It's happened to all of us. We're sitting down watching our stud fantasy pitcher, and before we get out of the first inning it's apparent that it's going to be a long day....a real long day. Your pitcher is getting squeezed by the home plate umpire and there is absolutely nothing you can do.... except take solace in the fact that this umpire might be a habitual tight K zone umpire.
Below is a quick and dirty list of the umps who have a 3 year history of Strikeout / Walk ratio at 2.0 or below. The average K/BB ratio is 2.35, so although a 1.9 K/BB ratio doesn't sound like much...it is...it's ~20% less than the typical. Which means more base runners, more runs, and possibly a shorter outing for your pitcher:
| Unfriendly Pitcher Umps | |||
| Ump | G | K/BB | ERA |
| TSCHIDA T | 86 | 1.8 | 4.00 |
| MCCLELLAND T | 103 | 1.9 | 4.08 |
| SCHRIEBER P | 73 | 1.9 | 3.97 |
| GIBSON G | 93 | 1.9 | 3.22 |
| COUSINS D | 100 | 2.0 | 3.57 |
| HICKOX E | 71 | 2.0 | 3.69 |
| WEST J | 106 | 2.0 | 3.59 |
| DANLEY K | 77 | 2.0 | 3.65 |
| RAPUANO E | 103 | 2.0 | 3.77 |
| WEGNER M | 81 | 2.0 | 3.82 |
| KELLOGG J | 102 | 2.0 | 3.67 |
Again the typical k/BB ratio is 2.35, this according to the data posted at The Logical Approach, and the typical ERA over the last 3 years for starting pitchers is 3.44. Now 80-100 observations (games umped over the last 3 years) isn't a huge number, but many circles consider a sample size in the 100 vicinity as a acceptable number of observations.
Now lets take a look at the friendly pitcher Umps, umps who have a higher Strikeout to Walks ratio (Above 2.6):
| Friendly Pitcher Umps | |||
| Ump | G | K/BB | ERA |
| RUNGE B | 82 | 2.7 | 3.13 |
| REYBURN D J | 60 | 2.7 | 2.66 |
| MILLER B | 104 | 2.7 | 3.21 |
| BELLINO D | 65 | 2.6 | 3.05 |
| CUZZI P | 102 | 2.6 | 3.09 |
| RANDAZZO T | 101 | 2.6 | 3.09 |
Notice the considerable difference in ERA over the other group! If you play in daily leagues, this information simply can not be ignored.
