The argument I hear most often is that, “a bad call can also help your team so it evens out in the end.” I’m not sure how the actual distribution of those errors would pan out but it (to me) ignores the biggest issue. Consistency of expectation for both batters and pitchers. How many pitchers have gone “off the rails” after they get two successive in zone strikes called as balls – which then alters their approach not just to the remaining pitches for that batter – but for the entire side. Obviously this impacts his effectiveness with pitch counts as well. It’s a disservice to let a human interfere with the potential of his work.

Same is true for batters but ESPECIALLY developing batters. Who knows how many marginal farm kids were sent back down because the roll of the inconsistent pitch calling.

I understand MLB is slow to move but hopefully this latest resurgence will at least get some implementation at developmental ball if not A ball.

I suspect the real issue here isn’t MLB as much as it is the umpires union. They already have a severe lack of transparency and accountability to MLB and owners (much less players). But that I’m sure is a subject for another time..