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@rayrayeat2565

Жыл бұрын

G😅

@rayray4192

11 ай бұрын

You are a bullshitter. Umpires are better trained than ever. Your expectation of perfection is childish and naive.

I've been saying this for years; combine the major and minor leagues umpires. With today's technology allowing for a good rating system, move the 5 worse umps down a league while moving the best 5 up. Do this every winter break. No one is fired but it does give incentive to do their best.

@MrShoryuken1

Жыл бұрын

Great idea, and at the same time let's introduce promotion and relegation to American sports teams! You can't afford to just tank your season if you'll get relegated, it keeps teams honest.

@Niel2760

Жыл бұрын

Your assumption is that umpires are not giving their best effort?

@markh3271

Жыл бұрын

@@Niel2760 They have little to no incentive to do their absolute best at every game.

@Niel2760

Жыл бұрын

@@markh3271 I’m not saying you’re wrong but it says something about your belief structure that without fear of being fired people don’t have incentive to perform at a high level. There’s virtually no way I could be fired from my job and I don’t make much but I still perform at a high level because it’s the right thing to do. FWIW I am also an umpire and probably couldn’t get fired from that job either and I still try to do my best. Even when I have a lousy game it’s not because I was mailing it in.

@markh3271

Жыл бұрын

@@Niel2760 I agree with you that most people try their best at every opportunity. An occasional bad outing can happen. That being said, why are there only a few who make the lowlight reels with regularity. Joe West and Angel Hernandez are 2 that come to mind. In most jobs any one making that many mistakes would be asked to seek other employment.

Angel Hernandez has two estranged sons. Their names are Strike and Zone. He hasn't seen either one in years.

@willer3399

Жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

@thirstypilgrim97

Жыл бұрын

Funded by FTX (check his shirt)

@lianwhite9670

Жыл бұрын

bravo!

@MarkJoseph81

Жыл бұрын

Slow clap....

@stephaniegormley9982

Жыл бұрын

Angel Hernandez: "Runner is OUT" Fan: "No he was safe" After a replay review the crew chief signals 'Safe' Hernandez: "What's your name?" Fan: "Stevie Wonder"

another major issue is the umps' egos. they throw out players and managers for showing a slight disagreement of the umps strike zone.

@alejbr4

Жыл бұрын

ive seen a player thrown out because he said to himself i can't believe i swung at that. say another guy thrown out for laughing at a joke a fan said to him about a tv show

@roberthudson1959

Жыл бұрын

Bad example. The rules of the game specifically prohibit arguing balls and strikes. However, a player or manager should not be ejected for asking the location of a pitch.

@jgray2718

Жыл бұрын

One of the problems with human umps is that they basically _have_ to have big egos. Fans are absurdly mean to umps, and if they're not mentally resilient they basically can't be umps at any level. A lot of the time that resilience takes the form of a huge ego.

@stevepolychronopoulis

Жыл бұрын

@@jgray2718 but being truly resistant to that stuff would require setting aside that ego, not taking it so personally that they affect game outcomes because of their feelings.

@NathanM4A1

Жыл бұрын

@@stevepolychronopoulis If it's so easy why don't you do it.

In his book Baseball is a Funny Game, Joe Garagiola writes that the best compliment an umpire can receive is after the game nobody knows his name.

@JusSomeGuyOnInternet

Жыл бұрын

Everyone know Angel Hernández's name

Great video. The league is slowly heading in the direction of robo umps, and it's because people are fed up with low-quality umpiring. The irony is that if the Umpires Union had any accountability, they would be able to improve their on-field performance and we might not need robo umps, so in a way, they're removing themselves from the game. The arrogance.

@jemiller226

Жыл бұрын

We should still get robo umps because getting calls right is more important than having them be made by some jackass wearing blue.

@theamateurobserver

Жыл бұрын

Umpires are improving, umps are better than ever especially new young umps

@daleamos5941

Жыл бұрын

See it’s crazy because sometimes the calls are what make the game the game I don’t rlly think every call being called right will be better .. I think the same people complaining about real umpires will be definitely the same people complaining about robot umps because they won’t get the calls wrong so ppl gotta remember that yea the human miss calls but what one do you want a couple bad calls or every call being right I think I would stick with the one or two bad days .. my opinion

@jemiller226

Жыл бұрын

@@daleamos5941 I...but...*what*? Why are you okay with anything less than 100% correct? This isn't the fucking WWE. This is the stupidest fucking thing I've read all day. You *want* bad calls? Jesus Christ, pack it in boys, fans want umpires fucking things up for everyone.

