How to Improve MLB Umpiring

Taking Specific Steps can Lead to Fewer Bad Calls

Mar 11, 2010
Mike Virgintino

: Improve the Game by Reducing Bad Calls. - Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball umpires took heat last year for a number of bad calls, especially during the post season. MLB can implement policies to improve the game.

Coming off a season that implemented replay for home run calls and a post-season that magnified significant mistakes by umpires, Major League Baseball has done a little, actually very little, to make improvements to this part of the game for the 2010 season.

During the off-season, MLB did establish a panel of baseball people to look into a variety of issues affecting the game and to provide recommendations to improve the game. So far, they have held several meetings and have placed umpire issues, such as replay, on the agenda.

If MLB takes the lead to enhance the image of professional umpires by helping them improve the on-field calls, the steps that are implemented will gradually find their way down through the minors and also will have a positive influence on the development of umpiring in youth leagues.

Take Over Umpire Training

Right now, MLB has little, if any, involvement to train and enact umpire policies in the minor leagues. If MLB dug deep down into the minor league systems, implemented uniform training for those eager to break into the majors and created guidelines and levels of achievement, umpiring would significantly improve from rookie leagues right up to the major league level.

Certain umpires have mobility issues. Some of it has to do with weight. While most MLB umps appear to be in shape and have good agility to cover the bases, several remain outside the norm for an umpire who needs to stand for four hours, hustle, wear equipment behind home plate and sweat under the sweltering summer sun. Umps who shed pounds can hustle more easily to see a play and get in position to make an accurate call.

MLB umpires need to go back to umpiring school and learn more about their positioning on the field. Too many times they are not in the correct position to make the correct call. On television and even at the ballpark, fans see that the views of umpires sometimes are blocked by players. Moving a step or two in any direction might be the answer to have the best view of a play.

Umpires also need to review the rulebook as it pertains to the correct strike zone. Collectively, umps need to be consistent with ball-strike calls so they are on the same page with catchers, pitchers, batters and managers.

If there isn’t a mandatory retirement age for field umpires at the major league level, one should be considered. MLB needs to set a retirement age that is no later than 55, or when an umpire has 25 years in the major leagues. To do this, MLB needs to take over more responsibility for umpire training, minor league umpire promotions, letting go the umpires who don’t meet the high standards that MLB needs to enforce and retaining more quality umpires in supervisory and consulting roles after their on-field days are done.

Add to Ump Crews

Use six-man crews on the field. As with the post season, have an umpire in the outfield along each foul line. This will help with extra eyes to see difficult catches by outfielders, determine home run calls and more clearly see incidents of fan interference.

Add a seventh umpire upstairs. Baseball needs to look closely at adding more eyes to call the game, including a seventh umpire in the press box. This recommendation makes several assumptions—replay will be established for certain plays beyond home run calls, six umpires are positioned on the field and MLB is able to determine who that seventh umpire will be (a rotating member of the crew, a supervisor, or a retired umpire).

Technology is better than the human eye. Baseball needs to employ the latest technology to help with calls on the field. Replays have helped MLB umpiring crews correctly call home run balls. Major League Baseball now needs to extend the use of replays to fair-foul calls, or certain other plays that are agreed upon by the teams, umpires and players. Another option is to allow each manager one challenge per game for certain calls that are designated for video review.

Other Umpiring Improvements

MLB can employ a number of other procedures to improve umpiring and enhance the game. These include allowing players to vent, but not argue, at ball-strike calls without fear of ejection. It also includes having umpires maintain their cool so they can better control the game during arguments. Umpires should be trained not to fuel the fire, but to help put it out.

Mike has been a writer for more than 30 years. , Mike Virgintino

Mike Virgintino - Mike Virgintino is a marketing communications executive who has directed corporate, nonprofit and product branding initiatives that rely ...

Comments

Mar 19, 2010 6:49 PM

Guest :

Until the minor leagues pay the umpires 100k and get them to the big leagues in a maximum of 8 years where they can start at 250k and work up to 500k you will not get the best people. There are many student athletes who would make this a career if you did not have work in the minors for 15 years at 5k in A, 10k in AA, and 15k in AAA. You only get the best to try if you pay the best just like brain surgeons, etc. You will get good people to try, but you will not get the best without the money. So, don't complain about what you get, without being willing to pay the money to get the absolute best.

Mar 30, 2010 8:51 PM

Guest :

Imagine this scenario, each time a batter struck out, a defensive player made an error, mental or physical, time was called and an extra umpire came out onto the field and started berating the player. This extra umpire would be the busiest one of five. Mistakes are part of the human element of the game, if Derek Jeter booted a couple of routine ground balls in a game, would they be clamoring for his retirement, or insisting that he or any player who makes a miscue, be replaced with an electronic video device? Take all the umpires stats that are out there and find some way to compare them to player fielding, batting and pitching stats, and see if they are underperforming. I am not sure what minimum wage is in MLB, but they pay this to a utility player, who sometimes cannot hit his weight or IQ. I believe this number is still much higher than the most highly paid members of the MLB umpiring staff. One of the majestic things about baseball lore are the stories involving the "characters" who have been part of the game, Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel , Earl Weaver, to name a minute amount of them. Some members of the third team have been part of the character and lore of baseball as well, and granted most of them were very good arbitrators during their careers. The people in place today are just as good if not better than these umpires who are reveered as the best of all time, trouble is today's people are subject to more scrutiny, personal and electronic than the old timers could ever dream of. I believe the next generation of umpires will be under even more pressure, and will look back on todays crews as working in the "good old days".

2 Comments