New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge gave his opinion regarding the use of robotic umpires. Umpires, since the advent of baseball, continue to play a pivotal role in the game.
As the ultimate deciders of close calls, they decide how the game ends, as far as balls and strikes. Meanwhile, teams and their fan bases grow angrier at what they perceive are bad calls. Luckily, a solution exists that could drastically alter the face of the game.
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New York Yankees RF Aaron Judge Opposes Switch to Electronic Umpire System
MLB is a billion-dollar business. Players’ salaries increase by the year, with little end in sight. Broadcast fees change with the signing of a new contract. What hasn’t changed? Umpires maintain their presence on the field as the ultimate arbiters.
Now, with a new innovation hanging over the game, players and teams struggle to figure out what’s right for them. The Yankees slugger appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” to deliver his opinion on the future.
“I think it’s just new. Anything new, people are gonna have their opinions, gonna hate on it a little bit. I still love the human element of the game. It’s kinda been my thing growing up. It might be old school or not, but I love having the umpire back there, the human feel. I know it’s coming, coming in the next couple of years. So, you just gotta get used to it.”
The “robot ump” is another way of referring to the Automatic Balls and Strikes System, ABS for short. First tested in 2021, the ABS speeds up the process and takes out human error that many feel hurts the sport. It will be used in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
One of the changes would be the customized strike zone. That is to say that certain umpires allow for a wider strike zone, giving the pitchers three to six inches off the edge of the plate.
In the 1990s, people accused the Atlanta Braves stars (Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz) of exploiting that leeway, and umpires allowed them. On a positive note, check swings will be precise. Plus, it would erase umpire/manager interactions that can lead to confrontations.
Judge discussed the human element, which could be both a blessing and a curse. Positively, there’s a familiar, historical tie to the anonymous umpires of the past who simply officiated and disappeared after the game.
The dawn of a new era begins, and not everyone is on board with the new system.