@pat3464

Жыл бұрын

@@daleamos5941 Thats the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Of course, most people want the right call every time. Sound to me your team has benefitted from more bad calls going their way rather than going against them

Those umps definitely do online sports gambling

@deusvult6920

Жыл бұрын

How cute you don't think they're doing what they're told. No union in the world can stop someone from getting fired for poor performance. They're kept around bc the league knows they'll help dictate outcomes

@RandallBalls

Жыл бұрын

@@deusvult6920 it's even worse in the NFL. Where blatant holds and face masks go on called and random pass interference gets called to help cover or not cover the spread

@gabrielpeterson2079

Жыл бұрын

@@deusvult6920 Actually some unions make it really hard to fire someone. It's a problem for education as well. Really hard to fire bad teachers because unless you can 100% prove they are doing a bad job, which is hard, you are getting sued.

@mondoseguendo6113

Жыл бұрын

I know I would if I was an ump 😂

@rakninja

Жыл бұрын

@@deusvult6920 police unions would like to talk to you.

Good umpires and referees need to be highlighted more. They are what make the game work.

@youbluethatone1017

Жыл бұрын

Yes we do!

It’s a vicious cycle. The worst umps turn into the most egotistical umps because they know the union has their back and no one’s going to take their job away no matter how much they deserve it. Probably some Dunning-Kruger mixed in there too.

@WeissBomb32

Жыл бұрын

You gotta give it up to the union for keeping around an almost completely obsolete profession lol

@untexan

Жыл бұрын

Between the umpire union and the police unions constantly sticking up for their very worst members, they’re really giving unions a bad name

@SvendleBerries

Жыл бұрын

@@untexan Yeah, over the years (decades, really) Ive noticed unions have turned into the very thing that made them necessary in the first place. Corruption eventually gets into everything.

@toddgaak422

Жыл бұрын

@@untexan Don't forget the teacher's union. Probably the worst, most destructive, and dangerous union in existence.

@cmdrfunk

Жыл бұрын

@@toddgaak422 Government schools just shouldn't exist

The kind of farm system they have for umpires is actually insane. It just proves that they actually don’t have to fold to the union. If I was getting paid 2k per month and someone offered me 200k per year to abandon all loyalty to the union, I wouldn’t hesitate for a single second

@alexmacdiarmid4704

Жыл бұрын

the issue with this is the fact that since its so hard to get a job and that the union probably has some say on who makes it given their strength they'll find umpires who will obey the union more so that the ones that won't

@christiangrosjean2980

Жыл бұрын

I simply do not understand how there is any sort of umpires union why would MLB condone such an organization when there is clearly no need to negotiate with them

@TheIcecreamtaco

Жыл бұрын

@@christiangrosjean2980 my only guess is they legally bind the umpires to the union from the very beginning. Like you can’t take the course without pledging loyalty to the union in a legally binding manner. Somewhat similar to how non disclosure agreements work so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a binding agreement

I think it's also worth pointing out how often instant replay shows that they got the (incredibly difficult) calls right. Thank you for addressing this subject so fairly.

@joebarr725

7 ай бұрын

They are about 50% on bang-bang plays.

I think it’s worth noting that younger less experienced umpires perform better than older more experienced umpires

Both you and Foolish Baseball have had the best videos on Umpires this year. I love it. Keep up the great work.

@raymondg.6872

Жыл бұрын

Baseball doesn't exist is good too

@WittleJJ

Жыл бұрын

@@raymondg.6872 They’re the Triple Play of Baseball content. I love all three of them.

One out of 76 positions opening up isn’t sustainable. Unless we end up with 95 year old umpires at the major league level! Now that would really be a problem, haha!

@dspsblyuth

Жыл бұрын

There should be a mandatory retirement age for any sports officials. They already have pensions . I work with a woman in her 70s and a good portion of my day is correcting things she is unaware of because of her poor eyesight

As a Braves fan I saw first hand how Angel Hernandez was the cause of many ejections for Bobby Cox & Freddy Gonzalez over decades.

You also need ball and strike tracking for minor league games. Then, you can get excellent ump performances there to get more attention, creating demand to bring up the good performers into the majors.

@RadioactiveSherbet

Жыл бұрын

I like that idea! The stats of MLB umpires giving pressure for demotion of bad umps, and stats of MiLB umpires giving pressure for promotion of good umps.

Robot umpires is the only solution to having mistake free umpiring, though half of the fans at the game will think they called it wrong.

@roberthudson1959

Жыл бұрын

Robot umps aren't infallible. A pitch, probably a bouncing breaking ball, can be so bad that it is called good. The minor-league player who was ejected for "arguing with the robot" was actually arguing with the human ump who refused to override a ridiculous call by the robot.

