Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich does not want robot umpires in baseball: "I think there would be a lot of unintended consequences"
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is not among those who think Major League Baseball should proceed on a path towards "robot umpires" behind the plate.
In an interview with Barstool Sports, Yelich explained his reasoning for why he prefers a human umpire making ball and strike calls behind the plate rather than going with an automated strike zone.
Yelich said:
"I believe there would be a lot of unintended consequences."
Robot Umpires: the future?
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Christian Yelich famously berated the third-base umpire for calling him out on a check swing strike in the ninth inning. The game was between the Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates in May 2022.
However, he clearly stated that he prefers people to make the calls, not machines, saying:
"I don't want robot umps."
Christian Yelich went on to explain that while human umpires are fallible, having someone behind home plate helps make the game what it is. He noted how umpires can tailor a strike zone toward what a pitcher is known to throw, and that it is part of the game's strategy to know what a particular umpire will call as a ball or strike.
"It's part of the game."
He went on to explain:
"There's a lot of curveballs or breaking balls that will be in the dirt, but they will clip the bottom of the strikezone technically. They'd have to figure out a better way (to calls balls and strikes)."
The "Automated Ball-Strike System" is scheduled to make its debut in Class AAA -- one step below MLB -- this coming season. It is slated to be used four days per week, with traditional umpires making the calls on the other three days. The umpire's union has already agreed to allow the system to move forward at every level of the minor leagues "when it is ready".
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN last summer that he believes the automated system could be in place in the big leagues as early as 2024. It would need to be approved by an 11-member competition committee to be instituted at in MLB. The league, however, has shown by the number of new rules put in place for 2023 that it will move ahead at a fast pace when it comes to new ways of playing the game.
Christian Yelich not alone in distaste for robot umps
"Framing's always been big," Rutschman, last year's AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, told ESPN. "Since probably my junior year in high school, it's been a big point of emphasis. Got to college, same thing, and in the pros, same thing."
Christian Yelich is far from alone in not wanting an automated strike zone. Many current and former MLB players don't want to see a change behind the plate. Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman said that there is a lot that goes into what's a ball and a strike. It comes down to pitch framing, as well as how a catcher can catch a ball in a way that makes it look like a strike.