Little League – like business and life – is imperfect. Umps in our home league are mostly volunteer umps. Some of the umps have inconsistent strike zones. The good ones have consistent strike zones and of course the best ones have consistent and tight reasonable strike zones.
Bad umps are the toughest because hitters can’t approach things in a systematic way. Rarely do we get the best umps. That’s youth baseball. When umps are consistent batters and hitters can adjust to the strike zone. Often volunteer umps – even ones who have been at it for awhile – have a penchant for a given pitch. Some like the outside corner. Some like the low pitch. Others see the high pitch as a strike. With youth umps I typically chalk this penchant up to being able to see or not see that given area well. Volunteer adult umps who like the high pitch typically see it better because it is at their eye level. We deal with this alot. Other umps call strikes frequently off the outside corner because I think they miss it as it comes in. Same with a low pitch. They lose it as it comes in.
Once we’ve identified the area a given ump likes to call, we want our pitchers to pound that area. Likewise, we want our hitters to guard against that area when they have two strikes and need to protect the zone. Often a player will come back to the dugout sulking because he doesn’t believe the strike three he just watched was a strike. But if the pitch was in the area favored by the ump (and one we subsequently warned against) then the hitter has to be ready to protect.
In little league you have to first figure out what you are going to be given – and then you have to work the plate accordingly.
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