Elephant Rumblings: Robo umps taking over AAA

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

Listen carefully—do you hear that off in the distance? It sounds like a booming voice announcing, “Attention, all stadia of the Triple-A Baseball Federation. We have assumed control.”

That’s the sound of robo umps completing their takeover of AAA ball, and we shouldn’t be surprised if they invade the big leagues soon. Per Buster Olney at ESPN, the electronic strike zone will be implemented in all Triple-A parks this year.

Two different types of Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) systems will be in play. Half of games will simply have an electronic strike zone for every pitch, while in the other half, an ABS challenge system will be employed. In this system, umps still call balls and strikes, but each team will be allowed to challenge at least three calls per game. If a challenged call is overturned, it won’t count against the allowance of three challenges.

Olney notes that the challenge system was used in the Class A Southeast League last season and received “surprisingly positive” feedback. Some feel that this system may serve as a good bridge to full ABS implementation.

A full ABS system, in which all balls and strikes are called electronically, would drastically alter the catcher’s role. The need for pitch framing would be obsolete, and all emphasis would be on blocking pitches in the dirt and throwing. Obviously, it would also diminish the human umpire’s role.

But that is the way of things: progress leaves winners and losers in its wake and we just need to help the latter group cope and readjust. I, for one, welcome our robo ump overlords, though I’d also gladly accept the adoption of a more incremental challenge system that would at least help prevent the most consequentially bad calls. How about you? Sound off below!

A’s Coverage:

• Ashford: A’s sign Shintaro Fujinami
• Martin: Report: Japanese flamethrower Fujinami agrees to A’s deal
• Shea: A’s skip holding fanfest again, instead stage a ‘spirit week’ for fans ($)
• Gallegos: How this A’s prospect got his groove back

MLB News & Interest:

• Olney: Sources: All AAA parks to use electronic strike zone in ‘23
• Adams: Phillies, Vimael Machin Agree To Minor League Deal
• McCaffrey and Jennings: Inside the Red Sox courtship of Rafael Devers, from the Santo Domingo dinner to the final deal ($)
• Rosenthal: The culprit in Carlos Correa’s deflated free-agent contract? His ankle more than his agent ($)
• Franco: Lee Tinsley Passes Away
• Franco: Nationals’ Sales Process Still Not Near Resolution
• The Athletic: Every MLB team’s best international signing of the last decade ($)
• McDonald: Padres, Nelson Cruz Agree To One-Year Deal
• Adams: Dodgers Release Trevor Bauer
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

IT’S HAPPENING!

Rotation speculation.

Pen possibilities.

Lineup suspects.

Well, I might consider cutting back to just gloom OR doom.

Pache makes it look too easy.

Philly welcomes the Machin.