Baseball, It's Time to Face Your REAL Umpire Problem
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Script written and researched by Mac Douglass
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G😅
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.
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.
Your assumption is that umpires are not giving their best effort?
@@Niel2760 They have little to no incentive to do their absolute best at every game.
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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
@@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?
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.
@@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.
@@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.
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).
I like Unions, But I think any union that prevents people from being fired for poor job performance is bad
Don't forget doctors as well as transportation services such as the one in New York city.
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?
weather forecasting. they get 50-50 odds.
Politics. Where you can fuck up 100% and get re-elected. In Canada, see Brian Mulroney, and Justin Trudeau.
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
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.
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've said for years, and there's many other crews around the country, is our hardest adjustment would be a 4 man crew.
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.
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.
one thing that can be done. make it illegal for catchers to 'frame' a pitch. If he frames it (pulls it back into the strike zone). An immediate ball should be called.
oh no, the FTX patch on hernandez lmaoooo
Biggest issue of modern umps: arrogance
Controversy sells and bad umps bring excitement and anger. Nothing like a player or a manager getting mad, kicking dirt, and yelling at Blue. Getting thrown out. Forget the robo-umpire bullshit. It'll never happen. This is baseball.
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
One of the better videos on the topic.
Admittedly, it is often difficult and scarce to see. Shadows and game situation. They don't have a SloMo view from above like we do. But a VAR? But they also mess it up, look at soccer. But they definitely have an aggression problem or complex ones, and are resistant to argumentation. Like this. I don't want the job. But they need good new staff. And that UNTIL YESTERDAY!!
This is a major issue with Unions in general, yet everyone wants to call you awful expletives if you point that out. Unions protect bad workers, period. They all do that. Bad Cops, Bad Teachers, Bad Tradesmen, even Bad Umpires. They hinder growth and performance, but the argument is that they do that to watch out for the workers' interests because the employer won't. That's true if everyone was totally evil and totally selfish, but in reality it just ties the hands of the employer and protects bad workers.
Balls and strikes are by far the biggest problem. Humans are no where near good enough to be considered competent at calling a good enough game regarding balls and strikes.Players are forced to “adjust” to the umpire which is completely counter to both roles. Plays on the field are also tough, but the video challenge has helped a lot.
"The livelihood of MLB players is based on their on-field performance."
Wrong. It's based on their on-field EXPECTATIONS. They can sign an all-star contract, hit .189 on the year, and they're still guaranteed that money.
This is the single greatest argument against unions. They were so great initially. But they've, for the most part, become just as bad or worse than the owners they were started to defend workers against.
I agree. The union needs to be dealt with in a more firm manner.
You always make it interesting.
MLB and the umpire union should be paying you.
His performance wasn’t perfect: he was advertising FTX 😂
I wonder if angel Hernandez knows how many videos talk about him on TH-cam. That this will be his legacy. I also wonder if umpires will rewatch a game after and note bad calls or certain things they could possibly improve on.
This to me is the one major flaw with baseball. Not the shift. Not games taking “too long.” Not even the “unwritten rules” that can get a 100 MPH object thrown at your head.
The umpires need to be knocked down several pegs and have their egomania reigned in.
Umpires should have to hold press conferences after every game
When I was in little league I saw an ump, despite seemingly having all the protective gear, take a direct liner to the throat. He was doing it for close to free. He got taken away in an ambulance and I knew at age of 9 that whatever you get paid, being an ump is not worth it.
A few thoughts on umpiring vis á vis MLB: There may be robo umps in a few years. Will all the people who hate umps be sad if/when it happens?
Angel Hernandez has sued MLB for discrimination because he’s Latino many many times. In fact, it might be the only reason he has a job. There is a special place in hell for people like that.
He got the first call of the game incorrect and was perfect after that.
I’m fine with people hating on angel but I hate when they bring up the alds game as 2/3 of the calls that got overturned were extremely close plays that anyone could get wrong when there’s worse calls to hate on him for
This is where Ai would be better served for umpiring
The next time the mlb umpire contract expires the league should lock them out, and play with the players making calls. They know whats going on.
Umpires aren’t accurate enough at making calls most of the time.
It tells us Unions are not always for the betterment of the work place
Bad umpiring can make the umpire look bad, but when it affects the outcome of the game or damages a players career, the fundamental integrity of baseball is lost.
