Astros insider raises fascinating benefit robo-umps could have for Houston's stars

The one thing that can unite baseball fans everywhere is an umpire's poor performance. Missing a call in a key spot can result in expletives hurled the umpire's way, or worse yet, printed on a t-shirt alongside the umpire's face.

Believe it or not, most umpires are good at their job and Major League Baseball is slowly trimming away those who are not. However, that doesn't mean the league has been passively dealing with the perceived problem. The automated ball-and-strike system will be part of the spring training experience this year.

The ABS is the best option available. It allows umpires to keep their jobs while retaining the "human element", but also helps to prevent egregious calls from unjustly changing a game. As an added bonus, The Athletic's Chandler Rome correctly noted that both Isaac Paredes and Yainer Diaz could benefit from the change.

Astros' Isaac Paredes and Yainer stand to benefit from robo-umps

The ABS challenge system could both enhance enhance Paredes' strength while also making Diaz's flaw less relevant. Rome's deep dive reveals how the two Astros players could benefit and is worth your time if you're into that kind of stuff.

No player in baseball had more pitches outside the strike zone that were called strikes than Paredes (89). Under the new system, with the abliity to challenge the call in real-time, Paredes' ability to lay off those borderline pitches should pay bigger dividends.

Diaz is a tremendous hitter and is a strong defensive catcher. His framing, however, leaves a lot to be desired and limits Diaz's upside. With the eventual installation of the ABS system, being able to "steal strikes" will matter a lot less, regardless of how skilled your backstop is as making a ball look like a strike. Diaz's attributes will become even more valuable compared to his contemporaries who have yet to figure out how to hit a baseball.

While the ABS system is still in its experimental stages at the big league level, it's abundantly clear that robo-umps are coming as soon as the league feels comfortable with the technology. For the Astros, it can't come soon enough.

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