Did MLB change mechanics?

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by socalblue1

Neither my MLBUM or PBUC Blue Book have this as a current mechanic. Anyone have an update I may have missed?

This is solely based on my travels, observations and discussions with numerous first and second year MiLB umpires and a couple AA and AAA umpires throughout this season:

Although we hear the terms "PBUC says" and "ML says" and "According to (fill in the blank)", these entities don't really "say" much of anything when it comes to mechanics outside of their published guides; and, for the most part, they really don't say much to the public at all.

I have seen many different mechanics this year at the pro level that are not the published "official" mechanic. I've even seen some mechanics change from game to game.

What seems to be happening at the MiLB level is that when an evaluator comes to town, he will often say "Try it this way." This "change" can be based on his personal experience, something he has seen someone do or a discussion among evaluators after an issue of some kind has come up. It can even be based on the physical attributes of the umpire.

It is rarely a case of PBUC offically putting out the word that they are officially changing something. The evaluators try to help individuals find the way something works best for them, within, of course, professional standards. The desired results of any change, however, continues to include providing the crew with the best opportunity, within the limitations of their numbers (two man, three man), to get the call right.

Mechanics are dynamic at the pro level. Tinkering is constant and, surprising to me, umpires are encouraged, to a point, to instill some of their personality into their calls and mechanics.

In your situation, most likely U2 or the crew chief decided to try something. They may or may not keep it.