Major League Baseball Finally Begins Experimenting With Robot Umpires (espn.com)

"Baseball's potential future will be showcased in the independent Atlantic League this year, and it includes robot umpires..." reports ESPN, calling it part of "a wide variety of experiments that the Atlantic League will run this season as part of its new partnership with Major League Baseball." While MLB has long tested potential rule changes in the minor leagues, its three-year partnership with the Atlantic League -- an eight-team league that features former major leaguers trying to return to affiliated ball -- offers the ability to try more radical rules. MLB has chafed at using technology to replace ball-and-strike-calling duties for umpires, fearful that it's not yet consistent enough to warrant implementation... [W]ith the TrackMan system installed at Atlantic League stadiums, MLB will have a trove of data to analyze and see the effect of doing so.
Other changes aim to speed up the game, including bans on visits to the pitcher's mound and shortening the amount of time between innings.

Comments

Doesn't have to be all or nothing

[Solandri]

Most of the sports which have implemented automatic or instant replay review have made it part of a challenge system. The umpire or referee makes calls as before, but if the player or coach feels the call was wrong they can challenge it. Only then does it it get reviewed. Each side has a certain number of challenges they're allowed per game. If their challenge overturns the umpire's call, they get the challenge back. If it confirms the umpire's call, they lose the challenge (have one fewer for the rest of the game).

The system used in tennis is probably the closest analogue to how it might work in baseball. It's quick, so doesn't delay the game much. It adds drama to the game as everyone (players, refs, fans) gets to watch the replay together (not like the terrible system in football where only one guy in a hidden room somewhere watches it, and radios his decision to the field). And the result has been accepted by players and refs as definitive, so it actually cuts down on the amount of time wasted arguing over calls.

It also provides objective evidence if there's a ref or ump who's clearly doing a bad job. Which baseball badly needs since there are some umpires who have a reputation for calling a small strike zone, some for calling a large strike zone.

Didn't baseball avoid this for decades?

[rsilvergun]

Umpires could have been replaced with reviewing footage back in the 70s but they didn't because bad calls are part of the sport. Why do this now? Are they just trying to save money? An Umpire can't cost that much can they? And the last thing the blue collar folks who watch baseball are gonna want is to see robots on the field.