.

I think you perhaps misunderstood what both Ed and I were alluding to here. The following quote should put that right:

"The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball. " OBR 2.00 Definition of Strike Zone.

It is properly the batter's stance when prepared to swing at a pitched ball that is used to determine the correct upper and lower location of the zone. Some batters adopt an exaggerated crouch as their "normal stance" but will rise up from that when preparing to swing at a pitch. The higher zone is the proper one for such batters in this case.

Cheers,

[GarthB]

Ed wrote:

An interesting discussion took place at the Southern Umpire's Clinic. It was attended by Steve Rippley, Gerry Davis, Ed Hichox, and Paul Nauert (three were involved in Wendelstat's school). They claim the current zone was not low. A strike was called at the proper level when the batter is "prepared to swing at a pitched ball" which they considered after he strided, which is 4-6 inches lower that his starting batting stance (which turned out to be about belt level when it was demonstrated). Under the new way the zone will be called, it will be now pitches under the front elbow when the batter is striding.


Interesting....

At the training session in Chandler, Az, umpire union president John Hirscbeck, and umpires Richie Garcia and Al Clark all admited the book zone, as it pertains to the upper limit of the stike zone, had not been called in years. In fact, each also provided their reasons.

The training session in Chandler involved minor league batters taking their stance and then having tape applied to an area half the distance between the belt top and the shoulders. Umpires took turns calling pitches from a pitching machine with the player at the plate.

Later, the tape was removed and the umpires called pitches again. Each umpire was videotaped for later review.

The consensus seemed to be that stances will have to come up a bit so umpires aren't trying to call pitches that they have to look up to see, strikes. Garcia predicted that a number of umpires would abandon the slot and go back up over the catcher in the AL Box.

According to Hirscbeck, not one umpire had a negative thing to say about the training session. (All ML umpires were present)

Now this, taken together with Ed's report seems to indicate a split in the umpire ranks.

Very interesting.

GB

[Bfair]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Patrick Szalapski
[B]This from AP. P-Sz
===================
NEW YORK – "Yer outta here!" could be heard a lot more often at the ballpark this year.

Baseball officials are telling umpires to eject pitchers who throw deliberately at hitters' heads, not to give them a warning first.

================================================

Does that mean just baseballs, or does that include bats also? We wouldn't want to upset the standards too much that are set in the MLB.

Just my opinion,

Steve
Member
EWS

[edhern]

Nauert is the senior classroon instructor at Wendelstedt and was not at the meetings in Arizona (since he is still waiting on word about his rehiring). He may be reporting back on what he has heard from fellow umpires about the new zone. The pros that did the cage work did not have live batters, so technique, not specifics on location, were emphasized. The three baseballs above the belt seemed to be standard language used for the new zone and Nauert would know about the calling standard for the old one.

[Patrick Szalapski]

Originally posted by GarthB
Ed wrote:

According to Hirscbeck, not one umpire had a negative thing to say about the training session. (All ML umpires were present)

This bigger strike zone is sounding more and more like the real deal with Bill McNeal, isn't it? I'm still skeptical, but encouraged. As for the statements from Hickox, et al--well, I don't much stake in them. It sounds to me like an attempt to justify a low zone by crafty interpretation.

P-Sz

[GarthB]

Ed:

The word from Alderson's office is that they are trying to avoid the "Three balls above the belt" and the "8 to 9 inches above the belt" references that had floated around prior to Chandler. Someone pointed out that they couldn't have a consistent defined distance because, by rule, it should change with each batter.

Three balls above the belt would be fine with a 6-1 first baseman but suck with a 5-9 second baseman. That's why they went with the tape at what they now refer to as the mid-point mentioned in the rule book.

Patrick:

I agree. After having researched this for two weeks for a four part article at Eumpire, I am convinced that a "change" will happen and some form of it will stick.

Alderson, love him or hate him, has done a hell of a sales job on this and right now has the owners, player's association, coaches and umpires all singing in the chorus.

GB