According to a report by The Athletic, changes in the way Major League Baseball umpires are evaluated have led to fewer called strikes on the edges of the zone in the first month of the 2025 season. This change was implemented as part of the new labor agreement between the league and the umpires’ union, which was finalized in December.
The adjustment to the umpire evaluation process, as detailed by The Athletic, involved reducing the “buffer zone” that umpires previously had by 2 inches on all sides of the plate, inside and outside the strike zone. Now, the buffer zone has been decreased to just three-quarters of an inch on all sides, inside and outside the strike zone, based on information from league sources and confirmed by an MLB official.
“We communicated to the GMs and Field Managers our intention to make this change during the offseason, and reiterated it to the Clubs once the umpire CBA was approved,” a league official informed The Athletic. “Overall ball-strike accuracy in 2025 is currently at its highest level compared to previous seasons.”
Statcast data shows that ball/strike calls have been more precise in the early stages of this season than in any year since Statcast was introduced in 2015. Over 88% of ball/strike calls have been correct so far, surpassing the under 84% accuracy rate in 2016. Umpires have been gradually improving the accuracy of their calls every year since pitch-tracking began in 2008.
Some players interviewed by The Athletic believe that the strike zone is tighter this year. Despite the tighter zone, it has not led to increased offense. The league-wide batting line and run production this season are nearly identical to last year’s statistics.
The difference in the ball/strike call rate between this season and the previous year amounts to less than one pitch per game. The MLB competition committee is expected to discuss the impact of the changes in umpire evaluation on the game during their upcoming meeting. The committee includes six owners, four players, and one umpire.
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