@willer3399

Жыл бұрын

@@roberthudson1959Some years ago they tried out a ball/strike calling system. That system went away once the catchers figured out that they could get a strike every time by putting their glove in the strike zone.

@billcook4768

Жыл бұрын

People overestimate the accuracy of robo umps. But they give the appearance of accuracy, and you are never going to get a terribly called game from them.

@rickysampson8759

Ай бұрын

@@billcook4768until they stop working like in the minor league and forgot what a strike was

Baseball umps are too old, fat, bitter, jaded, childish and hold grudges. I promise you, if you got younger, hungry umps dying to do that job and do it right, you'd see a HUGE improvement in games called. But noooo..the union fights for people like Angel Hernandez or fatty Joe West who had been doing it for like 40 years who would hold personal grudges and was completely comfortable knowing nothing could happen to him cause the union would back him

@arcwiz

Жыл бұрын

Thats one of the problems with unions; the people who have been there the longest get precedent, no matter how bad they are.

@charlesbarkley223

Жыл бұрын

It doesn't even make sense to me that mlb deals with this idiotic situation with umpires union, since all the mlb umps in their union suck anyway and aren't getting the job done that the mlb pays for

@seankiesling2054

Жыл бұрын

@@charlesbarkley223 it doesn't make sense to any of us. It's truly mind blowing

I use to be against replays and automatic strike zone. I’ve changed my mind the last year tho and think this will help a lot with bad umps

I would like to see automated balls and strikes. That would mean the strike zone is uniform each game. The pitchers and batters will know what the strike zone is. Imagine if in tennis, the lines moved depending who the officials are. The home plate umpire should be there for calls at the plate and giving new balls to the catcher.

@mclowes1546

Жыл бұрын

The problem with robot ups is that you take away a vital skill from catchers in framing, a lot of back ups and low end catchers make their living from that. Plus unlike every other sport that uses hawkeye systems the strike zone is not consistent & people underestimate how much they would miss the human element

@joewhip9303

Жыл бұрын

@@mclowes1546 as a former pitcher, I would have preferred a consistent strike zone. As for framing, isn’t that a bit like lying? It would be a totally unnecessary skill. Would you miss oil changes in an all EV world?

@mae2759

Жыл бұрын

The thing is, the strike zone height changes from batter to batter. Not sure if the technology can adjust. I haven't noticed, but does the strike zone box on TV change with every batter, or is it the same square? I know each TV station has a different k zone.

@powerofk

Жыл бұрын

@@mae2759 In the minors, each team gets a set amount of strike zone challenges per game - and if they win the challenge, they keep it. A camera is located in dead-center field, and the challenge is done via computer. It adjusts well for each individual player's strike zone.

@fallendeus5641

11 ай бұрын

​@@mae2759on tv? Yes that strike zone box changes with the batter. The ABS system (robo ump) does change with each batter, they are also currently working on making the system able to handle a 3d strike zone, currently it is a 2d strike zone. Personally with a little more development im sure we will see a perfect system in the near future. Honestly all you really need are a few more cameras at multiple different angles and can write a program that is able to take that data and piece together a three dimensional zone to see if a ball crosses. You need 1 camera looking directly down on home plate from above, 2 both looking at home plate at 45 angles 1 on each side of the plate and the one that we already have that shows the 2d zone on tv. Should be enough imo.

I like to use this analogy when talking about called strikes/balls, especially with older people/traditionalists who seem to defend umpires at all costs. If a baseball player had a fielding percentage of around 94%, they'd say that he's a bad fielder (I know. There are way better fielding metrics but bear with me). When umpires routinely scores below that on Umpire Scorecard, no one bats an eye. They both have their challenges, no doubt. But I think we all know which job is by far more difficult.

@mrjimi1

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, the calling of balls and strikes is clearly the more difficult one. You don't like a SS fielding at 94% because probably 85% of their plays are the easiest plays they have to make. Not so with an umpire working the plate. I mean, pitching is literally about working the edges of the zone, the precise place where the harder calls are. Yes, they still miss pitches down the middle from time to time, but SS also miss handle weak grounders.

@SenorTortas

Жыл бұрын

@@mrjimi1 i guess it would be more difficult... If you're legally blind 😂. Btw nice random stat of 85% you made up

@P-7

Жыл бұрын

@@SenorTortas - someone who has never umpired in their life

@SenorTortas

Жыл бұрын

@@P-7 THANK YOUUUU Charles. I had no idea I'm talking to a real big league umpire. How lucky am I!

Great video - great analysis and content. I wish the umpires - or at least the crew chief would be required to give postgame press interviews like the managers do. They would be immediately accountable for any poor performance from that game.

