Mastodawn

Tim Bray Feb 24, 2025

Robo-umps coming to the big leagues: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6144194/2025/02/20/abs-robot-umps-mlb-spring-training/

This is a no-brainer. The auto in/out calls in tennis have reduced player jabbering and made everything quicker. Strikes & balls should be deterministic.

Robot umps are here: What MLB players need to know to navigate ABS this spring

Here is what every big leaguer needs to know about ABS, according to players and managers who have experience with it in the minor leagues.

The Athletic

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Thom Denholm

@timbray
Unfortunately, the top and bottom of the strike zone are *not* deterministic, and that is the big flaw.
The proposed "challenge system" is a hell of a lot better than arguments, though, and is very quick.
--Thom
(33 year veteran umpire)