MLB: Robot home plate umps unlikely for 2025
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball says robot home plate umpires are unlikely for 2025.
“We still have some technical issues,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday at a news conference following an owners meeting. “We haven’t made as much progress in the minor leagues this year as we sort of hoped at this point. I think it’s becoming more and more likely that this will not be a go for ’25.”
MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in minor leagues since 2019. It is being used at all Triple-A parks this year for the second straight season, the robot alone for the first three games of each series and a human with a challenge system in the final three.
“There’s a growing consensus in large part based on what we’re hearing from players that the challenge form should be the form of ABS if and when we bring it to the big leagues, at least as a starting point,” Manfred said. “I think that’s a good decision.”
After instituting a pitch clock in 2023, MLB slowed innovation this year, with only small rules adjustments.
“One thing we did learn with the changes that we went through last year, taking the extra time to make sure you have it right, is definitely the best approach,” Manfred said. “I think we’re going to use that same approach here.”
Manfred said discussions have not taken place with the players association on the shape of an automated strike zone. There is little desire to call the strike zone as defined in the rule book as a cube. The ABS currently calls strikes solely based on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, 8.5 inches from the front and the back.
“We have not started those conversations because we haven’t settled on what we think about it,” Manfred said.
MLB’s meetings with players revealed a preference for a challenge system in order to continue to incentivize catcher framing skills.
“Originally we thought everybody was going to be wholeheartedly in favor of the idea if you can get it right every single time, that’s a great idea,” Manfred said. “One thing we’ve learned in these meetings is the players feel there could be other effects on the game that would be negative if you use it full-blown.
“Players feel that a catcher that frames is part of the, if you’ll let me use the word, art of the game, and that if in fact framing is no longer important, the kind of players that would occupy that position might be different than they are today,” Manfred said. “You could hypothesize a world where instead of a framing catcher who’s focused on defense, the catching position becomes a more offensive player. That alters people’s careers. Those are real, legitimate concerns that we need to think all the way through before we jump off that bridge.”
UNIFORMS
John Slusher, Nike’s executive vice president of global sports marketing, spoke to owners about the company’s much-criticized new uniforms, which will be altered for 2025. MLB and Nike announced on May 3 that uniforms will have larger lettering on the back of jerseys and individual pant customization will be available to all players beginning in 2025.
“I think they appropriately took responsibility for the issues with respect to the new uniforms and the rollout of those uniforms,” Manfred said. “It’s the first time the owners had heard this directly from Nike. They had been consistent with me about taking responsibility.”
Manfred said that Nike said it will address “the letters, the noncustomized pants, the sweat through and the lack of matching of the grays.”
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Manfred said Houston; Miami; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tokyo will be sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The final will be in Miami for the second tournament in a row, after 2023.
BASEBALLS
In its efforts to develop a tackier baseball, MLB has switched to working with Rawlings, its supplier since 1977. MLB had been collaborating with Dow Chemical.
“Dow has kind of cried uncle,” Manfred said. “They spent a ton of money and worked with us. They were great partners, had a lot of good ideas, and we just were not able to come up with a ball that was playable. We’re now focusing our efforts on a tacky ball with the Rawlings people.”
REGIONAL TELEVISION STRATEGY
MLB is strategizing on a broadcast strategy to cope with the decline in cable television.
Diamond Sports, which has been in bankruptcy proceedings since March 2023, has rights to 12 MLB teams.
“If I were a betting man, I think that Diamond continues to operate and pay our teams through the ’24 season,” Manfred said.
Manfred said there are two issues: whether MLB should take control of local rights from clubs and, if that occurs, how to distribute revenue to clubs.
“For it to have any steam, the conversation about nationalization, I think it’s dependent on getting in the relatively short term some body of rights: 14, 15, 16, 17 clubs, and you’d start down the path from there,” Manfred said. “I’m not so naive as to believe two weeks from tomorrow I’m going to have all 30.”
SEASON STATS
The strikeout rate of 8.38 per team per game is down from 8.61 last year, and the .240 big league batting average is down from .248 for last season and on track to be the lowest since 1968.
“Strikeout rate was down a little bit. That’s a positive,” Manfred said. “Batting average was down a little bit. That’s not necessarily a good thing if you’re looking for action in the game. But, again, it’s a part of a season and you just don’t know whether it means anything at this point.”
