Rob Manfred Says MLB Will Likely Introduce Automated Strike Zone System in 2024

The future of Major League Baseball may include an automated ball strike zone system.

Rob Manfred told Don Van Natta Jr. that robot umpires will likely be introduced in the near future.

It is possible for the automated system to call every pitch and send the balls and strikes to the home plate umpire. A replay review system of balls and strikes would be another option.

According to Van Natta Jr., he declines to grade the MLB umpires' overall performance this season, and he insists the adaptation ofrobo-umpires shouldn't be seen as an indictment of their abilities.

Fans call for an automated system when they are frustrated with the umpires' accuracy. During a May 31 game between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins, an umpire made a terrible call.

The Twins pitcher threw a pitch that crossed home plate below the knees of the Tiger catcher. The umpire didn't give him the free pass to first base.

It was one of the worst strikes of the year. Fans keep bringing up the idea of robot umpires as the egregious calls become more and more noticeable.

The Athletic's Evan Drellich reported that the comments to Van Natta came after he downplayed the possibility of robot umpires being installed for the 2023 season.

According to Drellich, the automated strike zone was not an issue for this year.

MLB has been experimenting with the ball-strike system for a number of years in independent and minor league baseball and is now testing it in Triple-A. In May, the system made its debut.

A sensor and cameras are placed above the home plate to detect a pitch. A device that relays audio to the home plate umpire lets them know when a ball or strike is going to be called.

The automated ball-strike system has been part of MLB's plan to shorten games.

According to the data obtained by Van Natta Jr., games have been shortened on average by nine minutes.

Van Natta Jr. was told that the strike zone system worked.