Date of Defense

4-29-2022

Date of Graduation

4-2022

Department

Finance and Commercial Law

First Advisor

Timothy Palmer

Second Advisor

Jordan Keur

Abstract

Technology has been taking all industries by storm and providing cheaper more efficient labor. Will this trend follow its path and enter the baseball world. However, will an electronic strike zone provide the same benefits for baseball? Another big question is, “Are umpires’ performances negatively exaggerated as a result of the narrow minded passion for one’s team?”. It is important to provide some background information on the relationships between umpires and baseball over the years. In order to conduct an effective research study that will yield relevant, admissible results, the subjects of research will be collegiate baseball players. In the 2021 MLB draft, 497 of the 612 picks where drafted out of some form of college/university. Being a college baseball player myself, a very large pool of eligible subjects is presented with minimal effort needed to reach them. The survey will be distributed to as many collegiate baseball players that are within reach. The questions will be tailored to investigate some of the underlying factors in umpires decision making without leading them to pick one side over the other. If a subject does not support the implementation of the electronic strike zone, the questions will dig further to see if the subject believes that this change could ultimately be harmful to the sport. The subjects will be asked to specify whether they are a position player, pitcher or two-way (does both). Because they are each other’s counterpart, different responses between this classification is expected. There are other factors that may play a factor in umpires call-making. In-game player-umpire relationships develop, whether good or bad, may sway an umpires call. If a pitcher is pounding one side of the plate, they may get calls that just miss off because of the repeated tunneling. One of the biggest factors is how the catcher receives the ball. Assuming a perfect machine, all these considerations can be eliminated by removing human umpires. The total results collected from survey administered will ultimately show how college baseball players feel about introducing “robo-umps”. All of the data and information will be synthesized to create an educated recommendation on the most effective process to call balls and strikes.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Restricted

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