Electronic Home Plate Umpiring In The Near Future??

[King Colt]

So another buzz today on ESPN about MLB installing an electronic umpiring system for balls and strikes.  While the home plate ump will remain behind the plate (why?) to judge other issues this is a * attack on baseball and sports in general. While I like instant replay let's not get crazy with technology. To all young folks that may not agree with me you must know the future is for artificial intelligence and robotics so when you turn 40 what do suppose your future  employment prospect will be?  Also, if MLB goes hi-tech with Robby Robot umpires will they holler out "strike" and ball"? Yogi Berra is turning over in his grave.

[Nadine]

It's true that we will be losing more an more jobs to robotics and artificial intelligence.

Will they have robots watching the game instead of us too?

I agree, it's a game. Let people play it

[Yoshinator]

2 hours ago, King Colt said:

So another buzz today on ESPN about MLB installing an electronic umpiring system for balls and strikes.  While the home plate ump will remain behind the plate (why?) to judge other issues this is a * attack on baseball and sports in general. While I like instant replay let's not get crazy with technology. To all young folks that may not agree with me you must know the future is for artificial intelligence and robotics so when you turn 40 what do suppose your future  employment prospect will be?  Also, if MLB goes hi-tech with Robby Robot umpires will they holler out "strike" and ball"? Yogi Berra is turning over in his grave.

Refs and umpires in sports generally favor the home team. There is a lot of cheating in sports, whether it's something small like calling a strike a ball or vice versa, calling a foul or not calling a foul in basketball when it's not supposed to happen, or taking back points in football or giving a team yards on phantom penalties such as pass interference. Whether you want to argue if refs or umpires do this on purpose, you can't argue the human emotion if they are a fan of the home team and unconsciously are biased toward them. There have been a lot of questionable calls over the years in every major sport, and this will bring a lot more accuracy the more it happens eventually. 

[ColtStrong]

If it means getting the call right, I'm all for it.

[King Colt]

On ‎6‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 5:44 PM, ColtStrong said:

If it means getting the call right, I'm all for it.

 Electronic dogs don't poop on your carpets and you could use dynamite to catch fish.

[oldunclemark]

The problem with it is that you'd still have to have a home plate umpire to judge check swings...foul tips..hit by pitches....and safe-out plays at home

...and if youd still have an umpire..what's the logic of not letting him call balls and strikes.?

 

..and even setting that aside.....my understanding is that the strike zone is different with every batter depending on his size. The strike zone also has depth...A high pitch can clip the top of the strike zone at the back of the plate. How many cameras would you need to judge those factors.

 

Its not as simple an issue as they make it sound on the talk shows

[DaColts85]

With baseball you have the human error aspect about a strike zone and that make sit interesting.  An ump might consistently call some outside pitches strikes making it harder for the batter but it still has intrigue.  The more you try to "perfect" a game the less impact little things have and then it will just be HR derby.