+

How Home Plate Umpires Effect MLB Baseball

Antonia FergusonDecember 2, 2009

+Are umpires the most accurate way to call balls and strikes? On average umpires are 90% accurate in

calling balls and strikes. This means that on average 30 pitches are called incorrectly during a game.

Umpires have been found to consistently call a strike zone that is not defined by the MLB rulebook.

An electronic strike zone is 99.99% accurate. This system is already installed in all MLB stadiums, and is currently used to track the accuracy of the home plate umpire.

+Umpire Background

17, four man crews Rotation

Home, third, second, first, back to home

Assigned randomly to a series Series is 3 consecutive games with the

same two teams All umpires should have similar statistics

+Strike Zone “The Strike Zone is defined as that area over

home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball.”

+Example in the difference of the strike zone

+Why is a consistent strike zone important? Batter and Pitcher rely on it Coaches are forced to make different

decisions based on who is behind the plate Game outcomes have the potential to be

different.

+Graph of Balls and Strikes: Width

+Graph of Balls and Strikes: Height

+Example of an MLB Umpire Strike Zone

+More Accurate Strike Zone

Top 15 Most Strikeout-Friendly UmpiresUmpire Games R/G BB/G K/GJeff Kellogg 20 10.2 6.8 15.3Bruce Drekman 19 11.2 6.9 15.1John Hirschbeck 17 8.5 5.5 14.9Brian Gorman 19 8 5 14.4Jim Reynolds 18 8.8 7.9 14.2Mike Everitt 19 11.2 7.7 14.1Charlie Reliford 18 8.4 4.9 14.1Mike Winters 19 8.4 6.6 14.1Tony Randazzo 19 9.4 6.9 13.9Gary Darling 20 9.7 6.2 13.8Doug Eddings 21 8.4 5.1 13.8Marvin Hudson 17 9.1 6.4 13.8Ted Barrett 21 10.4 5.9 13.6Laz Diaz 18 8.8 5.8 13.6Brian Runge 19 10.2 6.9 13.5

The 15 Strictest UmpiresUmpire Games R/G BB/G K/GLance Barksdale 15 10.7 6.5 10.7Tim Welke 20 10.8 6.8 11.1Gerry Davis 19 11.5 7.6 11.3Tim McClelland 21 10.1 7.4 11.4Ed Montague 19 11.3 7.3 11.4Rob Drake 15 11.3 7.2 11.5Gary Cederstrom 18 11.2 6.8 11.6Jerry Meals 20 9.6 6.2 11.7Wally Bell 20 10.5 5.4 11.8C.B. Bucknor 20 10.2 6 12.1Eric Cooper 18 9.6 5.7 12.1Mark Wegner 18 9.2 6.9 12.1Bruce Froemming 19 8.9 7.7 12.2Jerry Layne 19 11.1 6.9 12.2Ed Rapuano 20 8.8 6.5 12.3

+What does this mean? Coaches pitch pitchers based on the home plate

umpire Low BBPG and high KPG pitch a strike out pitcher High BBPG and low KPG pitch a ground ball pitcher

Andy Pettitte 10/2 K/BB with Laz Diaz (15 friendliest) behind the plate Two starts later had ¾ K/BB with Jerry Layne (15 strictest)

umpping

32 starters stats were examined on games umpped by John Hirschbeck

Studying Hirschbeck

IP ERA

WHIP(Wins+Hit)/ Innings pitched K/9 K/BB

All SP in Hirschbeck games only 197.2 4.1 1.39 6.6 2.23Same SP, season total 2637.2 5 1.46 5.83 1.83

+Why there should be a electronic strike zone

+Conclusion

Umpires are inaccurate No instant replay for balls and strikes Call cannot be overturned

Solutions Electronic strike zone Redefine the strike zone

+Questions?

+Works Cited

Beyond the Boxscore http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/7/3/937376/why-it-

matters-umpires-computers

Hardball Times http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/that-was-a-strike/

Sports Illustrated http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/fantasy/07/21/sixty.feet/

1.html

Zimbio http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/QibolqmSAFg/

Los+Angeles+Dodgers+v+St+Louis+Cardinals+Game/c2MffaMeF3Z/Albert+Pujols