Over the winter, Major League Baseball quietly changed the in-game video feeds that players can legally review in their dugouts. The “strike zone box” — an outline of the strike zone that fans are familiar with from various telecasts — was taken away at the request of umpires, according to memos obtained by The Athletic.
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“This was done in direct response to a perceived increase in the incidence of Players and other On-Field Personnel using the dugout tablets — in particular, the feed that includes the strike zone graphic — to argue balls and strikes, and in some cases to berate, harass and embarrass Major League umpires,” read a memo the league and union jointly issued to teams on Tuesday.
But the Major League Baseball Players Association flagged the change as a violation of its collective bargaining agreement with the league. Now, the zone is coming back, the result of a settlement to a grievance that the MLBPA filed.
There’s one catch, though: players who use a dugout tablet to “embarrass, denigrate, or question the impartiality or ability of an umpire,” will face increased penalties going forward. Players remain subject to ejection and can now be fined between $2,500 and $7,500 for a first-time violation, with progressive discipline from there. Previously, players were fined, but the amounts were never before specifically codified, and were always lower.
All teams must have access to the strike zone on their dugout tablets again no later than Friday. Players can review at-bats after a half-inning has passed, the same delay as existed previously.
“MLB did not disclose to the MLBPA the umpires’ request or their plans to remove the strike zone box from the tablets. We learned of the box’s removal based on reports from Players,” the MLBPA wrote in a second memo, one distributed to its membership. “MLB’s unilateral removal of the strike zone box violated an agreement we negotiated during the 2021-22 CBA negotiations. That agreement requires MLB to ‘continue to provide access to video of each pitch from a center-field angle of the broadcast feed’ for the duration of the current CBA (i.e., through the end of the 2026 season).”
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MLB and the MLBPA declined comment.
An arbitrator was set to hold a hearing on the matter on June 24. Per the MLBPA’s memo to its members, after initial attempts to reach a settlement failed, “talks resumed and a resolution was reached after MLB conceded to the MLBPA’s position on several open issues.”
The joint memo added in bold letters that the league and the union wanted to “emphasize that Players must use the dugout tablets and all video feeds provided solely for their intended purpose: to assist Players with on-field performance.”
(Photo: Michael Zagaris / Oakland Athletics / Getty Images)
