It was [.
Joseph Zucker is a featured Columnist for the MLB.
Gregg Forwerck is a photographer.
The robot takeover of MLB is closer to becoming a reality.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that MLB is expanding its automated strike zone experiment, citing job postings for seasonal employment tied to the operation of the Automated Ball and Strike system. The jobs were with a few Triple-A clubs, which signaled the arrival of robot umps.
The Atlantic League decided to stop using the automated ball and strike system and bring back home plate umpires. Under the terms of a partnership with MLB that began during the second half of the season, the league had been a testing ground for the company.
The MLB Umpires Association struck a deal with the league in December that allowed for the introduction of an automated strike zone. It's not clear when MLB officials might look to exercise that clause.
According to Joe Lemire of SportTechie, the strike zone was set at 28 percent of a hitter's height and moved up to 56 percent "just a bit above the belt."
Chris Marinak, MLB's chief operations and strategy officer, explained how finding the right strike zone was a challenge.
Is it more of an ellipse-shaped zone, which is consistent with what's called today? Is it a square area? Is it a three-dimensional area? How does the zone change from a hitter to a hitter? Is the zone drawn every single pitch, as is written in the rulebook, or is it a fixed zone based on your height as a hitter, and no matter how much he is squatting down or standing up, his zone stays the same?
If you've watched a pitch well outside of the zone called a strike, you've probably wished for the day when automated strike zones would make sure the mistake was never made in the first place.
Critics of the idea question whether it removes one more source of chaos in a sport that's getting more and more uniform.
It would be a big step if Triple-A were to have ABS. That day could still be a long way off.
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