Will MLB Umpire Robots Become the New Normal?

By Oliver Wiener July 18, 2025 10:16

As Major League Baseball continues to embrace technological innovation, the prospect of robotic umpires calling balls and strikes has sparked intense debate throughout the sport. With the recent success of automated ball-strike (ABS) systems in spring training and the 2025 All-Star Game, fans and analysts alike are asking: Will MLB umpire robots become the new normal?

The idea is hardly new. For decades, baseball has wrestled with human error in umpiring specifically the subjectivity in calling balls and strikes, which can dramatically influence games and player performances. In 2025, MLB took a major step by officially implementing an ABS challenge system that allows teams to contest strike zone calls. The system, powered by Hawk-Eye technology and leveraging ultra-fast 5G networks, tracks pitches with remarkable precision, enabling umpires to overturn incorrect calls in real time.

Mike Solari, MLB’s senior VP of on-field operations, explains, “Technology has reached a point where we can significantly reduce errors without removing the human element entirely.” This balance has been crucial to MLB’s cautious approach. Instead of fully replacing umpires, the league has experimented with hybrid systems: the human umpire remains in the game, but technology provides oversight.

Early data backs this cautious progression. During the 2025 spring training, ABS challenges overturned roughly 48% of contested calls. The system’s accuracy in identifying balls versus strikes was proven to exceed human consistency, with a reported 95% accuracy rate compared to umpires’ historical 88-90% range per MLB’s internal studies. Fans have responded positively as well; a 2025 Marist Poll found 68% of viewers favored incorporating technology to assist or even replace human umpires in calling balls and strikes.

Nonetheless, there are still critics who warn about the implications of robot umpires becoming the new normal. Legendary umpire Joe West who retired in 2021 after a Record 43-year career cautioned, “Baseball isn’t just data and pixels. The human element is fundamental. Umpires aren’t perfect, but they add character and unpredictability the game needs.” Indeed, some players feel similarly. Veteran pitcher Mike Minor recently commented, “There’s a rhythm and give-and-take with the umpire that robots just can’t replicate. It’s about managing the game’s flow and the batter-pitcher duel.”

Operationally, transitioning to fully automated umpiring presents challenges beyond accuracy. Considerations include maintaining game pace, integrating calls for borderline pitches, and handling complex plays like check swings. Additionally, a robot’s rigid strike zone could erase the subtle idiosyncrasies umpires bring, which many believe are tied to the game’s beloved traditions.

Economic factors also come into play. Full automation could reduce MLB’s annual costs related to umpire salaries estimated at over $25 million a year while also decreasing human error lawsuits and disputes. However, it risks alienating some fans and professionals who value baseball’s human heritage.

The consensus among experts is that MLB is unlikely to jump immediately to robot umpires but will continue refining hybrid systems. Morgan Sword, the league’s head of umpiring operations, summed it up: “We’re embracing technology that improves the game while respecting its roots. Full automation might come someday, but for now, it’s about partnership between man and machine.”

In short, robot umpires are poised to become an increasingly prominent feature in baseball, but not an outright replacement just yet. The path ahead is one of gradual adaptation balancing technological precision against the sport’s deeply human spirit. Whether that equilibrium lasts or shifts toward full automation remains one of baseball’s most compelling questions in the years to come.