Difference between revisions of "Major League Baseball"
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=== <big>'''Pro New Technology in Baseball'''</big> === | === <big>'''Pro New Technology in Baseball'''</big> === | ||
| − | No matter what angle you approach baseball from, statistics are a key component in the creation of lineups, player development, and the comparison of players and teams. People who embrace technology advocate for including more robotic umpires in order to improve the accuracy of calling balls and strikes. | + | No matter what angle you approach baseball from, statistics are a key component in the creation of lineups, player development, and the comparison of players and teams. People who embrace technology advocate for including more robotic umpires in order to improve the accuracy of calling balls and strikes. Upon manager challenging, the MLB allows video replays for calls such as out and safe, or whether a ball is caught or not, but reviewing ball and strike calls is not an option. Leagues such as the Atlantic League are trying to take away human error in ball-strike calls by using Trackman, a radar-based system that can identify if a pitch is in the strike-zone or not — at the same speed that a human umpire can. This “3-D Doppler radar dish” analyzes thrown pitches using a three-dimensional strike-zone that can calculate each batter's size and stance and adjust the strike zone accordingly. The system works so that it doesn't allow a 6-foot-7 player to have the same strike zone as a 5-foot-7 player.<ref name="CBS">(CBSsports)</ref> The ball or strike call is then transmitted to the human umpire through an earpiece, allowing the call to be made. Many argue that this takes the human aspect of the game away, but from its testing in the American League, many players, umpires, and coaches tend to like the new implementation. |
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=== <big>'''Against New Technology in Baseball'''</big> === | === <big>'''Against New Technology in Baseball'''</big> === | ||
| − | Other new technology is beginning to enter the game to counteract the multiple cheating scandals in the MLB in the last five years. The most notable of these being the Houston Astros 2017 World Championship. | + | Other new technology is beginning to enter the game to counteract the multiple cheating scandals in the MLB in the last five years. The most notable of these being the Houston Astros 2017 World Championship. Although many of the players involved in this scandal claim they did not wear buzzers under their jerseys in the 2017 regular and post-season games there has been in depth investigation into how the Astros stole the other teams signs and alerted the batter on what pitch to expect. To clarify, stealing signs is not illegal, in fact many see it as a fun part of the game, but using technology to steal those signs is highly illegal and that is exactly what the Astros did. Using their video replay stream from center field and sending it to a tv monitor behind the dugout Astros players then would bang on a trashcan with a bat to alert the person up to bat whether they should expect a curveball, or changeup. If no banging then they should expect a fastball. This implementation of technology in an unethical way lead the Astros to win the World Series and have made many players and managers alike question the necessity of technology in the game of baseball. This scandal caused a lot of uproar after similar scandals occurred prior such as the Boston Red Sox being fined for using Apple Watches to communicate with those outside the dugout and similarly steal pitches. |
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=== <big>'''Conclusion '''</big> === | === <big>'''Conclusion '''</big> === | ||
Revision as of 16:21, 23 March 2021
Statistics are one of the most important parts of Major League Baseball (MLB) today. Technology continues to be used in baseball more often every year — both because of its usefulness and to counteract previous failures in the game, such as the stealing of signs and signals. The biggest question that many managers, players, and fans are asking today is whether technology is helping or hurting the integrity of the game of baseball.
Contents
The Question of Technology in Baseball
Some people blame technology for the recent cheating scandals in baseball, and claim it has no place in the game. Others fight for the implementation of new technologies in order to protect the honesty and accuracy of the game. There was a high in the fight for statistics and technology after the Oakland Athletics’s manager, Billie Beane, released his winning strategy book “Moneyball”. In the book, he explains how he used statistics and analytics to create a roster that shifted the odds of winning baseball games [1]. After the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal in the 2017 season and World Series Championship, managers are fighting for a complete removal of technology from baseball in order to take power away from “technocrats” and return to the original ways of baseball. People are wondering how to address both sides of the argument, to use technology to improve the game, but also keep the integrity of baseball.
