The sense of anger a baseball fan has when their favorite hitter gets rung up on a pitch just off the outside corner can only be described with a loud groan. That feeling perfectly encapsulates how baseball fans should feel about MLB commissioner Rob Manfred's inability to make major modifications -- namely the implementation of robot umpires – to some of the game's biggest issues.
Between MLB's problems with umpiring, not having a salary cap, and unlevel competition, they had a slew of issues that needed to be addressed over the offseason. As players report to spring training, none have been approached head on. Despite having months to come up with new rule ideas that'd make MLB a more desirable viewing experience, the league decided to stand pat in the batter's box. Why? MLB made a record-setting $10.8 billion back in 2022, according to Forbes, and doesn't appear to be slowing down.
While MLB has endured decreased popularity among a younger demographic and become a little brother to football in regard to America's favorite pastime, executives are now complacent. One could argue the most welcome addition would've been an automated strike zone to offset all the bad balls and strikes calls that sway a game's momentum. But, despite having a lot of success with instant replay, MLB didn't aggressively move forward the new system of doing things, which had already received positive reviews in the minor leagues.
A 2018 study found that over the last decade, incorrect ump calls were made 12-percent of the time. Home plate umpires averaged 14 incorrect calls during a game, which translates to roughly one and a half bad calls each inning. This stat also doesn't account for the timely relevance of those faulty judgements. Many of them came during two-strike or three-ball counts, or during a crucial situation when a team is trying to either rally or hold a late lead. A number of the viral videos circulating on social media depict major blunders happening during those points.
The robotic umps seemed to be gaining traction down in Triple-A, where they were used by all 30 teams. Then the natural progression of their development stalled. For yet another season, the laughably poor officiating, which now has the technological resources to be more sophisticated, will certainly be one of MLB's biggest weaknesses.
MLB took a huge step in making itself more viewer-friendly by implementing a long overdue pitch clock last season, but then failed to capitalize on positive progress with something that could've made it a more enjoyable watch. While Manfred was a clear proponent of having automated balls and strikes at some point, he just couldn't commit to fully pulling the bandage off.
"There's clearly some unresolved operational issues with respect to the ABS [Automated Balls & Strikes]," Manfred told reporters last summer. "Despite all the testing, we have some things that're unresolved." Eight months later, not only has MLB failed to give an update on where ABS sits progress-wise, but they've also failed to address how close it is to getting a call up to the bigs.
Naysayers who argue the ABS new system would ruin the sport, organically, are crazy too. Very few people watched cassettes tapes or DVD's following the invention of online streaming, so big-league players shouldn't have to suffer from the antiquated system's shortcomings.
The major issue with the practical usage of the ABS nearly overshadows the spending gap between teams and the widening competition gap, which will both give baseball fans less of a reason to tune in. One would think that the Athletics' debacle in Oakland, which saw rodents run rampant in a crumbling and near-empty stadium, would be enough of an embarrassment to prompt MLB to force owners to spend more or create a salary cap. Also wrong.
To be fair, the pushback on potential salary restrictions has angered players union leader Tony Clark, in terms of limiting player earnings, creating shades of gray in the negotiations. Yes, there could've been more discussion about sorting out the differences to ensure the lowly Rockies, Pirates, and Royals weren't just playing out the string by summertime. Again, nothing. Excluding hardcore fans who watch every pitch of every game, how's anyone expected to take this sport seriously?
The NBA, NFL, and NHL all operate under salary caps, and have gone above and beyond to ensure some degree of parity exists with bad teams drafting highly, among others measures. Those same leagues have annual officiating conferences to try and better the quality of the refereeing. Now, this doesn't mean they'll be perfect. Of course fans will still whine and complain. But, the point is they do them.
Baseball is lucky its offseason begins when football season is in... full swing. Otherwise, there would've been nothing to drown out that sound of crickets coming from so-called "meetings." Once the early season excitement wears off, casual fans will soon realize few positive changes were made during the offseason. Although the definition of a balk is clearly stated in the rulebook, those atop MLB's food chain clearly weren't studying it when pondering any worthwhile changes of their own.