Building a Robot Umpire with Deep Learning HD Video Analysis (Part Three)
Anything that can be done to improve umpires is a good thing. (via Mark Mauno) This article is a continuation of my previous articles here and here. In this article, I will discuss additional...
View ArticleUmpires Ejections and Player Ethnicity: An Analysis
Nonwhite players are at disproportionately ejected compared to white players. (via Buck Davidson) Editor’s Note: This piece was adapted from a presentation at SaberSeminar 2018. The Nationals beat the...
View ArticleBuilding a Robot Umpire with Deep Learning Video Analysis (Part Two)
How might robot umpires fare compared to their human counterparts? (via Eric Enfermero) This article is a continuation of this previous piece. We will attempt to improve our robot umpire by:...
View ArticleAn Exploration of MLB Umpires’ Strike Zones
Bill Miller’s strike zone is this wide. (via Eric Enfermero) During Game Five of the 2017 World Series, home plate umpire Bill Miller became somewhat of a household name by calling strikes on several...
View ArticleThe 2017 Strike Zone
The strike zone saw its fair share of changes in 2017. (via Arturo Pardavila III) Spring training is wrapping up, and actual major league games are beginning Thursday for our viewing pleasure. Before...
View ArticleThe Physics of RoboUmp
Are human umpires likely to make fewer mistakes than RoboUmps? (via Keith Allison) “It ain’t nothin’ ‘til I call it.” Bill Klem thus defined the role of the umpire. He would know, since he officiated...
View ArticleThere is No Juiced Ball, No Steroid Era
Unearned runs have been on the decline. Baseball does not change. Yes, the rules change; the bats change; the fields, the uniforms and the broadcasts change. The pitchers throw differently, and the...
View ArticleHow Umpires’ Ejection Rates Change with Age and Experience
No one ever said being an MLB umpire was easy. (via Keith Allison) A few years ago, I did an extended dive into the statistics of manager ejections in the major leagues. One of the strongest...
View ArticleMLB Umpires: 2016 Review, World Series Preview
John Hirschbeck is the crew chief in his final World Series as an umpire. (via Keith Allison) As part of the MLB-watching general public, one fault I believe we have is forgetting how exceptionally...
View ArticleHow to Play Baseball (If You Don’t Play Baseball)
If baseball had cargo shorts, how different would it be? (via M.S. Burton) Once every year or so, when the calendar smiles on me, I put together a softball game for the writers and readers of the...
View ArticleOn the Nature of the Strike Zone in Two and Three Dimensions
This is an example of the truncated strike zone. The majority of strike zone analysis considers the zone to be a region of the plane vertically passing through the front of home plate. This can be...
View ArticleBallplayers Going Over to the Dark (Blue) Side
Like players-turned-managers, there are players who went into umpiring. (via James G.) Wanting to be a big league ballplayer is a common enough ambition or dream for many young men. The same could not...
View ArticleThe Commissioner Speaks: Imagining a Redefined Strike Zone
Commissioner Rob Manfred has been keeping an eye on the strike zone this year. (via Arturo Pardavila III) Before the season, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan reported that the strike zone would be monitored this...
View ArticleThe Expanded Strike Zone: It’s Baaaack…
The expanded strike zone is making an unwelcome (to some) comeback. (via James G) The changing of the guard at the MLB Office of the Commissioner prior to this season has prompted an openness to make...
View ArticleManager Ejections in the New Replay Era
Mike Scioscia was ejected three times in 2014. (via James G.) The great experiment has ended. Not that the expanded replay review system begun in the 2014 season is going away. Despite a certain drag...
View ArticleDoes the Call Need to Stand?
Does the standard for replay reviews need to be clear and convincing evidence? (via Robert Rescot) I don’t have too many complaints about baseball’s replay review system. It’s not great that it leads...
View ArticleHow Umpires’ Ejection Rates Change with Age and Experience
No one ever said being an MLB umpire was easy. (via Keith Allison) A few years ago, I did an extended dive into the statistics of manager ejections in the major leagues. One of the strongest...
View ArticleMLB Umpires: 2016 Review, World Series Preview
John Hirschbeck is the crew chief in his final World Series as an umpire. (via Keith Allison) As part of the MLB-watching general public, one fault I believe we have is forgetting how exceptionally...
View ArticleHow to Play Baseball (If You Don’t Play Baseball)
If baseball had cargo shorts, how different would it be? (via M.S. Burton) Once every year or so, when the calendar smiles on me, I put together a softball game for the writers and readers of the...
View ArticleOn the Nature of the Strike Zone in Two and Three Dimensions
This is an example of the truncated strike zone. The majority of strike zone analysis considers the zone to be a region of the plane vertically passing through the front of home plate. This can be...
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