So You Want to be an Umpire?
DBM asked a question about umpires the other day and more specifically about their training. Philjones provided a good answer to her question and I hope he doesn’t mind that I have drawn an article out of the archives to meet my weekly commitment. It confirms what pj wrote and adds a little detail. I wrote the article a few years ago in 2013 and have tried to update what
DBM asked a question about umpires the other day and more specifically about their training. Philjones provided a good answer to her question and I hope he doesn’t mind that I have drawn an article out of the archives to meet my weekly commitment. It confirms what pj wrote and adds a little detail.
I wrote the article a few years ago in 2013 and have tried to update what I could find. I wrote it because of the interest I had in umpires and how they got to be umpires. It does not take a side in umpires vs electronic umpiring but does highlight what they go through to become umpires. Becoming a MLB umpire is a long shot just as becoming a MLB player is a long shot.
The players take the field, the stadium sound system declares “Play Ball!” or better still, “It’s time for Dodger baseball.” The fans settle down into their chosen seats in anticipation of the game that is to unfurl. The pitcher takes his warm up pitches while they are being counted as only eight are allowed. That count is taken by one of the four “men in blue”- the umpires – who will regulate and officiate the game.
During the game they will keep things moving and including balls and strikes they will make 300 to 400 decisions, perhaps more. While they are making those decisions to the best of their ability there are other umpiring crews at work including thousands of home town fans, fifty players plus their coaches and managers and a home audience of unknown count. There is little wonder that we hear fans shouting, “You’re missing a good game!” or “Want to borrow my glasses!” and sometimes epithets that cannot make it to the print media but are picked up through televised games.
It causes one to wonder how these men become umpires. Perhaps the better question would be why they even want to become umpires. They follow a grueling schedule with perhaps no series in their home towns, living away from home all during the season with constant travel and quite often a daily barrage from players and fans alike.
The life of a MLB umpire is certainly no picnic nor is the path to their location behind the plate or on the bases at Dodger Stadium or some other MLB venue. They are paid well for their services and their union – the World Umpires Association – tends to their labor negotiations and deals with any labor disputes. The starting pay for a rookie umpire is $120,000 with senior umpires earning upwards of $350,000 while the most senior MLB umpires can earn about $400,000. They receive a $340 per diem to cover hotels and food. MLB umpires receive four weeks of paid vacation and both the National League and the American League fly them first class to their next game sites. They do earn extra pay for All-Star games and play-off games.
Baseball Reference’s Maurice Moton wrote about NFL referees on May 3, 2018, noting the average salaries of officials in the four major team sports as follows:
- NFL: $188,322 16 games
- NHL: $212,500 82 games
- MLB: $235,000 162 games
- NBA: $375,000 82 games
Major league umpires, as with players, follow their dream of umpiring at the highest level in the game, a dream that somehow got started in their youth at the lowest of levels. The question is often asked how one becomes a MLB umpire. That is, how do you become one of the 76 men in blue at the MLB level? Christie Cowles is an Editor/Producer for MLB.com. She outlines a five step program on becoming an umpire:
1. Enroll in one of two umpiring schools approved by MLB. The best known school for many fans is the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires. The courses run for five weeks, usually in January and February.
2. Get noticed: Instructors look for many characteristics other than knowledge of baseball rules when evaluating potential umpires. MLB Director of Umpire Administration Tom Lepperd states
“Confidence, a strong presence on the field, knowledge of the mechanics — where to go when the ball is hit, forceful calls, good use of voice, hustle and ability to handle situations on the field (are all important).”
Former PBUC Director Mike Fitzpatrick adds that good judgment and character are things instructors look for as well.
3. Finish top of the class: In 2011 top 16 percent of all umpire school enrollees were selected to begin umpiring careers.
4. Begin assignment in lower leagues
5. Wait for ‘The Call’: Altogether there are 76 umpires in the Majors comprised of 19 teams, and 225 in the minor leagues so with the low turnover there are very few openings.
The newest umpiring school – The Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy- is located at the Historic Dodgertown sports facility in Vero Beach, Florida.) opened its doors in 2012 at the Vero Beach Sports Complex, which will always be known as ‘Dodgertown’ to longtime Dodger fans as it was the spring training home of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 2008. The Umpire Academy has quickly gained a reputation for being one of the best (if not the best) umpire schools and is now a top source for minor league umpires.
The life of a minor league umpire pretty much mirrors the life of a minor league baseball player. In 2013, Baseball America estimated that 17.2 percent of drafted players — about one in six — will make it to the Major League level. For umpires, it’s only a three percent chance.
They too have to move from level to level and are employed for only three to five months during the season meaning most have an off-season jobs.
