Umps calling strikes above batter's head

[RADcatcher]

MLB umps average about 94% correct on balls/strikes. Wouldn't really say frequently. Hitters average about 25% hits... Sidenote:

Home plate ump in the Angels vs Tigers game yesterday saw 122 taken pitches. Made the correct call on 121 of them. One strike right at the lower corner he called a ball.

That's an impressive umpiring eye!

In general, we all need to learn to deal with whatever the umps strike zone is for a given game. If balls in the players eyes are strikes that day, the batters better start tomahawking them the best they can. Or, strike out looking, and then complain about the umps.

Like that word tomahawking!

 

[_MIA_]

If a pitch is close with two strikes swing. If it's not and they call it a strike oh well..I don't care enough about my kid's team winning to tell her to swing at crap pitches.

 

[CoachCeetar]

MLB umps average about 94% correct on balls/strikes. Wouldn't really say frequently. Hitters average about 25% hits... Sidenote: Home plate ump in the Angels vs Tigers game yesterday saw 122 taken pitches. Made the correct call on 121 of them. One strike right at the lower corner he called a ball.

In general, we all need to learn to deal with whatever the umps strike zone is for a given game. If balls in the players eyes are strikes that day, the batters better start tomahawking them the best they can. Or, strike out looking, and then complain about the umps.

So if there's 300 pitches in a game, that's 18 "blown" calls. Worth remembering that these evaluation systems that are judging this are not necessarily correct either. The strike zone is not, and has really never been, so immutable strictly defined box, as much as it's written that way. We know it's wider on 3-0 pitches and tighter on 0-2 ones. And if it's that variable at the professional level, it's folly to think it's anything approaching consistent for 9 year olds.

umpires are human, and even if they are great at their job, when the home "worse" team of 9 year olds is up in the bottom of the 5th on a hot summer day down 14-7, the umpire is gonna call a big zone.

I just wish he wouldn't then say "Gotta run, i'm late" on the way out. (this literally happened)

 

[RADcatcher]

Now count how many pitches could have been swung at and hit that batters did not try to swing at.

The game is in the players hands!

 

[Cougars]

And if it's that variable at the professional level, it's folly to think it's anything approaching consistent for 9 year olds.

Not sure if you realize you are making my point for me here. You aren't going to get a perfect ump, especially at a game being played by 9 year olds. Do the best you can to help the batters adjust. Even if you don't want them flailing away at stuff over their head, reinforce with them to be aggressive. Don't take that first pitch that's slightly outside, trying to "make the pitcher work". Drive that ball, and then you don't have to worry about the 2 strike pitch in the eyes.

 

[_MIA_]

Don't take that first pitch that's slightly outside, trying to "make the pitcher work". Drive that ball, and then you don't have to worry about the 2 strike pitch in the eyes.

I agree this is a good approach...for 9 YO.

 

[CoachCeetar]

Not sure if you realize you are making my point for me here. You aren't going to get a perfect ump, especially at a game being played by 9 year olds. Do the best you can to help the batters adjust. Even if you don't want them flailing away at stuff over their head, reinforce with them to be aggressive. Don't take that first pitch that's slightly outside, trying to "make the pitcher work". Drive that ball, and then you don't have to worry about the 2 strike pitch in the eyes.

I know we're at page 6 and this has digressed into laughing at how terrible umpires zones are, but that was the original point of this post, how best to adjust to the ridiculously high strike, and the consensus was "you can't, focus on the other pitches". Which is mostly what we did, was just crowd-sourcing other angles to take, technique/strategy wise, when you know you're gonna get those pitches over your head. (generally speaking, the low ones that practically graze the plate are more reasonably hittable and "move up" works there too)

 

[The Man In Blue]

I mean even the "best" umpires at the major league level are frequently wrong and high susceptible to situation and framing, it's not something that's every going to be resolved at these lower levels. Doesn't make it less frustrating or easy to adjust to.

“Frequently”? You may want to check that statistic.

Want to be less frustrated? Check your expectations.

 

[_MIA_]

“Frequently”? You may want to check that statistic.

Want to be less frustrated? Check your expectations.

He is using the “how often is an atomic clock” wrong scale when determining whether something occurs frequently..

 

[The Man In Blue]

I know we're at page 6 and this has digressed into laughing at how terrible umpires zones are,

Are you sure that is what we are laughing at?

I agree, this thing has gone in a very different direction than you intended, but you still haven’t figured out that there may be an issue with your approach.