I sucked at a job once, so I quit. Angel should do the same
If MLB has let the umpire's union become too powerful, that is MLB's problem, not the union's. MLB broke the first umpire's union, then passed up the chance to make significant change by allowing the umpires to simply relabel the previous organization.
One quick way to fix it would be having all MLB players threaten to strike unless the umpire grading system is completely overhauled. I believe those are separate unions between players and umps so no conflict of interest.
Yeah, but also no incentive to strike because the players will play with lousy umps to get their paychecks a thousand times over before they ever refuse to play to get good ones.
I know for a while soccer actually had the right idea - once you hit a certain age (I believe it was mid 40's) you had to retire, no questions asked you were done, it's cost them on occasion but for the most part it allows a constant turnover of younger officials. Angel Hernandez shouldn't be umpiring in 2023, everyone in baseball can see he sucks like a shop vac, but because of the union (and don't mistake that for anti-union sentiment) he's guaranteed virtually a job for life despite being shit at that job!
Aren't there umpires that have worse scorecard averages than Angel? He gets all of the attention, but he takes some of that needed attention from other bad umps.
If I was as successful as Angel Hernandez at my job I would have been fired years ago.
Can't they just demote umps and promote new umps if they're doing good to give them a chance. If the union really protects their umps it should be fair to all their umps, not just the ones that are sitting in the majors
How did some of these umpires move up all the levels to reach MLB? Either they were misevaluated along the way or they deserved to be MLB umpires and have decided they don't have to be good any more.
all that just to get into the show...makes you wonder how the hell Angel Hernandez got there in the first place...how did he get as far as he got?
It's no different than a public sector union and a private sector one. The Players have a public sector union. Yeah, they are protected by the Union. But they still need to perform to keep their job. The umpires are a civil service union. It doesn't matter how trash they are. Since the money comes from a source that's effectively the government, there isn't any accountability, performance isn't a concern.
What if they had umpire assist like a vibration on pitches the bot thinks is a strike
Then why do you need the umpires?
@@dspsblyuth appeasing traditionalists
What percentage of current major league umpires should replaced?
Why do we need umpires if cameras are more accurate?
I understand umpires lay goose eggs sometimes, But cmon who doesn’t love a little controversy. Baseball could use a little more.
I think it's kinda fucked we have to sacrifice the integrity of the game just so some old men have job security
If there's an abundance of outstanding umpires in the minor leagues who can't advance to MLB because of how the system works, how do the MLB umpires have even a shred of leverage when their contract with MLB comes up? Doesn't seem to make sense.
The union threatens a walk-out if any umpire is disciplined. Angel Hernandez, for one, would drag MLB into court--he's already sued about "racial discrimination," after all. MLB should call the union's bluff and bring up good umpires fromTriple A.
Who's fault is it, that we have bad umps? It's the fans. Just look at the most recent labour strike with NFL and the refs. Fans were pissed that the league wouldn't just pay the refs. Calling owners a bunch of greedy billionaires. But what was the league asking from the refs? Not money, salary was decided almost immediately, they wanted to be able to replace bad refs. But the union wouldn't let them. In the end, the league had to agree they couldn't fire bad refs, instead only suspending them, because the fans didn't actually care, and demanded the refs be brought back.
It would be the same with umps, if an ump strike happened.
Fire all of them in the off season, ban the unions, and bring in new guys.
I like blown calls and getting in the umps face. I grew up with it and it’s part of baseball’s charm to me. I know many want a purer game with perfect calls. Angel Hernandez should have been fired though. A long time ago.
A good manager blow up can be very entertaining. Lou Pinella im thinking of you 😁
@@tupacalypse88 Tommy Lasorda too.
@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 Yesss great mention u think my all time favorite was in the 90's bobby valentine gets thrown can't remember why gets a fake mustache and glasses sneaks back in and gets thrown out again 🤣🤣🤣🤣 good times
Angel Hernandez has two estranged sons.
Their names are Strike and Zone.
He hasn't seen either one in years.
🤣🤣🤣
Funded by FTX (check his shirt)
bravo!
Slow clap....
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"
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.
We should still get robo umps because getting calls right is more important than having them be made by some jackass wearing blue.
Umpires are improving, umps are better than ever especially new young umps
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
@@Yankeesarod13 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.
@@Yankeesarod13 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
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
@@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
@@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.
I know I would if I was an ump 😂
@@deusvult6920 police unions would like to talk to you.
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.
Everyone know Angel Hernández's name
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.
