Would a ball-strike challenge system work in the MLB? Players weigh in on how to hold umpires accountable

ARLINGTON – Perhaps more than ever, we just can’t stop talking about how umpires call balls and strikes. That is, how poorly they make those decisions, at least if you listen to the masses. I have long maintained that the umpires are really great at calling balls and shots and they are better than everThe problem is that with today’s technology, fans and players see every missed call, even if it’s just an inch. Understandably, at least to some extent, there is a lot of anger when calls are missed.

If we have the technology to correct big misses, shouldn’t that technology be used? It’s even being used in Triple-A right now, where players can appeal a ball or strike call. Batters ask for a review by tapping the top of their helmet, and almost immediately we hear the ruling. It’s very streamlined and takes very little time. Shouldn’t we be doing this in the major leagues?

The players are, as expected, divided. Some want it. Some want nothing to do with it. Most are somewhere in between.

Young Orioles player Jordan Westburg has been playing in the minors with the existing system and seems happy with it, but he’s doing fine without it.

“I don’t have an answer to that. I experienced it in Triple-A and I liked it,” he said Monday before the All-Star Game. “I think it was good for all sides because we had a more consistent understanding of the strike zone, but I’m a big fan of the traditional human element in baseball. It leads to a more personal interaction. You can ask questions, you can size up guys, it’s kind of like a cat-and-mouse game with pitchers, catchers and hitters. If the game goes that way, I’m not going to throw up my hands and be upset, but it would be a little sad if the human element was lost.”

Tigers outfielder Riley Greene and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman also expressed agnostic views on the issue.

“I would say it’s a touchy subject,” Greene said. “Either way, it doesn’t really bother me personally. I would say it’s part of the game. As a hitter, it can be frustrating at times, but it doesn’t bother me.”

“I don’t generally have a particularly strong opinion on things,” Rutschman said. “My job is just to show up, play and do the best I can. I don’t really have much to say about it, so I’m just going to have a positive attitude about whatever happens.”

The “human factor” is a phrase that nearly every player I’ve spoken to has uttered. Many of them really like to discuss the decisions with the referees to get a feel for the zone on a nightly basis.

“I like having an umpire and being able to talk to him and build a relationship with him,” Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “I just like being able to talk to somebody.”

“I’ve always been a fan of the human factor,” Royals starter Seth Lugo said. “I’ve always said if there were automatic strikes, I could throw a lot more strikes, but I’m sure the hitters will think it would benefit them. That’s a tough one. I appreciate the umpires; it’s tough standing back there. It’s tough enough for me. There will be moments when I think ‘that was a strike’ and then I go back and look and they did it right. You have to give them credit.”

Guardians leadoff man extraordinaire Steven Kwan is in favor of a system, but is not 100 percent sure.

“I had a rehab start and had the automatic balls and strikes, so I had those experiences, but I didn’t have the challenge zone. In my head, that sounds like a good idea, but I think the psychology of being ready to burn a challenge on a call may or may not be a big part of the game, I’m not sure about that part,” he said. “In a vacuum, it sounds like it would be effective.”

Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich wants a system with limited challenges, something Commissioner Rob Manfred has indicated that this would be the preferred method.

“I think if there’s something egregious and game-changing at certain moments in the game, it would be nice to have a couple of opportunities to review it,” the former MVP said. “I think everybody wants to get it right, they just want the game to be decided on the field with as little outside influence as possible. But the human aspect has always been a part of baseball and I don’t want to lose that. I just think if there are big moments in games and plays where one ball or one strike could change the outcome of the game, then I’d like to have that.”

“The boys should only be able to use a certain amount in important moments. Of course there will be a period of adjustment, but we will manage it.”

Reds pitcher Hunter Greene says overcoming adversity is a plus and that sometimes the universe gives you something back karmically.

“I don’t know, man. It’s funny, we just had this meeting with the commissioner and there are so many cool, original rules in MLB and that human factor of error,” he said. “You watch a game and a game gets messed up by a decision and then somebody can come back and score two runs and win the game, right? There are moments when you find a way to get back on top and that’s part of the game. It sucks when you lose by decisions, but that’s the game. That’s just how baseball is played and that’s the beauty of the sport.”

Logan Webb may have selfish reasons for maintaining the status quo.

“To be honest, I think I get the most strikes outside the zone in baseball, so probably not?!” he said, laughing. “I’d like to keep it as it is. You probably hear people for both sides. We’ve had some guys rehab and pitch in the minors, (Blake) Snell, Robbie (Ray), so I’ve heard about it. It’s hit and miss, some people like it, some people don’t.”

And Phillies superstar Bryce Harper wants to link the referee’s performance to how often he gets tasks behind the plateand pay these arbitrators more money accordingly.

“I like the human aspect of the game, I really do. You just have to implement it in the right way and I don’t know what that would look like.

“But I think if you’re a really good umpire, I think you should make more money and be behind the plate more than one game a week. Even if we don’t have the challenge system, I think it’s better for baseball to have the better umpires behind the plate all the time.”

The one thing players almost agree on is their dislike of full-time umpires, so-called “robot umpires,” where no human ever calls balls and strikes. They don’t like that. If MLB implemented a system where a team could challenge, say, two balls and strikes calls per game, it could offer the best of both worlds. Human umpires still ply their trade behind home base, and the worst calls, as Yelich noted, could be corrected through challenges. But would teams bail them out too often? Kwan mentioned that it could be difficult to figure out exactly which throws should be challenged and which bad calls everyone could live with. The same could have been said about the replay system before it was implemented.

No one is trying to get rid of the umpires, but there is clearly a desire for change when it comes to judging balls and strikes.