Zen and the Art of Strike Zone Maintenance (part 1)

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Feb 13, 2021
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  1. That isn't JUST good receiving - but also being 'quiet', not setting up in the slot, catching strikes as strikes, etc, etc...
This is the biggest take-away for Cs and their coaches/parents. Like Marriard, I and others have said; Umpires want to call strikes. If you make it as easy as possible for us to do that, then everyone concerned will be happier.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
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Really good reads!!
Like the descriptions within
well rounded observations!!

Lots of reasonings why the area called the Strikezone fluctuates!!

Heres a question for the blues
( imo see it as another reason of inconsistant zone)

Do you think the height of the umpire in their crouch
-eye height

And the variety of player heights.
-Changes height of zone.

Does/might/can interfere with the blues consistancy?
It seems too.

Notice lots of size difference in players example 12u
4'4" then 5'7" back to back in the box.

Then other point to this.
Womans game in college also continues with more height varriances.

When compaired to MLB
Isnt the height of the players much more similar to eachother?
Other than very few shorter.
Not as much height varriance?
Just asking what you'all think?

Does one sport pose a harder strikezone for umpires???
 
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marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
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Florida
Heres a question for the blues
( imo see it as another reason of inconsistant zone)

Do you think the height of the umpire in their crouch
-eye height

Yes this matters. but more because you often can't position yourself exactly where you would like to. I have to be able to see around/over the catcher and how they move and where they position themselves.

And also batters crowding the plate makes it more difficult to get a good view of the pitch release - which makes tracking the ball happen later.

And the variety of player heights.
-Changes height of zone.

Going from tall to small to really tall. yes. Especially with low pitches in young age groups.

When compaired to MLB
Isnt the height of the players much more similar to each other?

MLB has position players (officially) from 5'6" (Altuve who is in RL is probably closer to 5'3") to 6'7" (Aaron Judge). College softball seems to range from about 5' to 6'2" or so, so the range is similar.

Does one sport pose a harder strikezone for umpires???

I asked this from some of my colleagues who do both in the past and the consensus wasn't that it was harder - just different. In general, in baseball the pitch starts out from a much higher release point, so it has to moves into the zone; in softball the release point is move in the zone and then moving it out.

They also said that softball players position themselves more extremely as well - lots of setting up forward and back in the box.
And then slappers make it harder as well as it means one of your reference points for a strike (knee height) is moving.
 
Last edited:
Feb 13, 2021
880
93
MI
Another aspect to consider, when we talk about umpires needing to be consistent in their strike zone is this: An umpire can, by rule, have as many as 18 different strike zones that they need to call from the start of any game. This number can also go up as substitutes enter the game. The only part of the strike zone that remains static throughout is the horizontal dimensions.

Where Cs and batters position themselves does make a difference, as Marriard pointed out. Ideally an umpire sets up in the same position in relation to the inside edge of the plate on every pitch, but this is affected by where the players are positioned and often changes DURING the pitch, sometimes quite late.
 

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