You gotta give it up to the union for keeping around an almost completely obsolete profession lol
Between the umpire union and the police unions constantly sticking up for their very worst members, they’re really giving unions a bad name
@@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.
@@untexan Don't forget the teacher's union. Probably the worst, most destructive, and dangerous union in existence.
@@toddgaak422 Government schools just shouldn't exist
Good umpires and referees need to be highlighted more. They are what make the game work.
Yes we do!
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
Thats one of the problems with unions; the people who have been there the longest get precedent, no matter how bad they are.
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
@@charlesbarkley223 it doesn't make sense to any of us. It's truly mind blowing
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
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
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
@@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 worth noting that younger less experienced umpires perform better than older more experienced umpires
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!
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
another major issue is the umps' egos. they throw out players and managers for showing a slight disagreement of the umps strike zone.
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
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.
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.
@@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.
@@stevepolychronopoulis If it's so easy why don't you do it.
Both you and Foolish Baseball have had the best videos on Umpires this year. I love it. Keep up the great work.
Baseball doesn't exist is good too
@@raymondg.6872 They’re the Triple Play of Baseball content. I love all three of them.
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.
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.
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.
They are about 50% on bang-bang plays.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
@@billcook4768until they stop working like in the minor league and forgot what a strike was
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.
As a Braves fan I saw first hand how Angel Hernandez was the cause of many ejections for Bobby Cox & Freddy Gonzalez over decades.
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
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.
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."
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.
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.
@@mrjimi1 i guess it would be more difficult... If you're legally blind 😂. Btw nice random stat of 85% you made up
@@SenorTortas - someone who has never umpired in their life
@@P-7 THANK YOUUUU Charles. I had no idea I'm talking to a real big league umpire. How lucky am I!
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.
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.
The ump that caressed Bumgarner while staring at him should've been fired.
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!
That's a terrible idea because you lose all consistency at the plate.
@@orthanus I think [he] meant rotate during a series, e.g., those two take turns umping the plate every-other game, not mid-game.
Rather than keeping the standard where it needs to be, the Umpire Union makes way for robo umps
They will strike as soon as any attempt to introduce a robotic umpire happens.
@@dspsblyuth their strike will make a good case for robot umpire 😂
@@hughle9617 robots can’t replace all officials immediately .
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.
It's almost as if calling balls and strikes is difficult!
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.
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".
That system feeds into why they're mediocre.
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.
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.
Are you seven years old
@@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!)
You could solve half the problem by firing fat Joe and Angel Hernandez
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.
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.)
Go Topes!
Baseball is the only sport where umps have an outside personality. For some reason it always disturbed me when local sports radio guys interviewed umps like Joe West hocking his next music album that nobody will buy. I wouldn't have a problem with horrible calls if the people behind those calls didn't have egos who think they're beyond the game.
Modern technology is only confirming what boomer fans have witnessed for decades. I'm glad we now have real ways to measure how bad MLB umpires have always been.
I am so tired of people citing those three bad calls in this manner. Two of the calls were super close. Getting all shitty at someone because they missed a super close call is not a reasonable thing to do. And then, in an even shittier move, you cite a lawsuit that had been filed well over a year earlier as if it were filed in the 2018 offseason.
As for the meat of the video, I don't hate your discussion. Personally, I've been thinking there needs to be a relegation/promotion system. Not sure how many positions, but the idea of the best AAA umps getting a shot every year and the worst MLB umps getting dropped down for at least a year is interesting. The first few years it might be a bit off given that the AAA umps will all be rookies, but after a few years, you will have umpires jumping back and forth enough that a good number of the AAA umps will be former MLB umps. This will never happen, but it's a nice idea with probably a fatal flaw I haven't found. I'd also be up for umpire specialization. There is no reason for every ump to need to work the plate. If I were in charge, at least half of the umpires wouldn't call strikes. This will also never happen because I doubt any umpire would want to do that and basically suffer the crowd every night rather than one in four. Automated zones would really help with this.
Robo umping isn't a bad thing. Ignoring new technology and instead doing something intentionally badly because it's always been done badly, is not a great reason to keep real umpires lol. Also even if that's what you're worried about, they'll never be gone from the game entirely. They can still get the easy calls right literally every time and keep the game moving, it's only the questionable ones that should be reviewed. And in this day and age, you can have them reviewed and a decision made before all the Umpires can even form a circle. It's a stupid argument.
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.