Pro New Technology in Baseball
No matter what angle you approach baseball from, statistics are a key component in the creation of lineups, player development, and the comparison of players and teams. People who embrace technology advocate for including more robotic umpires in order to improve the accuracy of calling balls and strikes. Upon manager challenging, the MLB allows video replays for calls such as out and safe, or whether a ball is caught or not, but reviewing ball and strike calls is not an option. Leagues such as the Atlantic League are trying to take away human error in ball-strike calls by using Trackman, a radar-based system that can identify if a pitch is in the strike-zone or not — at the same speed that a human umpire can. This “3-D Doppler radar dish” analyzes thrown pitches using a three-dimensional strike-zone that can calculate each batter's size and stance and adjust the strike zone accordingly. The system works so that it doesn't allow a 6-foot-7 player to have the same strike zone as a 5-foot-7 player.[2] The ball or strike call is then transmitted to the human umpire through an earpiece, allowing the call to be made. Many argue that this takes the human aspect of the game away, but from its testing in the American League, many players, umpires, and coaches tend to like the new implementation.
Against New Technology in Baseball
Other new technology is beginning to enter the game to counteract the multiple cheating scandals in the MLB in the last five years. The most notable of these being the Houston Astros 2017 World Championship. Although many of the players involved in this scandal claim they did not wear buzzers under their jerseys in the 2017 regular and post-season games there has been in depth investigation into how the Astros stole the other teams signs and alerted the batter on what pitch to expect. To clarify, stealing signs is not illegal, in fact many see it as a fun part of the game, but using technology to steal those signs is highly illegal and that is exactly what the Astros did. Using their video replay stream from center field and sending it to a tv monitor behind the dugout Astros players then would bang on a trashcan with a bat to alert the person up to bat whether they should expect a curveball, or changeup. If no banging then they should expect a fastball. This implementation of technology in an unethical way lead the Astros to win the World Series and have made many players and managers alike question the necessity of technology in the game of baseball. This scandal caused a lot of uproar after similar scandals occurred prior such as the Boston Red Sox being fined for using Apple Watches to communicate with those outside the dugout and similarly steal pitches.
Conclusion
The biggest debate now is whether these cheating trends would be reversed or enhanced with the implementation of more technology. For example teams are testing out new ways for pitchers and catchers to communicate rather than old fashioned signs in order to reduce the ability of the other team to steal said signs. Two of the most prominent are an earpiece worn by the pitcher and catcher that allows them to interact without a mound visit and a lighting system on the pitchers mound that is controlled by the catcher, the catcher clicks a button activating the lights on the pitchers mound (only visible by the pitcher) that are coordinated with different pitch calls. Another more advanced example is a “wearable random-number generator (similar to a push password used for secure log-ins) that corresponds to which sign in a sequence is relevant. This would preserve the existing dynamic of a catcher putting down a sign for interpretation by the pitcher, but overlay it with a level of secure encryption that would be virtually impossible to decode even with a dedicated software program.” (CBS sports). These technologies though innovative and impressive bring up many ethical questions and concerns from the baseball community. For example, with these new technologies come new ways to cheat. How soon before team hire their own hacking professional to hack into the channel of the earpieces being worn by the other team to steal signs or ultimately change the signs in mid translation? These questions along with how the pace of the game will be affected, the loss of human interaction, and coaches implementation in games are all valid questions that cannot be answered until this technology is tested and implemented in more games. There will always be a place for technology in baseball but will that place always be an ethical one that improves the integrity of the game is the question. People advocating for complete technology blackouts are most likely never going to see that happen in the way technology is taking over all aspects of the world but that does not mean we should ignore their concerns. America’s pastime is being threatened by technology the same way it was by steroids, it won’t kill the sport but will it cause a weakening of the fanbase?
References
o https://www.si.com/mlb/2020/02/29/baseball-future-technology-astros o MONEYBALL https://bleacherreport.com/articles/679950-revisiting-moneyball-and-the-oakland-as-how-has-it-been-so-misunderstood o https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-roundtable-which-2020-division-winner-is-most-likely-to-miss-2021-playoffs/ https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-exploring-ways-to-use-on-field-technology-to-help-prevent-sign-stealing-report-says/
o https://www.nytimes.com/article/astros-cheating.html