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Is an automated strike zone coming to MLB soon? MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently hinted that it could be implemented within the next few years, per The Dan Patrick Show.
“I think you will see some version of the automated strike zone in the big leagues in the next four years,” Manfred said. “The technology piece of it is so robust Dan, literally the path of the pitch is tracked to one-one hundredth of an inch. It’s just hard to ignore that kind of technology when it’s available.”
When will MLB begin testing a potential automated strike zone at the big league level? Manfred says it could be done in spring training.
“We have decided we’re going to test the challenge version, you know, there’s two versions of ABS, one where every pitch gets called in the umpire's ear, the other is a challenge system,” Manfred said. “We’re going to test this challenge system in spring training with major league players.”
The league surely wants to see how MLB players will react to the system. Umpires often receive criticism so the league does not want to ignore available technology. If they can implement an automated strike zone without too much trouble, this could be the future of the league.
Of course, this does not mean that an actual robot will replace an umpire and start standing behind the catcher to call balls and strikes. Rather, Manfred says one possible version the league is considering is where every pitch is called into a device by the umpire's ear. This would presumably be similar to the new PitchCom, which pitchers use to communicate with catchers for which pitch to throw.
Dealing with technology is exciting but MLB also does not want to rush into anything. The worst possible scenario would be if MLB implemented an automated strike zone and the technology did not work properly. Still, it appears that a version of an automated strike zone could be used soon.