The 2019 regular season salary range for each classification was as follows:
- Class AAA: $2,900 – 3,900 per month
- Class AA: $2,500 – 3,100 per month
- Class A – Full Season: $2,100 – 2,600 per month
- Class A – Short Season & Rookie: $2,000 – 2,300 per month
Per Diems:
- AAA: $58-66 daily
- AA: $50-58 daily
- A: $44.50-52.50 daily
Once his career begins a minor league umpire faces an almost impossible task of realizing his dream. The vast majority of umpires working within the various professional baseball leagues below MLB never make it to the majors. The attrition rate at the MLB level is about one per year, making one opening for a Triple A umpire a year, to claim a permanent job at that level. According to MLB Director of Umpire Administration Tom Lepperd, it takes usually seven to 10 years in the minor leagues before an umpire gets to the Majors. That’s twice the amount of time it normally takes a ballplayer to make his way through the ranks. When a student is fortunate enough to be recommended for a job, he begins his professional umpiring career at the bottom of baseball’s hierarchy in either rookie or short-season Class A baseball. Whereas a minor league player can skip a level or levels, an umpire cannot. Baseball fans know it is almost impossible to dismiss an umpire in the major leagues, but a minor league umpire who is evaluated as no longer being a major-league prospect will be released, ending his professional career.
“We’re doing this for that three-percent chance pretty much,” said minor league umpire Cody Oakes. “As an umpire, you have to be ready for that day when you get released. It’s on the back of your mind. You just try to keep going forward and do the best you can and hope it doesn’t happen.”
Shaun Lampe, working in the AA Eastern League back in 2013 explains some of the challenges of being a minor league umpire. Lampe points out that minor league players and umpires go through similar challenges but with one major difference. Since they don’t have a home base, as players do, umpires are constantly on the road. Instead of having 25 or more teammates to spend the season with, they have only each other, a minor league crew comprised of two to three members. The crew becomes a summer family, staying in the same hotels, often the same one occupied by the visiting team, and travels in a league owned van. Seven to eight hour drives are not uncommon. According to Lampe,
“This year from April 3rd and September 3rd we had 11 days off, two being the All-Star Break. So on average we work three to four weeks without a day off and then we’ll have one day off.”
Lampe continued: “Just because an umpire has put in the time and done a great job doesn’t necessarily mean he will reach his goal of a big league gig.”
He has made it to the Pacific Coast League but there is no record that I can find of a MLB call-up.
Roberto Ortiz, the second member of the Lampe crew, echoed the feelings of his crew mates that he also misses his family especially because they’re so far away and can’t easily travel to see him. He is from Puerto Rico.
Ortiz became the second Puerto Rican umpire in Major League Baseball. He made it to the majors on May 16, 2016, in Washington, for a game between the Nationals and Marlins. He has shuttled between Class AAA and major-league umpiring assignments since his debut in the big leagues. He worked 70 big league games last season.
Brian deBrauwere, a third member of Lampe’s crew, relates that being away from his family for so long is the worst part of his job. When asked about his worst moment as an umpire deBrauwere did not relate an on field incident but was quick to respond,
“Just any random night on the road when you wish you were home and you’re laying in a hotel.” Lampe added, “Especially when you have something going on at home and you have no control, or you can’t get there.”
DeBrauwere has joined the coaching staff of Umpires Advanced United and umpires in the independent Atlantic League.
On July 12,2019 in an independent league game deBrauwere wore an earpiece connected to an iPhone in his pocket and relayed the call upon receiving it from a TrackMan computer system that uses Doppler radar.
“Until we can trust this system 100%, I still have to go back there with the intention of getting a pitch correct because if the system fails, it doesn’t pick a pitch up or if it registers a pitch that’s a foot-and-a-half off the plate as a strike, I have to be prepared to correct that,” Mr. deBrauwere said.
Of note, on July 16,2019 the pitching coach of the High Point Rockers in the Atlantic League was ejected for arguing an electronic call. That is the same Frank Viola we remember.
How difficult is it for an aspiring umpire to make to MLB? Out of 136 students in Hunter Wendelstedt’s five-week umpire course, only 24 make the cut to even get a chance to continue. That is, after paying a tuition of $2,400.
“The odds are terrible. The odds are really, really terrible,” said Wendelstedt, who also runs the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires, named after his late father, also a longtime MLB umpire. “I feel like I’m Walt Disney because I’m selling a dream.”
“The crazy thing about this umpire school is that there’s one person here that will make it to the major leagues,” Wendelstedt said. “One person from this class will make it.”
The photo at the top of the article is of Kerwin Danley. Danley and Alfonso Márquez are among the four umpires announced by the MLB in February as new crew chiefs for the 2020 season. Danley is the first African American to hold the position. Márquez is the first Mexican American in the role.
As Bear demonstrated in his article, baseball is a funny game. My favorite umpire is Ron Luciano who penned, “The Umpire Strikes Back”. Ron, who died in 1955, was the Yogi Berra of umpires.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/752538.The_Umpire_Strikes_Back
In conclusion, three umpires come into a bar. They were discussing the problems of their occupation.
