CLEVELAND – Carlos Correa insists he doesn’t blame home plate umpires for missing some ball and strike calls, particularly with how much velocity and movement are featured on pitches these days.
An idea to help, Correa says, could be equipping the plate umpire with a PitchCom transmitter. Almost all pitchers and catchers use them to call a specific pitch and location, instead of hand signals, and some fielders like Correa use a PitchCom transmitter to aid their defensive positioning.
“I feel like pitchers are too nasty right now for umpires to see,” Correa said. “I feel like if umpires knew what was coming and they had a PitchCom, that would make calls so much better.”
With the emphasis on catchers trying to frame pitches in the strike zone, theoretically giving umpires a PitchCom transmitter could help them prepare to see pitches in certain areas.
“If they had a device where it said slider and they’re anticipating the slider and they know where it has to start and land for it to be a strike, then we would get so many better calls,” Correa said. “The fact that they’re over there blind, it’s really hard.”
Major League Baseball is expected to unveil an automated ball-strikes system within the next few seasons. It’s already being experimented in all Class AAA games, plus nine ballparks in the Class A Florida State League, drawing mixed reviews from players on how the system defines the strike zone.
“I’m going to be strongly in favor of it,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of an automated strike zone. “I’m sure there are going to be a lot of umpires who are going to be upset by hearing that. I have great respect for what they do. I think their jobs are extraordinarily difficult. I think it’s just too hard to do, and I don’t think anyone should have that weight on their shoulders to be deciding a game when you can barely see the ball with the way these guys are throwing.”
Buck is back
The Twins activated Byron Buxton from the 10-day injured list Saturday after he missed 14 games with right knee inflammation, and the important thing to him was seeing his name back in center field on the lineup card.