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
The most brutal ump disaster was the’97 NLCS game 5, b/n the Braves & Marlins.
The disaster….Eric Gregg
What about introducing relegation for umpires?
Bottom 7 get dropped to AAA each year and you bring up some fresh meat with younger eye balls
Oh yeah…unions
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.”
5 of his calls were reviewed. I watched that game
You just don't fully understand what you're talking about. The umps ARE actually accountable, there is a system which grades them, according to this metrics they receive playoff assignments for example. And yes, they can be fined for their poor performance. But what the general public don't understand is what considered to be poor performance. Making an out call where there should've been safe is NOT a mistake! It's a judgement call. It's written in the rules! Mistakes are poor positioning, poor game management (including comm skills) and, of course, misinterpretation of the rules. For that they are accountable and they CAN actually be fined and disciplined otherwise. Yes, the union has its own policies and they don't disclose any info to the public. The reason being, umps are subject to enormous pressure as it is, disclosing this info will only add to that. Moreover, the majority of the people can't properly assess the umps work, because they just don't have necessary skills to do that! As for the strike ball calling, all metrics systems which we have (umps scorecards, UEFL and others) show the umps have become significantly better in this regard for the past 5 years, the average score being 96-97% which is fantastic! Robo ump just cannot do that! It';s actually much worse than the reasonably well trained human umpire! Instead of focusing on Angel, focus on Tumpane, Libka, Guccione, Hoberg, May, just look at what they do!
Agreed.
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.
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'
@@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…….
@@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?
@@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.
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.
He is so right. It sounded good but it will NEVER fix the problem! The union is not going to do one thing to make things any better. They don't have too. Look at the people running MLB today. Not one of them has a backbone. Every one of them will make a regular trip to a lumber yard to pick up a 2 x 4 to use to help them be able to stand up right. You would think that when joe west left things would have gotten even a little better. The day he retired should have been made a holiday in the league all the way down to Single "A" ball. It is not the union, the leaders of MLB or even the owners that can fix this very bad problem. It is the FANS that HOLD ALL the POWER! And I mean ALL the POWER to change things or better yet runoff some umps. Look at a game where an ump tosses a player. If the player even touches the ump, he gets some time off & he is going to be writing a check. But the ump can grab a player or coach, push him or just put their hands on them & what happens? I have seen an ump rush the mound to get to a player or how about rubbing a player's hand to look for something that is even not there. The player opens his mouth & he is GONE!! NOTHING-NOT ONE DAM THING HAPPENS TO UMPS! You ever hear of an ump being fine & going some time off for even touching a player or coach? All the FANS need to do is pick out just ONE game. A game that is going to be on National TV. Then use social media & tell ALL the FANS to not go to that GAME! A game that is broad cast nationwide for everyone to see. The league will lose their mind. I bet we see a couple of heads explode! The OWNERS will go crazy. Think about ALL the MONEY they will lose on just ONE GAME. It does to stop there. There are people that sell everything from Hot Dogs to Beer to ice cream to peanuts. The FANS can tell MLB that these umps must answer up just like the Players & Coaches. People make mistakes & I can see that but look at hernadaz. He is the WORST after west. Then to SLAP the FANS in the face Joe wanted to allow the worst ump in the league from pro to farm clubs work a playoff game!!! BOYCOTT JUST ONE GAME-JUST ONE GAME & the fans fix the problem. Remember this "BOYCOTT" one game!!!!!
I haven't paid for a game in over 10 years.... even tho the astros have gone to 4 WS
Rob Manfred hates baseball and the mlb umpires are scumbags that hate baseball too
@@charlesbarkley223 It is so true but we the fans hold ALL the POWER. It is up to us to save a great game our own National Pastime. If the Fans could just get together pick a game & then BOYCOTT, it. Not one single person goes into watch the game-NOT ONE! The league would come unglued & go CRAZY. The owners would lose their mind. Think about the money they would lose if the FANS were to boycott just that one game. Don't forget the networks. I don't know what they would do. One thing that would be easy is to have the players walk off the field. The problem with that the league & owners would see that as a work stoppage. But they could not bring their "A" game. Either way it is up to "We the People" to save the game!!
@@mitchellfraser634 that's true but that would also be so bad for the game I don't want to kill the game to save it baseball is already losing enough fans if rob Manfred cared about baseball he would know the umpires union is bad for the mlb and its honestly obnoxious af that this union thinks they're bigger than the game
Damn this one came from the heart