One said: “Some are balls and some are strikes and I call them as they are.”
The second said: “Some are balls and some are strikes and I call them as I see them.”
But the third umpire said: “I see them coming across, and some are balls and some are strikes, but they’re nothing until I call them.”
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Discussion (72)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I umped all over Northern California in the 70s and 80s. Mostly when I was in college (5 years) then a few years when I was teaching. It was extra income. Did men’s and women’s softball, youth baseball, high school, jr college, Legion and semi pro. On the weekends I wasn’t playing in a tournament, I was umping one. Most of the players up there knew who I was so I didn’t get much crap from anyone. I started college when I was 26 so I was a bit older and had played a lot more ball than any of the others doing it. I got training from a good friend who was a minor league umpire, but I didn’t need much. It came natural to me. Every umpire makes mistakes of course but to watch these guys at the Major League level make them is annoying. I’m not talking about blown calls necessarily, I made my share of those. Things can happen fast out there. I’m talking about getting caught out of position and just appearing to be lazy about it. Joe West is the worst I’ve seen with that. Rule is “get the 90”. Nobody out there should see it better than you do. I umped with a guy who had one glass eye so perspective was not easy for him. I had 20/10 vision so picking up spin was easy for me, I had done it for years. As a catcher in Legion and Connie Mack I had a pretty good knowledge of the strike zone. I very much enjoyed my years umpiring. Only ran one guy, manager of the local semi pro team in Redding and after the game he came up to me and said “what took you so long?” He was trying to get run to get his team jacked up. “Well geez Jerry, let me know next time and we’ll put on a show.” The toughest games to umpire were the lower leagues and women’s softball. They do things that just can’t be anticipated.
Though I got few complaints, who knows what my strike zone would have looked like with ABS. I continue to be astonished at how many are missed. Honestly if it were me I’d welcome ABS. With all the heat they are taking, and miss 21%. of strike 3 calls deservedly so, you would think the umps have had enough of hearing about it.
I agree with you, Michael. The inconsistencies are very frustrating and distracting for us fans. Must even be worse for the players who aren’t allowed to argue balls and strikes. You can see it in the looks on their faces, though. I don’t remember pitch-framing as being such a valued skill among catchers back when we were young as it is today. Is that correct? When MLB finally goes to electronic balls and strikes, pitch-framing will become a lost art, but I won’t mind. The spitball is also a lost art, and no one seems to miss it.
Excellent article. I umped once for about 3 weeks when I was in Germany in the Army. I could not play because my left hand was partially paralyzed when I was electrocuted while trouble shooting a radar. Played hell with my bowling too. Fast pitch softball is a little easier than baseball I would suppose. We had 2 umps, and I got paid 5.00 a game. Never really had a problem with any of the players. What was cool to me was the second game I called, the pitcher threw a perfect game. This guy was really good, and his pitches were pretty fast too. I respect most of the umps in the majors, but some are just so inconsistent and bad it makes it hard to enjoy the game.
I used to do umpiring, first in college, and then for summer softball leagues in New York City. This was in the early 80’s. It was mostly something I did for fun but I also got paid per game, not a lot, but as a young guy, money always helped. I learned a lot from umpiring. First, when you make a call, do it decisively. Second, if it’s a controversial call, make it decisively, and walk away before they have a chance to start yelling at you. When there was a close play at second base, I was gone before they realized it. They’d turn around, ready to argue, but I wasn’t there. Very effective technique. Third, be consistent. If you start the game with a low strike zone, keep calling it that way the whole game. That way, it’s fair and the hitters always know what to expect.
Finally, the most important lesson: act like an authority, and people will treat you like one. The summer leagues were corporate leagues. High strung type A Wall Street types. To say that they took the games seriously was an understatement. They were friggin softball games, but this was no drink beers with your buddies kind of thing. They were hypercompetitive. I had to break up fights. And I was the only umpire on the field. One time, someone slid into second base too hard, and the two guys involved jumped up ready to fight. Before I knew it, the benches cleared and I had a near riot on my hands. I was the only umpire. I did only thing I could think of. I strode out to second base right into the middle of it. I turned to one team, and boomed, “You go back there now!” I pointed to their bench like I was about to throw them out of the game. I turned to the other team, and did the same thing. Then I immediately walked back towards home plate and yelled, “Play ball!” Amazingly, they slunk back to their benches and resumed the game. That experience taught me a lot. It doesn’t matter what you’re feeling inside. Just act the part and people will follow. People respond to authority. It’s human nature. I umped in NYC for two years, finally quit after getting tired of the narcissists on steroids. But it was a lot of fun, and I learned some good life lessons. And I developed a healthy respect for professional umpires. It’s not an easy job.