ALCS Umpires Strike Zone Analysis, Game Calling Abilities
The Umpiring crew for the Angels-Yankees series has been named. I spent some time this afternoon examining the ALCS umpires on some sports sites that cater to clients who bet on the games, as these sites can be found to be delving deep into umpiring statistics beyond what basebball nerds have compiled. I added in a 2007 report from Baseball Prospectus on the accuracy of some of these umpires umps.
Crew Chief Tim McClelland: 2007 BP Ump Rating: 93% Strikezone accuracy (2nd best), strike zone is most generous in middle innings, no home team bias. A steady pace. Career Highlights: Made the infamous George Brett Pine Tar call that was reversed (at the time it was a partisan call for the Yankees at home), called David Wells perfect game at Yankee Stadium (ugh), busted Sammy Sosa for a corked bat in 2003 and called Matt Holliday safe at the plate in the 2007 NL West 1-Game playoff that sent the Padres home for the Winter.
Fieldin Culbreth: Big time homer. Squeezes at the beginning of the game and at the end as well. Speeds things up with a fat zone in the middle innings. Not active enough in 2007 for the BP K-Zone survey, he nonetheless has all the traits of a guy who bows to the pressure of the crowd and assists the momentum of a dominant pitcher. Career Highlight: Called Game 3 of last year's World Series, a walk-off win for the home Phillies.
Laz Diaz: Unaffected by the home crowd, he races through the game with a fat strike zone for both sides, but makes the relievers hit a smaller mark, especially in high drama situations. Career Highlights: A former minor leaguer he is one of the replacement ump crop of 1999. He has umpired 3 ALDS series.
Jerry Layne: Generous zone to starters, squeezes relievers, mild home team bias within margin of error. He is more prone to favor a home team in a split-second, high-leverage decision (historically). Career HIghlight: Was the home plate umpire for Fernando Valenzuela's 1990 no-hitter.
Bill Miller: A consistent strike zone maintained throughout the game, in 2007 BP gave him a 90% accuracy rating for his strike zone, but when he calls one wrong for your team, he will call it wrong for the other team, thus making it "right"... right? Career Highlights: A few ALDS and an All Star Game.
Dale Scott: 2007 BP Ump Rating: 91% Strikezone accuracy, strike zone tightens up to the size of a silver dollar in the late innings. This is the guy you want behind the plate calling a complete game or a blowout. Career Highlights: He is known as the Time Warp Umpire, because after a strike three call he takes a jump to the left and gestures as he takes a step to the right.
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One thing sticks out to me
called Matt Holliday safe at the plate in the 2007 AL West 1-Game playoff that sent the Padres home for the Winter.
Talk about bad umping he should have thrown out the Padres straight away for being in the wrong league, those pikers.
~Till the Halo burns out...
All I have to say is
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6827163268088648679#
THIS… IS… ANAHEIM!!
O god.
My uncle knows the “Sweet Transvestite” dance. It’s quite disturbing.
This team is our extended family, That's why we love them no matter what the record, no matter what the score.
by halofan4life on Oct 15, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
It's mostly strutting, a little bump and a little grind, and more strutting. Oh, and some suggestively slow one-shoulder shrugging.
But I’ll bet it’s disturbing if he dresses like that.
Good Lord, was that really Tim Curry?
THIS… IS… ANAHEIM!!
HE DI DRESS UP LIKE THAT!
Halloween about 7 years ago. Dear lord, it wasn’t pretty. And it’s not just that its strut, bump, strut, grind….more so that a 40 year old, 6’2", 225 lb. man should NEVER wear that outfit AND do the dance.
This team is our extended family, That's why we love them no matter what the record, no matter what the score.
by halofan4life on Oct 15, 2009 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Even hearing Time Warp gives me chills.
This team is our extended family, That's why we love them no matter what the record, no matter what the score.
by halofan4life on Oct 16, 2009 8:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Lol I wonder how many trolls BS
we are gonna get for more umpiring posts…haha so easy to get under those beanbags skins!
First we had a Salmon and now we have a Trout, let's see the same results.
Not bad this time around
I like McClelland. He’s fair, honest, experienced and, for the most part, accurate.
It would have been nice to see C.B. Bucknor on the list, he was pretty good for us last series.
i just hope none of them
calls someone out and then goes back and gives ’em first base just ’cause they ran toward it.
that said, culbreth seems the worse in an ok bunch.
"it's mind-bottling."
McClelland should really stop changing leagues
I’d have a lot more respect for him. pick one and stick with it – just sayin’.
this bunch (save McClelland’s Yankee highlights) are mostly not much to worry about, unlike the Boston vs. LAA crew we made it through with.
"This is a guy who is a combination of great courage and, nuts!"- Steve Physioc
by Brian S (brianguy) on Oct 15, 2009 11:04 AM PDT reply actions
and also:
robots, please.
"This is a guy who is a combination of great courage and, nuts!"- Steve Physioc
by Brian S (brianguy) on Oct 15, 2009 11:44 AM PDT reply actions
Decent Group
I like Tim McClelland, think he’s pretty consistent, though his s l o w ball / strike calls can be irritating (he’s actually sped it up in the past years, but there is still a noticeable delay). The rest of the crew has no significant outliers, though I agree that Culbreth is prob the worst of the bunch.
It all depends on who actually ends up behind the plate.
NLCS got a decent selection as well, with Marsh and Barrett…
what about the infamous call to A. J. Pierzynski?
LIght up the Halo...
by HalosFanInNorCal on Oct 15, 2009 5:22 PM PDT reply actions
understood
but he’s still a horrible ump, and shouldn’t be calling games.
Light up the Halo...
by HalosFanInNorCal on Oct 15, 2009 7:09 PM PDT reply actions
Granted. And he's not calling games in this series.
This thread was about the umps we actually have to deal with, but I guess it’s good if we remember the one or two that we absolutely despise.
THIS… IS… ANAHEIM!!

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