Major League Baseball has announced they be testing the use of the automated ball-strike system for their fall league games in Arizona this season. Also known as “robot umpires,” the ABS will be used all games played at Salt River Fields which is the home of two fall league teams, the Salt River Rafters and Scottsdale Scorpions.
“The AFL should be the place Major League Baseball tries things like this,” MLB senior director of baseball and softball development Bill Bavasi, who oversees the operation of the AFL, told MLB.com according to CBS Sports. “Baseball’s best personnel, physically and intellectually, can be found in this league. We will always be happy to help with projects like this.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
This was first tested in the Atlantic League which is an independent organization. MLB now wants to take the next step and try it with some of the top prospects in the league.
“We are continuing to test the automated ball-strike system in the Arizona Fall League, which will be a valuable opportunity to solicit feedback from umpires, players and coaches,” senior vice president of league economics and operations Morgan Sword told MLB.com.
So how does it work? Katherine Acquavella of CBS Sports attended an Atlantic League game earlier this year and she explained the process.
“TrackMan, or “robot ump,” sits up above home plate (at all eight Atlantic League ballparks), and looks like a black box from afar,” she wrote. “In reality, the box is a 3-D Doppler radar dish that analyzes each pitch thrown. Using a three-dimensional strike zone, TrackMan can calibrate each batters’ size and stance, adjusting the strike zone accordingly. So, the system works so that it doesn’t allow a 6-foot-7 player to have the same strike zone as a 5-foot-7 player.”
“Now, here’s how and when the umpire gets involved. Once TrackMan identifies a ball’s location, it’s recorded and then the call is communicated to the umpire via a coiled tube earpiece…(That is) connected to an iPhone that’s clipped into the umpire’s belt buckle. It’s no longer wireless but there’s no battery issues to worry about. The iPhone is the connecting device to TrackMan’s data, and how it gets relayed to the umpire. Next, the umpire will hear a single syllable via a male voice: “ball” or “strike.”
The Arizona Fall League began last week and it will end next month.
