For the first time this month, players from the major league who do not agree with the rendering of the striking area by a referee can do something. Something apart An exaggerated disbelief of disbelief or a breathtaking response likely to remove them entirely from the game. They can do something effective, productive and based on processes. They can appeal to a higher power, which has become venerated in sport for its ability to optimize anything and anything: technology.
Major League Baseball tests the version of the challenge system of Automated ball ball system (ABS) In around 60% of spring training matches this pre-season. In simple terms: this spring, players can ask Robot Umps to review pitch calls.
“It’s great,” said a major league coach. “The best thing since The pitch clock. “”
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Here is how it works: human referees call bullets and strikes as usual, but Hawk -Eye technology – which will already be familiar to sports fans such as football, tennis and cricket – measures each ground compared to the striking area. Each team starts the game with two challenges. The striker, the receiver or the launcher can dispute if they disagree with a call – the challenges must be issued in a few seconds and without contribution from teammates and coaches – by typing their heads. Hawk-Eye confirms or then rejects the challenge. Successful challenges are retained; If the referee’s call is confirmed, the team loses a challenge.
Only one throw – for example, a third strike called to put an end to a round with the loaded bases – can swing the trajectory of a whole game. Now, if this moment depends on a missed call, there is a use of a good human error. But it is still very in the hands of human actors.
At the league credit, the ABS system test was meticulous and progressive – almost starting Six years ago in the Independent Atlantic League. Along the way, while the tests entered and went up in the affiliated ball, the dismay was largely following the striking area. For example, it may seem that the striking area is a three -dimensional space, but a ball that falls below the area while it crosses the plate can barely knit the front edge of 3D ABS without ever being struck. By testing and adjusting, MLB has settled in a two -dimensional rectangular area positioned in the middle of the marble. The area also varies in size depending on the height of the dough. At the service of this, MLB used a Two -player’s two -step system Earlier this spring to calculate individual strike areas.
But, if we can make each call perfect, why not have an ABS judge at each argument? No more recently than the start of last season, triple -a – the highest level of minor leagues – used half the week and the challenge system for the rest of the time. But the challenge system has become the final favorite and MLB chose mid-season to engage.
For what? First of all, it is an unbek for useful: it is easier to increase the use of robots rather than to remove it, if and when MLB ultimately implements ABS in significant major league matches. Beyond that, complete abs Radical reshaping the role of sensorsWith ramifications for the appearance and feeling of the game. And, perhaps the most interesting for fans, because sports trends towards normative optimization, the game with a game introduced by the Challenge system gives new opportunities for Strategy – and new reckless traps.
“Some teams have probably said:” Hey, do what you want “, but we have certainly had a strategy that arises,” explains Mick Abel, a launcher of the Philadelphia Phillies system which has ABS experience when He plays at lower levels.
What was the strategy?
“Be smart; Do not blow them in the first minutes.
Something else?
“Use your brain. Do not let emotions overcome what you think is fair. Stay neutral on this subject.
And as it is difficult to be completely impartial in your own work, it often means letting catchers manage the challenges for defense.
This seems to be an early name in the spring: Launchers should not challenge. Even after having managed to challenge one of his own locations in an appearance for Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend, Caleb Ferguson decided: “I think that in the long term, I will leave this to the receiver.”
In some respects, however, spring training is an imperfect test to establish this type of system understanding. The team’s priorities are not exactly aligned with the league – while the MLB would like to see how players use the challenge system in a competitive environment, the teams know a little too well that is (and is not ) stake.
“Why work on a strategy that we are not going to use?” Cincinnati Reds Manager Terry Francona said on the reasons for which he said not Défi at all because it will not be available in the regular season this year.
Rob Thomson, the director of Philadelphia Phillies, came to a similar conclusion for a more subtle reason. He does not want his established guys – for whom training in the spring is an important warm -up but which did not determine if they make the team – burning challenges that could be used by marginal players, guys who need of each bat to prove themselves.
“Try to save these challenges for guys trying to do the club,” he said, “or (it’s their) first year in the organization, they try to impress.”
If was Impressed in significant games, it would be quite easy to adjust this strategy.
“You would probably try to save one (challenge) for the end, if you can, and large situations. Loaded bases, a two -stroke outing with (Bryce) Harper on the plate. Challenge it, ”explains Thomson. He would like to see teams that burn both challenges earlier in the game getting another in the ninth round specifically for this reason.
At some point, if the challenge system East Able to allocate significant games, offices before getting more involved in the analysis of how and when deploying them as best as possible. In the same way, they carry out a similar cost-dispatches analysis for having tried a stolen base in different situations, they will calculate the optimal lever opportunity to make the risk of a limited challenge.
And like stolen bases, it is something that players could learn to excel, a new field to develop a competitive advantage. In this way, the addition of robots does not necessarily stop people’s game on the field, it just gives them more tools.