@mae2759

Жыл бұрын

Those interviews would be pointless most of the time. Reporter: "What happened on that call at first base in the 6th?" Crew Chief: "I don't know. I was at third base."

Says: ...bad calls by the MLB. 2:00 And big as day on the Umps unis, FTX ad.

Unions serve a hugely important role in our society, but anything can go too far, and this issue of unions preventing accountability happens outside of baseball. Think police unions that make it hard to get rid of bad cops, teachers unions protecting bad teachers, etc. - I think this happens more often when a union has membership in an organization that doesn't have a good competitor if the organization fails. Think monopolies (like MLB) and government institutions (like police departments).

@omalleycaboose5937

Жыл бұрын

I like Unions, But I think any union that prevents people from being fired for poor job performance is bad

@NealCamerlengo

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget doctors as well as transportation services such as the one in New York city.

11:25, I think the fact that you’re still getting 4% of the calls wrong with 2 inches added to the zone is egregious in its own right.

As a man who went to the Wendelstedt school in Florida, it seemed like if I wanted to get selected to be a minor league umpire I needed to not only graduate the class that year but would've had to go on the road in a semi-pro league making just enough to survive and pay for the next "year" at the school and only then if I was good enough would I even be considered for a position in the minors. I say that because in my class out of the 150 people that were in my class 20-30 got selected for a secondary selection process and all that were selected were 2nd straight year guys could be a coincidence yes but far too coincidental to not be noted. Also upon graduation every single student I talked to at the school under the age of 25 was told they "had what it takes but would just need to hone skills for another year and try again".

@derekflint123

Жыл бұрын

That system feeds into why they're mediocre.

The most brutal ump disaster was the’97 NLCS game 5, b/n the Braves & Marlins. The disaster….Eric Gregg

Thank you so much for making this video!! This is something that has blown my mind since I've become a fan of baseball. Bring on the robots or just some younger umpires.

I understand, and agree their will always be the human element to getting calls wrong. I have no issue on close calls. But some of these umpires are blowing calls that are not even close. I don't even mind when an umpire behind the plate has a wide or high/low strike zone, so long as they are consistent. Problem is too many umpires call the same pitch differently too often. I pitcher could throw the same pitch in the same location 4 times and the count can be 2-2. I had the same thought in my playing days (quite some time ago). If an umpire behind the plate was calling the same pitch the same way for an entire game, then I has a hitter could adjust.

@mae2759

Жыл бұрын

It's almost as if calling balls and strikes is difficult!

@BradColemanisHere

Жыл бұрын

It's always been that way, that pitchers and batters can adjust. The inconsistency really does point to a problem. Also, you can't miss by a full baseball width. Gotta catch some plate. Gotta be high or low enough to hit.

At 9:06 just realized thats the New Britain Bees stadium with the Stanley works adds in the back. Grew up going to that field when they were still the rock cats. Love to see them included in the background footage

To be fair to Angel, on that particular night where three of his calls were overturned, two were extremely close only one of the calls was “bad.”

@nickhughes8179

Жыл бұрын

5 of his calls were reviewed. I watched that game

I will say most of the time the umpires get the calls correct but sometimes its really bad. I know the images of broadcast are not official we have all watched a game where you cannot possible believe how bad the calls are. Its very frustrating for fans There needs to be accountability for umpires. I understand the umpire union's job if to look out for its members but they need to be held to a high standard and should not be excused from that high standard just because they are in a union. In the next round of contract negotiations I hope MLB plays hardball with them the same way they did with the players. This is just one of many issues the MLB needs to address. They have an aging fan base with less newer fans coming in. Change needs to happen in many areas.

Great video, but I couldn't help laughing everytime I saw those FTX patches. Especially on Hernandez! What a perfect pair!

Best way to fix bad umping is to change the crews to have 2 good home plate umps on each crew. Let the home plate umps rotate and let the field crew rotate around the diamond. Aka you can't fire angel hernandez at least never let him call balls and strikes again!

@orthanus

Жыл бұрын

That's a terrible idea because you lose all consistency at the plate.

@tharemyhopkins5873

Жыл бұрын

@@orthanus I think [he] meant rotate during a series, e.g., those two take turns umping the plate every-other game, not mid-game.

Thanks for this. As a lifetime baseball fan, I had no idea of many of these details, like the umps' union's bogus rating system. I went to a AAA game in my adopted hometown of Albuquerque this season and saw a game with electronically-called balls and strikes. I'm an old man, but this didn't bother me at all, and I have younger friends who thought it was a travesty because, I guess, tradition. I think electronics are ultimately the answer for the strike zone. I don't have time to look up who the best umpires are -- my job takes up about 60 hours a week and I barely have time to watch a few ballgames. But I see enough bad ball and strike calls just in a single game that I've started feeling optimistic about electronic calls, and your video doesn't give me much hope for positive change in the level of umpiring excellence. (BTW, one of the things I like about the top level of baseball is that it's not THE MLB, it's just Major League Baseball. The NFL may be "the NFL," and same with the NHL and the NBA, but "the MLB" really doesn't mean anything grammatically.)

@adamcoe

Жыл бұрын

Go Topes!

I have seen other videos point out that the overall accuracy numbers of an umpire's ball/strike calls isn't the most important stat. You really should ONLY look at pitches that a) aren't swung at, and b) were close enough that the umpire actually needed to use judgement. I'd guess that the umpires that perform below average would look even worse when it is broken down that way. Caveat: for pitches that were swung at, you might also consider the accuracy of umps calling whether a swing was checked or not, whether the ball was fair or foul, etc. And, of course, you'd want to look at more than balls and strikes anyway. I think collecting and publishing data on how often calls get overturned upon instant replay review would be a good idea as well.

I've said the only way to remedy this is to hit them in the wallet. If an ump makes an obvious bad call, the end result is usually an argument with the manager, who then gets thrown out. If managers then either refuse to leave, or forfeit the game and take their team into the locker room, fans will demand their money back. That would force MLB to take a look at the situation and maybe make changes.

@Fryed_Bryce

Жыл бұрын

Are you seven years old

@inconnu4961

Жыл бұрын

@@Fryed_Bryce Are you? Why are you on a video about bad umpiring? people are frustrated, and dislike the status quo ( in case you couldnt tell!)

I’ve always been amazed by the extra 2” MLB & the ump union use for grading umpires. Home plate is 17” wide. If you give an extra 2” on each side, those 4” represent a 24% error across the 17” plate. Where else in this world do you get to be 24% wrong, declare it accurate and keep your job?

@rakninja

Жыл бұрын

weather forecasting. they get 50-50 odds.

@nickhughes8179

Жыл бұрын

Politics. Where you can fuck up 100% and get re-elected. In Canada, see Brian Mulroney, and Justin Trudeau.

Fantastic video! I have another solution: If MLB Umpires impact players financially, because of bad calls, the players should sue the umpire personally. Although I am an attorney, I do think society is way to litigious, however, sometimes the only way to right a wrong is to address the issue in court. And usually, when money is involved, and in this case, the MLB and players, we are talking millions of dollars in contracts for players and stats are everything. So maybe if MLB umpires start getting personally sued for their “malpractice,” like any other professional who makes mistakes, maybe the system will change.

@Fryed_Bryce

Жыл бұрын

You sound like the lawyer from that meme in the shitty suit where it says 'if your lawyer's pant legs look like this you goin to jail'

@robertpinizzotto1548

Жыл бұрын

@@Fryed_Bryce lol… I always wonder why people respect doctors and not lawyers. You know what a doctor’s lifetime professional batting average is? 0.000 Every single one of their patients die. They save no one. My professional batting average? Win/loss? 0.900 or above. Hhhmmmmm…….

@inconnu4961

Жыл бұрын

@@robertpinizzotto1548 Where i come from, we respect Sanitation Professionals more than lawyers! Was it Shakespeare who noted that attorneys engaged in the 2nd oldest profession, and that it bore some striking resemblance to the oldest profession?

@zzotto21

Жыл бұрын

@@inconnu4961 lol…. I have heard them all. Imagine if we used the same jokes and comments but put in other occupations and professions. What do you, or did you, do for a living. Here is an example: What do you call a bus load of cops (put your occupation/profession here) who drive off a cliff? A good start. Not so funny? Lighten up. We lawyers have put up with that stuff for hundreds of years. PS: Most of my clients hated lawyers too. Right up until the time they retained me to represent them for whatever they did wrong.

Damn this one came from the heart

There seems to be a some trends with unions that applies to the umpire problem pretty well. 1) Positions of authority and power do not need unions. The entire point of a union is to level bargaining power. 2) Positions of authority and power are best-equipped to form a union by the fact that the position is authoritative and powerful. 3) Unions for positions of authority and power are the most publicly accepted unions because people are far more willing to give benefit of the doubt or outright deference to authority and power. 4) Unions for positions of authority and power erode accountability and degrade quality because no union for such position can serve the intended purpose of a union. Which is why A) supporting unions in general is not incompatible with opposing unions for certain people or positions B) the Umpire's union is far stronger than the Player's union C) the Umpire's union isn't going away

1997 NLCS Game 5 - Eric Gregg. I was at the game.

I could see a system of religation work well. Like using triple a as a way to train reform umps that hit below the 90 percentile

Excellent video

Excellent.

This isn't the first video to mention Angel Hernandez as a bad umpire They bring in Roboumps and they might as well just make baseball a video game

Simple system, but they'll never go for it: If, by whatever grading system the umps want to use (MLBs, or their own, or a third party), if you finish in the bottom ten percent of the grading, you don't get fired, but you get demoted down to AAA, and the requisite number of the best umps in AAA get promoted for the next season. This would apply throughout the system. Bottom get sent down to the next lowest level, best get called up a level. Refuse to be demoted, you get suspended (since Unions don't like firing anyone). If that demoted ump performs good enough at the lower level to be promoted again, then go ahead and send them back up. Maybe they've worked on their craft and learned how to be more accurate. If they can have a system that grades their umpires enough to decide who gets to work postseason games, they can expand the privileges to working on the MLB level at all. The best performing umps, even at the bottom levels of the minor league, are guaranteed to move up and get their shot to move up again or stay at the higher level if they can stay out of "relegation." Unions will make themselves obsolete if they continue to shelter their poorest performing members (and this goes for all unions, not just sports) at the expense of making their product better by getting better people in the system. We're looking at robotic strike zones because umpire unions refuse to change themselves or insist on excellence from their own ranks. They tolerate the Angel Hernandez's of the world, but that doesn't mean MLB has to.

Rather than keeping the standard where it needs to be, the Umpire Union makes way for robo umps

@dspsblyuth

Жыл бұрын

They will strike as soon as any attempt to introduce a robotic umpire happens.

@hughle9617

Жыл бұрын

@@dspsblyuth their strike will make a good case for robot umpire 😂

@dspsblyuth

Жыл бұрын

@@hughle9617 robots can’t replace all officials immediately .

Here's the MLB umpire problem in a nutshell, IMHO. I worked over 3,000 ball games as an amateur umpire, almost all of it for one association. We were trained, for example, while on the bases to kill the ball if we saw a batted ball hit a batter in the foot. We immediately raised our arms and yelled "DEAD BALL". Not "FOUL BALL" because we had no idea where the batter was and even if we did it's the plate umpire's call as to where the batter was. In the Majors we've all seen the umpire's huddle and try to figure out if a batted ball hit the batter. We've all seen them rule that it did hit the batter. That means one of the three base umpires SAW it hit the batter, yet said NOTHING at the time. The reason they won't call it when they see it is because a) they don't want an argument, and b) they don't want to "show up" another umpire. It's asinine. If it looks like it did hit the batter's foot and you do or don't call it, you're going to get an argument either way. If you see it, call it, and know the argument was inevitable. As for showing up another umpire, that's a pure ego thing and an umpire's ego is meaningless once you step out onto the field. Simply put, we are there to get the calls right and to apply the rules in order to give each to an equal shot at winning the game under the rules. MLB umpires are fast becoming like the modern cops. Arrogant beyond all belief because they know they will never be held to account.

Gotta love those FTX logos on the umps. Are they the FTX of Baseball? 🤣🤣

Biggest issue of modern umps: arrogance

I remember in highschool there was this game where the pitcher threw it into the dirt and it bounced into the catchers glove. The umpire called it a strike and EVERYONE was in disbelief. I was the pitcher so the next inning I threw one in the dirt and yelled at the umpire for not calling it a strike. He then threw me out and there was a riot after the game. Let’s just say the umpire never came back.

6:20 Class A Short Season was discontinued in 2021, there are now 5 classifications plus the 4 “indy ball” partner leagues.

Keep it as it is. Heckling the umps is part of the game.

@ArdenJ

8 ай бұрын

ABS challenge system. You can still heckle em, while giving players a few challenges to try to overturn calls.

I'm not an employment lawyer. But to me it seems like the MLB should refuse to deal with the 'major league umpire's association'... It seems to me like the mlua is like a vendor who promises to supply you with a product, but their product (umpires) is substandard because the mlua won't let you return or throw away any of the product.

You're probably too young to remember the Umpire Strikes of 79 and 99 but the replacement umps we got for those seasons were so awful it makes guys like Hernandez and CB Bucknor looks good. Hence why the Umpire's union has the power it does. Maybe with MLB itself doing the invitation only Umpire's school we could see more consistent officiating.

The biggest problem Angel has isn’t so much his zone. It’s that he’ll randomly just have some completely awful calls, which makes it particularly difficult to hit against. You just never know when he’s going to forget what the strike zone looks like for a pitch. Then he goes back to calling a decent game for about 20 pitches.

keep the umps. step 1: take away inside/outside calls, give them an ear-piece that beeps when the ball in the zone (over the plate). umpire still calls high and low, and check swings. Step 2: take away high and low calls. again, now the ear -piece beeps when the ball is completely in the zone. they are still there to 'manage the game', call check swings, balks, plays at the plate, etc. Step 3: take away the check swings. again, now the ear-piece beeps when the player's swing crosses the plate. after Step 3, the umpire is essentially just there to call balks, call time, plays at the plate, etc. now, all other calls are reviewable, so if they screw up a play at the plate, ultimately that gets reviews. problem solved. umpire union is happy, because everyone still has a job. fans happy, because balls and strike calls are now automated, nothing to complain about. you are welcome

I remember when I was in little league there was an umpire nobody liked. There was an A level minor league baseball team in town whose games I would go to often, and he was an ump there a few times too. Nobody liked him at the minor league game either. I never really thought about it back then, but every once in a while now, many years later, I think about that umpire and I wonder about the average umpire career progression. I really didn't like him.

One of the better videos on the topic.

This is the subject that is the second reason why I have not attended a professional Baseball game. The other is the cost per person of everything in the game.

@Fryed_Bryce

Жыл бұрын

You don't have to buy literally anything. I don't drink and those hot dogs are filled with corn syrup. Ditch your dumb kids and go buy an $8 ticket

@davidvasquez6920

Жыл бұрын

@@Fryed_Bryce Let's see: Where do you live that pro MLB tickets are $8. My children, well, 2 are doctors, one is a lawyer, and my daughter is a US Navy F-18 pilot. No they are not dumb.

The reason people are even discussing robo-umps is because the umpire union keeps bad umpires in MLB games. How can they not see that they are shooting themselves in the foot? How is it they don't see that Angel Hernandez being a household name has tarnished their reputation? If the umps are just good enough to not impact the game with bad calls we wouldn't be having this conversation. Great video.

*If you have PBS Passport, you can stream it in the app for free!* This is such a great idea for a documentary

oh no, the FTX patch on hernandez lmaoooo

Bro people act like 200k-400k a year isn’t absolute bank

You always make it interesting. MLB and the umpire union should be paying you.

I've said for years, and there's many other crews around the country, is our hardest adjustment would be a 4 man crew.

The Armando Gallaraga near perfect game hurt.

A Union is ruining things? I never…..

I used to be opposed to robo umps calling games. But after seeing Hernandez in action way too many times, I'm now fully in support of robo umps calling the games.

Ya, there needs to be a website just like the game report cards for umps that records and compiles their stats over the year. And like others have said, electronic balls and strikes takes alot of the guesswork out of it. Umps are still needed for a host of all other calls and situations, but for balls and strikes, just leave that to the computers. Makes their job easier and there's no disputing or arguing against a computer.

The attitude and unprofessionalism needs to be addressed as well. They are human and will make mistakes but when they instigate or are confrontational or basically act like a spoiled child. They forget the game isn't about them.

@jasondyrkacz8270

Жыл бұрын

The ump that caressed Bumgarner while staring at him should've been fired.

I’m a little divided on this. I think that everything should be done to make every call in the field correctly. Fair/foul; calls at first; home runs; catches: all of these need to be right, and umps who have a problem with these calls being overturned when they’ve made a mistake should be fired or demoted. Everyone should accept that mistakes will sometimes be made. It’s great that they can be fixed under replay. As far as the strike zone is concerned, I’m worried that perfection is being demanded. So many of the great pitchers have had the ability to get home plate umps to expand the strike zone as the game has gone on because of their precision. Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine come to mind. There used to be a real difference between AL and NL strike zones, when AL umps used external chest protectors, and stood up at full height to call balls and strikes. This had an effect on the World Series, especially. Strike zone quirks are part of the game as much as ballpark quirks, in my opinion, and should remain part of the game. Getting rid of them would materially change the game, at least.

It goes beyond bad calls too. Umpires, the enforcer of the rules, don't even have to know the rules half the time. They can pick and choose what rules to enforce at whim. They can nit pick the most obscure rule, ones that let them affect the game. Or blatantly ignore a violation if they want. Umpires are human yes, and at times that is a problem as they let emotions decide how they enforce rules. I am not usually one for AI or robots taking over human jobs, but I think Robo Umpires will massively help Baseball. As long as the people don't the programing keep it fair.

There will be 3 challenges per team per game at the plate. That will be a good start.