AMATEUR DRAFT
Manfred said the attention given to the debuts of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was partly due to the decision to hold the amateur draft in conjunction with the All-Star Game starting in 2021 and broadcasting minor league games on MLB.tv.
“Over the long haul for players, in terms of developing their individual brands, it’s a real improvement,” he said.
MILWAUKEE — Pete Alonso hit his 252nd career home run Saturday night, tying the New York Mets record held by Darryl Strawberry for 37 years.
Alonso, 30, connected against Milwaukee Brewers starter Tobias Myers to lead off the second inning for his 26th homer this season, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead in a game they would go on to lose, 7-4. The 413-foot shot to left-center came on a 1-2 fastball at the top of the strike zone.
It was Alonso’s fourth homer in eight games, since he went deep Aug. 1 against San Francisco to end an 0-for-19 slump.
A homegrown star drafted by the Mets in 2016, Alonso broke into the big leagues with a bang in 2019, hitting 53 home runs to set a major league rookie record and establish a franchise high for a single season.
The five-time All-Star has reached 40 two other times and been one of the most consistent sluggers in baseball since his arrival. After a protracted negotiation, he returned to the Mets as a free agent in February on a two-year, $54 million contract that includes a $24 million player option for 2026, which Alonso will likely decline.
The only other active players who lead their current franchise in home runs are Manny Machado (Padres) and Mike Trout (Angels).
Giancarlo Stanton, now with the New York Yankees, holds the Miami mark with 267 for the Marlins.
Strawberry broke the previous Mets record with his 155th home run on May 3, 1988, passing Dave Kingman. Strawberry hit 252 in 1,109 games for New York during his first eight major league seasons from 1983 to 1990. He later played for the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees, finishing his 17-year career with 335 homers.
Alonso played his 963rd game Saturday night. The durable first baseman has appeared in 370 straight, a team record.
The Diamondbacks and Padres are the lone major league clubs that haven’t had a player hit more than 252 homers for them. Luis Gonzalez holds the Arizona record with 224, and Machado entered Saturday with 187 for San Diego.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
NEW YORK — Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera tore an Achilles tendon while going after a fly ball at the New York Yankees‘ Old-Timers’ Day game on Saturday and needs surgery.
Agent Fern Cuza said the 55-year-old closer, baseball’s career leader in saves, will have the operation within a week.
In his lone at-bat, Rivera singled off former teammate Andy Pettitte and easily ran to first base. During an at-bat by Willie Randolph, Rivera took a step and fell to the ground in shallow center field behind second base.
The Yankees restored the Old-Timers’ Day game for the first time since 2019.
“It was a fun day until we heard about Mariano. Mariano hurt his Achilles,” seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens told WFAN broadcaster Suzyn Waldman. “I don’t know what was going on. We all thought it was a hamstring, but I think it’s a little worse than that. I think he’s at the hospital now. Unbelievable.”
Rivera was the second player to get hurt in the event since 2017. Eight years ago, former outfielder and current YES Network analyst Paul O’Neill strained a calf running to first base.
Rivera tore the ACL in his right knee in May 2012 while shagging fly balls in batting practice in Kansas City. He returned for his final season in 2013 and finished as baseball’s career saves leader with 652 and posted 42 postseason saves.
In 2019, the 13-time All-Star became the first player unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame by getting all 425 votes in balloting conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. He helped the Yankees win five World Series titles and seven American League pennants.
Rivera was playing in the Old-Timers’ game for the second time. He hit an inside-the-park homer in 2019.
The event commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 2000 championship team, the last team to win three straight World Series titles. Clemens was a first-time attendee at the event, which had captain Derek Jeter give a short video message when he was introduced following Rivera.
Before the event, Rivera said he intended to speak with struggling reliever Devin Williams, who allowed three runs in the 10th inning Friday. He has allowed nine runs in his last five appearances and 28 earned runs this year, two more than 2022-24 combined.
“Can’t do nothing about it,” Rivera said Saturday morning. “Once it’s done, it’s done. Just learn from it, move on and be confident. You have to be confident in yourself. If you’re not confident in yourself, you’re playing the wrong sport.”
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike