I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires
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MLB to experiment with robot umpires
The electronic strike zone will be used in all 30 Class AAA parks in 2023, sources told ESPN, seemingly another significant step toward the implementation of the technology at the big league level in the near future.
The Automatic Balls and Strikes system, commonly referred to as ABS, will be deployed in two different ways. Half of the Class AAA games will be played with all of the calls determined by an electronic strike zone, and the other half will be played with an ABS challenge system similar to that used in professional tennis.
Each team will be allowed three challenges per game, with teams retaining challenges in cases when they are proved correct. MLB's intention is to use the data and feedback from both systems, over the full slate of games, to inform future choices.
As of now, MLB has no firm date to implement its Automatic Balls and Strikes system in the big leagues. But in recent seasons, the robotic umpire has been used increasingly in the minor leagues.
In 2019, the independent Atlantic League used the electronic strike zone in an all-star game, and that same year, the Arizona Fall League was played with the ABS. In 2021, the ABS was deployed in some Class A parks. Last season, the full ABS was used for some Class AAA games.
The Class A Southeast League adopted the challenge system, in which the plate umpires called balls and strikes but the batter, pitcher and catcher each had the power to challenge the decision on a particular pitch. As one official noted, this seemed to foster another layer of in-game strategy, with managers and coaching staffs guiding players on the best manner to use the challenges -- avoiding frivolous challenges and protecting the team from egregious ball-strike call mistakes in pivotal moments.
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MLB to experiment with robot umpires
The electronic strike zone will be used in all 30 Class AAA parks in 2023, sources told ESPN, seemingly another significant step toward the implementation of the technology at the big league level in the near future.
The Automatic Balls and Strikes system, commonly referred to as ABS, will be deployed in two different ways. Half of the Class AAA games will be played with all of the calls determined by an electronic strike zone, and the other half will be played with an ABS challenge system similar to that used in professional tennis.
Each team will be allowed three challenges per game, with teams retaining challenges in cases when they are proved correct. MLB's intention is to use the data and feedback from both systems, over the full slate of games, to inform future choices.
As of now, MLB has no firm date to implement its Automatic Balls and Strikes system in the big leagues. But in recent seasons, the robotic umpire has been used increasingly in the minor leagues.
In 2019, the independent Atlantic League used the electronic strike zone in an all-star game, and that same year, the Arizona Fall League was played with the ABS. In 2021, the ABS was deployed in some Class A parks. Last season, the full ABS was used for some Class AAA games.
The Class A Southeast League adopted the challenge system, in which the plate umpires called balls and strikes but the batter, pitcher and catcher each had the power to challenge the decision on a particular pitch. As one official noted, this seemed to foster another layer of in-game strategy, with managers and coaching staffs guiding players on the best manner to use the challenges -- avoiding frivolous challenges and protecting the team from egregious ball-strike call mistakes in pivotal moments.
@George-K said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
and protecting the team from egregious ball-strike call mistakes in pivotal moments.
Here's an idea. Why don't we just robotize the players too? Then we can watch a game with no emotional input whatsoever. No more hating the ump.
Relaxing AF.
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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I like it.
Commonly called the Fox Box after the network that introduced it to tv games, the box rapidly pointed out umpire biases and non-standard strike zones.
It will standardize the strike zone, and that's a good thing. The home plate umpire is still critical for things like tipped balls, plate calls, balks, batter's box infractions, etc.
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@George-K said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
and protecting the team from egregious ball-strike call mistakes in pivotal moments.
Here's an idea. Why don't we just robotize the players too? Then we can watch a game with no emotional input whatsoever. No more hating the ump.
Relaxing AF.
@Catseye3 said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@George-K said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
and protecting the team from egregious ball-strike call mistakes in pivotal moments.
Here's an idea. Why don't we just robotize the players too? Then we can watch a game with no emotional input whatsoever. No more hating the ump.
Relaxing AF.
Yes, exactly
This is a stupid idea
It is not supposed to be perfect
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What about an ump who's a homer and adjusts his strike zone according to who is batting?
It's happened. More than once.
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What about an ump who's a homer and adjusts his strike zone according to who is batting?
It's happened. More than once.
That is exactly why you want people in the loop.
It isn't supposed to be perfect, it's not even supposed to be fair.
If the pitcher did his job perfectly nobody would ever hit.
If the batter did his job perfectly nobody would ever make an out.
These games aren't about perfection and fairness.
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Holy balls I agree with Copper on something.
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It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
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It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
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@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
Education is extremely important.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
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@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
We could replace the fans with machines too.
You are just asking for it.
@Copper said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
We could replace the fans with machines too.
You are just asking for it.
I'd probably still be a football fan if they had technology to reduce injuries, to the extent that you didn't have to think about whether your favorite players were or were not going to be able to play any given game.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
They're all people. When you start ceding parts of the game to place efficiency and impartiality over the human aspect, that's exactly what you get. A less human, more efficient and impartial game. My personal response is fuck that, but no one asked me and they're doing it anyway so what does it matter.
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@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
They're all people. When you start ceding parts of the game to place efficiency and impartiality over the human aspect, that's exactly what you get. A less human, more efficient and impartial game. My personal response is fuck that, but no one asked me and they're doing it anyway so what does it matter.
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
They're all people. When you start ceding parts of the game to place efficiency and impartiality over the human aspect, that's exactly what you get. A less human, more efficient and impartial game. My personal response is fuck that, but no one asked me and they're doing it anyway so what does it matter.
I think the difference between applying the rules and striving to score points, according to the rules, is important. Nobody goes to the games to watch the officials and their human input. They are only a necessary evil, and if their jobs could be automated fairly, the games would be more fun to watch IMO.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
They're all people. When you start ceding parts of the game to place efficiency and impartiality over the human aspect, that's exactly what you get. A less human, more efficient and impartial game. My personal response is fuck that, but no one asked me and they're doing it anyway so what does it matter.
I think the difference between applying the rules and striving to score points, according to the rules, is important. Nobody goes to the games to watch the officials and their human input. They are only a necessary evil, and if their jobs could be automated fairly, the games would be more fun to watch IMO.
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Aqua-Letifer said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
It's a good use of technology and will improve the game for fans. Bias and arbitrariness in rules applications is not a good part of the human aspect of sports. The pursuit of the athletic parts and the inevitable failures to achieve it, are.
Interesting to me that you think the two can be separated.
Yes I think the jobs of officials and athletes are separable.
They're all people. When you start ceding parts of the game to place efficiency and impartiality over the human aspect, that's exactly what you get. A less human, more efficient and impartial game. My personal response is fuck that, but no one asked me and they're doing it anyway so what does it matter.
Nobody goes to the games to watch the officials and their human input.
I dunno what baseball games you go to, but literally all the ones I've ever been to have been full of fans who absolutely love debating umpire calls.
Please love yourself.
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@Horace said in I, for one, welcome out new robot umpires:
Maybe we should start hand-timing the Olympic 100 meter dashes again.
We lost something there, too, it's just that almost nobody cares about it.
We're really good with implementing new technology but we have no fucking idea how or where to draw the line.
Please love yourself.