Umpire Ebertson from JBL is the only one who could drain this swamp

Talking about how MLB has a serious umpiring problem with all the shots of the umpires with FTX as their uniform sponsor is very funny

If an Ump ejects someone that was arguing and that player/coach is correct: the ump should be suspended for a week. Call up the "next in line" Ump. BOOM

EVERY GAME umpires blow calls!! This is a fucking unicorn right here.

7:35 one of the worst MLB umpiring moments in MLB history, and that's coming from a Cardinal fan!

200k for around 25 hours in a long week ain't nothing to scoff at...

MLB umpiring has been in decline for some time, especially with respect to interpretation of the strike zone. I remember the Braves' trio of Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine consistently getting six inches on the outside of the strike zone. It got so flagrant Braves catcher Javy Lopez would often set up with one foot outside of the catchers' box. How often do you see a strike called on a pitch above the belt buckle? I'm frustrated to the point of being in favor of an automated strike zone system.

Brilliant vid.

There’s a players union as well. They could fight for the same rights in their contact if they wanted.

Every video that mentions Angel Hernandez has this comment in the comments sections, but I haven't seen it yet, so I'll say it; If Angel Hernandez had an extra eye, he would be a cyclops.

I know it would be hard to call and enforce but IMO there should be a rule against pitch framing.

If there are 76 umps, there is no way that only one ump job opens per year on average. (That would imply that a major league ump has a 76 year career on average.)

In the old days, we accepted that bad calls usually balanced out over a game or a season. We were fine. I miss those days.

I wish MLB would publish the umpiring crew assigned 3 days before a game. Some umpires are not worth the 2-3 hour drive to attend (not to mention the cost).

Current technology permits creation of a heads up display system for home plate umpires with a projected strike zone. The image could be displayed on a protective mask visor.

Since the pandemic, there are only 4 levels of official Minor League Baseball - Single-A, High-A, AA, AAA. The Rookie and Short-Season levels were abolished -- most of those leagues either folded or became college summer leagues. I'm not sure there are as many umps in the system, but (to be fair) this doesn't really change the odds much. No matter, though, because electronic umpiring is making its way to The Show.

Good presentation, great background on the path for Umpires to Major League level. Great Stats backing up your argument. Question: If MLB employs 76 umpires and an average of 1 retiree per year, that would mean that an umpire would be in the SHOW for 76 years. This past year and If I recall previous years there have been 10 or more per year. Do I agree its a tough and darn near impossible road to the majors, its understated in this presentation. You go and try to find a 90+mph fastball flying at you and judge 2 inches left or right in the blink of an eye. With the distraction of a batter and catcher in your face. Don't add in the pressure of a game, score, managers, coaches, fans, and other intangibles in there. Do you have a margin of error in your job? Did you have any stats or #'s in your presentation incorrect, without the added pressure and blink of an eye timing needed? Oh my apologies. I do agree that umpiring can improve, incentives to become improved and perform better, absolutely. You suggest that MLB should openly post statistics and report cards for umpires. Sounds like a good idea, I'd be in support of that. More use of Robo-Umpire strikezone, but define the strike zone please. Define check-swing? Define runner's path. Oh gosh wait, it requires a bit of interpretation and judgement.

Given a 2 inch margin of error, the umps should grade out at 100%.

I used to work in the press box next to the guys who judged the umps in double A. And we spoke often, the guy admitted that the average ump in AA in 2019 was better than the average ump in MLB and that's considering they only have 3 umps instead of 4.....it's ridiculous. Also, by the way, if an ump doesn't move up to the next level in 3 seasons they get demoted no matter no matter what. Even if the only reason they didn't move up was just because there wasn't a slot in the next level.

So I had been putting off watching this video but I had to stop at the part with the two inch margin of error. So when we're looking at pitch data, typically it is done with a 2D strikezone. The margin of error is there because a strike zone is 3D and pitches move. A LOT. So that is there to account for pitches that will move into the zone but wasn't in the zone initially. We need technology to catch up before we can get rid of the margin of error.

I actually noticed Holberg’s perfect game, because strike calling is notoriously bad. If umpires don’t want replaced with robots calling games, they certainly aren’t doing themselves any favors. Angel Hernandez is the biggest case exhibit for robot umps. I completely agree with the presence and need for unions, but the Umpire’s Union needs to realize that they’re representing themselves out of existence. They have got to make some concessions if they don’t want replaced, because robo umps don’t need union representation.

FTX on the shirt huh?!?!?!??!

One simple change solves all of this. Put umps on contracts like players for MLB spots

His performance wasn’t perfect: he was advertising FTX 😂

Those 3 calls by hernandez weren't even that bad, they were bang bang plays that anybody could have missed

@derekflint123

Жыл бұрын

Sure can't miss his over inflated ego.