Umpires are Getting Better

[Guppyfighter]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...are-improving/

[Jeffy25]

It does feel like they are.

But I still believe we need to move on to instant replay for a dozen reasons.

[sb9]

I'd rather have pitch FX.

The difference between painting the edge of the strike zone & a ball should NOT be determined the pitchers experience, the team, the umpire's feelings towards the player, etc. The fact that a rookie has to "earn" a strikezone that a veteran ace would receive is dumb.

[Tkwod5]

we need instant replay. there are too many variable strikezones and it makes things extremely frustrating.

[Pinstripe power]

replay is a bad idea and not needed

[lincecum=future]

I am all for replay just not on balls and strikes. But I believe we have on this site multiple times

[thefeckcampaign]

All I know is history would quite different if replay had
existed.

[boysbullsbraves]

All I know is history would quite different if replay had
existed.

That's the whole point...history has many wrongs! WE can make the present and the future better...how? With the help from instant replay the winner will always be the team who actually got the play in their favor, but from facts not from the human perceptions of the umpires.

[Guppyfighter]

I know Verlander had a much bigger strike zone in the two games he pitched vs the A's in the playoffs last year compared to our other pitchers. And I do believe it was based on his reputation.

[Pujolsfan91]

That's the whole point...history has many wrongs! WE can make the present and the future better...how? With the help from instant replay the winner will always be the team who actually got the play in their favor, but from facts not from the human perceptions of the umpires.

Baseball, and all other sports, would be much less exciting if every call was right (for me anyways). I like it the way we have it now. Umpires and the use of instant replays only for home run disputes.

[Steel Curtain]

Baseball, and all other sports, would be much less exciting if every call was right (for me anyways). I like it the way we have it now. Umpires and the use of instant replays only for home run disputes.

Really? I'd rather have the calls be right, I don't know about you. Granted, I've never really got too heated about a call in awhile, since the last time the Pirates were any good, instant replay and Pitch-Track didn't exist. Although the one horrendous call in extra innings against the Braves a couple years ago had me pretty steamed.

[Alcoholyouk]

I didn't realize anyone kept track of the percentage of pitches outside the strike zone that were called strikes. When I did, one of my first thoughts was Mariano Rivera. I've always felt like he got a very generous strike zone and now I have statistics to back it up. Here's the amount of strike calls he gets on pitches outside the strike zone compared to the league average.

2007: Average - 9.2%, Rivera - 9.2%
2008: Average - 8.2%, Rivera - 14.3%
2009: Average - 7.9%, Rivera - 14.2%
2010: Average - 8.1%, Rivera - 12.4%
2011: Average - 7.5%, Rivera - 14.1%
2012: Average - 7.4%, Rivera - 6.8%

He was also below the league average in called balls on pitches inside the strike zone. Any other pitchers that stand out?

[Jeffy25]

I didn't realize anyone kept track of the percentage of pitches outside the strike zone that were called strikes. When I did, one of my first thoughts was Mariano Rivera. I've always felt like he got a very generous strike zone and now I have statistics to back it up. Here's the amount of strike calls he gets on pitches outside the strike zone compared to the league average.

2007: Average - 9.2%, Rivera - 9.2%
2008: Average - 8.2%, Rivera - 14.3%
2009: Average - 7.9%, Rivera - 14.2%
2010: Average - 8.1%, Rivera - 12.4%
2011: Average - 7.5%, Rivera - 14.1%
2012: Average - 7.4%, Rivera - 6.8%

He was also below the league average in called balls on pitches inside the strike zone. Any other pitchers that stand out?

Cliff Lee, Greg Maddux. Some pitchers are just given a reputation by the umpires....some hitters are too, like Lance Berkman.

[Jeffy25]

All I know is history would quite different if replay had
existed.

Cards might have another world series ring (85)

[Alcoholyouk]

There's no pitch f/x data for Maddux but there is for Lee. If anything, it looks like Lee gets more calls against him than league average. He's right around the league average for balls that are called strike (7-8%) and there are multiple years where he was noticeably above average for strikes called balls (18-25%). That's ridiculously high, imagine a pitcher having every fourth strike they throw getting called a ball.

EDIT: I'm looking up more players. In 2007, 31% of Wakefield's pitches and 28% of Dickey's pitches in the strike zone were called balls. Rough year for knuckleballers.