RESEARCH: Umpires

Owners who play in H2H and “streaming” leagues are always looking for ways to get an edge. We look at left-right platoon considerations, opponents strength, home vs. road, park factors, and everything this side of astrological sign.

To that list, we should add the umpires.

The men in blue and their guide dogs can have a significant effect on the performance of any pitcher. You want your pitcher going in a game where the plate ump has an Eric Gregg-like strike zone—ankles to neck and an extra 18 inches on the outside of the plate. On the other hand, you don't want to oblige your pitchers to zing the slider through Tim Tschida's zone—roughly the size of a Tuvalu $3 stamp.

Baseball gamblers are well aware of how an ump can affect...

Almost!

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