WSU Lab Validates MLB's Automated Strike Zone Technology

How Baseball's Robot Umpires Get Verified

Before Major League Baseball's Automatic Ball-Strike System appears on scoreboards to settle disputed calls, a team of Washington State University engineers spends years validating the technology that makes those split-second decisions possible.

WSU's Sports Science Laboratory in Pullman serves as MLB's independent verification partner for ABS, the pitch-tracking system that uses high-speed cameras and software to evaluate whether pitches cross the strike zone. While fans see results within seconds after a challenge, lab technicians conduct extensive testing across dozens of ballparks to ensure accuracy.

"They are trying to have systems that can be deployed very quickly, but yet still have the accuracy they need, so there's lots of details," said Lloyd Smith, the lab's director, according to details first reported by The Spokesman-Review.

Field Testing Under Pressure

MLB sends WSU technicians to major-league, minor-league, and spring training venues nationwide. At each location, researchers deploy custom pitching cannons and cameras capturing 2,500 frames per second. Setup requires roughly 90 minutes, and the entire visit must conclude within four hours to avoid disrupting stadium operations.

Kyle Wait, the lab's Ground Truth Specialist, and technologist Tyler Danby handle most field deployments. Their equipment uses stereo vision from two synchronized cameras to create depth measurements, but any camera movement requires complete recalibration.

"When you're up in the stands and you're looking out at the field, the field looks flat," Wait said. "But you don't realize there's imperfections. The plate is wavy, it's tilted, it's sunk in, it's above the ground."

The team generates terabytes of data at each venue, comparing their measurements against MLB's installed pitch-tracking systems before delivering validation reports to the league. Airport security presents its own complications—TSA agents frequently flag their baseball-filled luggage and pressure-vessel equipment.

Why It Matters

As professional sports leagues adopt automated officiating systems, independent validation becomes critical for maintaining competitive integrity and public trust. Smith noted that modern pitch-tracking can determine ball-or-strike outcomes before pitches reach home plate—the visible delay exists purely for entertainment value. This verification work establishes the technical foundation for potentially eliminating human judgment from strike zone enforcement entirely.

Beyond Strike Zones

The laboratory's MLB partnership extends to investigating baseball's home run surge that began in 2015. WSU researchers identified changes in baseball drag as a likely cause, discovering that seam height variations of less than 5 percent could significantly affect home run rates. This led to developing systems that measure seam height and aerodynamic performance on hand-stitched baseballs.

Day-to-day operations focus heavily on bat testing. The lab evaluates hollow bats from manufacturers including Rawlings, Easton, DeMarini, Wilson, Marucci, and Worth—many arriving as unmarked prototypes. Researchers fire 140 mph knuckleballs at stationary bats to simulate game conditions, balancing performance standards with safety requirements.

While baseball testing generates primary revenue, graduate students research boxing gloves, taekwondo headgear, and pickleball paddle performance. The lab recently hosted the International Sports Engineering Conference in June, drawing researchers and industry leaders to Pullman.

Smith sees sports science moving beyond measurement toward strategic decision-making. "The fun thing about sport is that it's something we all understand," he said. "But when you sit down and look at it from a scientific standpoint, you realize we really don't know much about the science behind this."

The Spokesman-Review first reported these details about WSU's sports technology validation work.