Robot Umps in AAA this year

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by BobC

Maybe some silly questions, but do these ABS systems monitor just a supposed 2D strike zone at the front of the plate or the back of the plate? Or do they have the technology to now make these ABS strike zone monitoring systems cover a 3D cube-like strike zone that includes the strike zone for the plate from the front to the back? Many pitchers have balls that can be moving quite a bit and can start out in the strike zone at the front of the plate, but then fall out at the back end. Or are maybe outside the strike zone at the front of the plate, but then hit it at the back end. To me, the strike zone should be a 3D zone covering the entire plate, front to back.

Also, the strike zone of each batter can, and pretty much always does, vary based on the batter's height and batting stance, no? So how does an ABS monitoring system take this into account for each and every different batter? Would seem to me that every single player that was going to be subject to having balls and strikes called using such an ABS system should have to take some kind of preliminary batting practice session or something, using one of these systems to then monitor and measure their normal stance to determine what their possibly unique strike zone, from top to bottom, is, and somehow have that then programmed into an ABS monitoring system so when they come up to bat the system somehow knows to use the correct strike zone for them. Think Eddie Gaedel. The side-to-side strike zone will never vary as it is determined by the width of the plate, which is fixed for all batters.

Those are a couple of fantastic questions/observations, for which I would love to know the answers as well. A big breaking curve ball can clip the front corner of the plate, but also be outside of the strike zone when it hits the catcher's mitt. So they would need to have 3 dimensional technology to be accurate.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Those are a couple of fantastic questions/observations, for which I would love to know the answers as well. A big breaking curve ball can clip the front corner of the plate, but also be outside of the strike zone when it hits the catcher's mitt. So they would need to have 3 dlimensional technology to be accurate.

That is exactly what I'm thinking Mark, if you want to be truly as impartial as possible. We can all see on TV when the stations do a replay and have their imposed strike zone on the screen so you can possibly see how close a pitch was to being a strike, but I believe those are only 2D measures they are using. Couple that with needing some way to then differentiate between different batters high and low strike zone limits, and my thinking is if you can't properly roll out true 3D ABS Monitoring Systems, with proper measurement and reflection of differing batter's strike zones, don't mess with it at all and just leave the human umpires behind the plate for now. In other words, if you're only going to do it half-ass, don't bother doing it at all.

And you're still going to have a human ump behind the plate anyway, to call out fall tips, check swings, stepping out of the batter's box, plays at the plate, and so on.