HAS MAKING THE STRIKE ZONE MORE CONSISTENT RUINED BASEBALL?

HAS MAKING THE STRIKE ZONE MORE CONSISTENT RUINED BASEBALL? The most important change in baseball this season has been the continued decline in offense. End of the season assessments of the baseball season advance a variety of explanations. Derek Thompson thinks that the decline in offense has made baseball less popular with the fans—and, indeed, “ruined baseball”. He had an article in the Atlantic (September 4) entitled: “The Simple Technology That Accidentally Ruined Baseball”. The technology he refers to is the f/x camera which was introduced in most baseball parks by 2008 to track each pitch and compare it to the correct strike zone. Thompson argues that the effect of the camera was to reduce scoring because the errors by umpires had been predominantly errors in not calling enough strikes. When the umpires became more consistent, more strikes were called, and batters were faced with more unfavorable ball and strike counts.