MLB Stopped Hitters From Seeing Strike Zone On iPads To Protect Umpires

It's no secret that Major League Baseball has an umpiring problem.

Thanks to the introduction of the strike zone box on television broadcasts and the rapid proliferation of umpire score card social media accounts, fans, coaches and players have been able to almost instantly make judgments about an umpire's calls. And while immensely valuable for observers, it's made umpires' lives that much harder. In the case of now-retired umpire Angel Hernandez, it essentially ran him out of the league.

READ: MLB Fans Exhale As Most-Hated Ump Angel Hernandez Officially Retires

Especially because players would return to the dugout after a contentious call, check their MLB-provided iPads and see that the umpire got the call wrong. Sure enough, they'd let the umps hear about it during their next at bat. Well, they used to let umpires hear it before the league stepped in at the umpires' request.

According to a new report from The Athletic, the league issued memos that they would disable the automatic strike zones visible on player iPads because umpires had complained about the treatment they were getting. 

"This was done in direct response to a perceived increase in the incidence of Players and other On-Field Personnel using the dugout tablets — in particular, the feed that includes the strike zone graphic — to argue balls and strikes, and in some cases to berate, harass and embarrass Major League umpires," a memo sent to the teams said, according to The Athletic. 

Have the umpires considered doing a better job calling balls and strikes?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 06:  (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT)  Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez works a game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on August 06, 2023 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Astros defeated the Yankees 9-7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

MLB, Umpires Forced To Relent After Player Complaints

After MLB and the umpires union sent out their joint memo saying they were removing the strike zone, the players union shot back, saying the decision to remove the overlay violated the collective bargaining agreement. 

"MLB did not disclose to the MLBPA the umpires’ request or their plans to remove the strike zone box from the tablets. We learned of the box’s removal based on reports from Players," an MLBPA memo said, according to The Athletic. "MLB’s unilateral removal of the strike zone box violated an agreement we negotiated during the 2021-22 CBA negotiations. That agreement requires MLB to ‘continue to provide access to video of each pitch from a center-field angle of the broadcast feed’ for the duration of the current CBA (i.e., through the end of the 2026 season)."

Now the strike zones are back, though players can be subject to small fines for excessive arguing.

The entire incident sums up how broken MLB umpiring has become. They're not doing a good job, everyone can see it, including the players, and instead of working to be better, they want the league to protect them from criticism. It's no wonder robot ump challenges are coming sooner rather than later.