The umps on variable are dreadful

[Baseball Purist]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

To be honest this is the worst the strike zone has ever been in the series. Variable umpires have always been inconsistent due to none of them having a consistent strike zone which is different from missing calls. So that is what it is. But this year the strike zone is just flat out bad. Balls that are CLEARLY in the strike zone or out of the zone were called properly in past games but this years not so much. I was fine with borderline pitches being called strikes or balls, but pitches that are definitively in or out of the strike zone have no room for error.

[ShaBoomer]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

To be honest this is the worst the strike zone has ever been in the series. Variable umpires have always been inconsistent due to none of them having a consistent strike zone which is different from missing calls. So that is what it is. But this year the strike zone is just flat out bad. Balls that are CLEARLY in the strike zone or out of the zone were called properly in past games but this years not so much. I was fine with borderline pitches being called strikes or balls, but pitches that are definitively in or out of the strike zone have no room for error.

This is nothing new for 2014. This problem has been in the game for at least 2 years now.

I still have MLB 12 and 13, both games have clear strikes called balls, and clear balls called strikes.

It's also still fairly realistic. Missed calls happen all the time in real life baseball. Both borderline misses and clear misses.

[Baseball Purist]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

This is nothing new for 2014. This problem has been in the game for at least 2 years now.

I still have MLB 12 and 13, both games have clear strikes called balls, and clear balls called strikes.

It's also still fairly realistic. Missed calls happen all the time in real life baseball. Both borderline misses and clear misses.

I seem to misremember the zone being this bad. I've played full season the past three iterations and the only questionable calls were borderline calls. Not balls and strikes that are completely in or out of the zone.

not directed at anyone...but I think some of you are mistaken on the amount of missed calls. You get lost in your home teams announcers telling you thats a strike or a ball or the strike track, when the umpire has clearly defined his strike zone within the first few innings. I think a lot of us have issues with the umpires in this game being C.B Bucknor bad. Meaning they never establish a strike zone, and every pitch is called differently on an inning by inning basis.

[BSUFAN]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

Like I said, I know I am in the minority, but that is how I feel. I can't wrap my head around the fact that we have technology that can instantaneously tell if ball is over the plate for a strike or not with at least 97% success, if not higher, and we insist on going with humans that score well below that rate.

My best friend fights with me over this and all baseball replay/tech stuff while arguing for the human element and I just say "hey, you need to have life saving brain surgery and the doctor performing it has a 85% success rate versus a computer robot that can do it with near 100% accuracy, which one do you choose?" I still haven't swayed him to my side haha.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't take the umps out of the game, they still would be needed. Even the home plate ump would read the results and call balls and strikes. They would look even less foolish than they do now when they are waiting to be told if they are wrong or right on a replay being viewed in New York. I just want the right calls. Having played sports all of my life and now working with them I am all for anything that increases fairness and improves the overall product for everyone equally.

That being said, I want the option to do that in the show. It is a computer game and it knows whether or not a guy is safe or out or a ball is a strike or not. I will more than gladly live and die by that sword. I am not asking for errors by players to be taken out or anything like that, I just want the umps to call the game correctly, realistic or not.

I agree , they could probably give them a HUD display in their mask for the ball and strike calls at home plate. They already have line call technology in tennis so why not have ball and strikes technology for baseball.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I love the inconsistency of the umpires as it seems to be balanced for both teams.

Yes when the ump misses a strike on a 3-2 count I curse him but it makes the game more enjoyable.

I only wish they added a framing pitch mechanic and minor things to add to the suspense. Pitch on the outside corner and the catcher ever so slightly frames it and it would be cool to see players kind of wait for ump to motion for a strike instead of it being instant.

And I have yet to see managers/players actually argue balls/strikes. Yeah the animation plays where they mumble or say something to the ump, but I want to see more emotion!

[The Chef]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I love the inconsistency of the umpires as it seems to be balanced for both teams.

Yes when the ump misses a strike on a 3-2 count I curse him but it makes the game more enjoyable.

I only wish they added a framing pitch mechanic and minor things to add to the suspense. Pitch on the outside corner and the catcher ever so slightly frames it and it would be cool to see players kind of wait for ump to motion for a strike instead of it being instant.

And I have yet to see managers/players actually argue balls/strikes. Yeah the animation plays where they mumble or say something to the ump, but I want to see more emotion!

Yeah that I agree with, wish I had the ability to argue a call and get tossed with it effecting my team one way or the other.

[SaskatcheWHAT]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

Wish I could argue as well or not argue/ be able to control my players reaction. This is why I eventually will turn zones off, as well as pitch call out so that I myself do not see the lines or where exactly the pitch went or even what pitch I saw...( as well as swing pitch info.

[jkizhen]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

Noticed it? It's intentional and pretty much perfect. Turn it off if it bugs you.

[Mizzou24]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I like the missed calls by the ump even tho it pisses me off part of baseball.


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[Gerg04]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I guess it would be fixed by changing "blown calls" off; but I'm growing tired of stealing second base clearly safe only to be called out on an obviously late tag.

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[jdeszcz]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I guess it would be fixed by changing "blown calls" off; but I'm growing tired of stealing second base clearly safe only to be called out on an obviously late tag.

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YES! Balls and strikes aside it seems the calls on stolen bases are really 50/50 proposition.


I should know this, but is the variable ump just balls & strikes?

[bcruise]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I guess it would be fixed by changing "blown calls" off; but I'm growing tired of stealing second base clearly safe only to be called out on an obviously late tag.

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Yeah, I turned that off and the calls at 2nd on stolen bases seem much better.

No reason to feel bad about doing that either since with replay initiated this year in MLB, they will get most every one of these calls right now anyway. We don't have the actual challenge option but we do get the correct result.

[heater26_99]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

Very realistic, splash quick counts in there and I'm striking out at record pace

I'm also playing on HOF.

[HimynameisMattyK]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

This is nothing new for 2014. This problem has been in the game for at least 2 years now.

I still have MLB 12 and 13, both games have clear strikes called balls, and clear balls called strikes.

It's also still fairly realistic. Missed calls happen all the time in real life baseball. Both borderline misses and clear misses.

I played the heck out of 12 and the strike zone was not nearly this bad on variable. This game is different and I know I'm not the only one that believes it.

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[ShaBoomer]

Re: The umps on variable are dreadful

I played the heck out of 12 and the strike zone was not nearly this bad on variable. This game is different and I know I'm not the only one that believes it.

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I still have 12, and 13. I'm not going to sit down and count every pitch, but it feels about the same. Sure, maybe there are more this year, but nothing too extreme.

Maybe to some people it feels like more because there are more ump models this year. You can change the variable ump so that there is only 1 ump model as well.