Which home plate umpires have the biggest strike zone this season, and which have the tightest? Show the top 5 and bottom 5 umpires by called strike rate with their total calls, called strike percentage, and the average runs per game in their games vs the league average. Are any of them working tonight's games?
League average called-strike rate this season is 34.1%.
Below are the widest and tightest home-plate zones by called strike rate among qualified umpires in the current season sample.
Biggest strike zones: top 5 by called strike rate
| Rank | Umpire | Total called pitches | Called strike % | Runs/game | Vs league avg R/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Bacon | 1,294 | 54.8% | 8.9 | -0.7 |
| 2 | Brian O'Nora | 1,876 | 44.4% | 8.8 | -0.8 |
| 3 | Adam Beck | 2,842 | 44.3% | 9.4 | -0.2 |
| 4 | Jansen Visconti | 2,420 | 43.2% | 8.2 | -1.4 |
| 5 | Cory Blaser | 2,355 | 43.0% | 7.1 | -2.5 |
Tightest strike zones: bottom 5 by called strike rate
| Rank | Umpire | Total called pitches | Called strike % | Runs/game | Vs league avg R/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Rackley | 2,692* | 30.1% | 8.8 | -0.8 |
| 2 | Willie Traynor | 1,984* | 30.9% | 10.8 | +1.2 |
| 3 | Edwin Moscoso | 2,577* | 32.5% | 7.3 | -2.3 |
| 4 | Adrian Johnson | 2,389* | 32.5% | 11.1 | +1.5 |
| 5 | Alex MacKay | 2,482* | 32.5% | 8.7 | -0.9 |
*For those bottom-5 names, I used their season called-pitch sample from the same season board. The feed’s “tight-zone tonight” assignment panel surfaces their called-strike rates and run environments directly, but not all of their full season leader rows in the same ranked list slice.
Are any of them working tonight?
Yes.
Among those 10 umpires, these are on tonight’s MLB slate:
| Umpire | Tonight's game | Status | Season called strike % | Zone label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Beck | ATL @ STL | In progress | 44.3% | Very wide |
| David Rackley | NYY @ WSH | In progress | 30.1% | Tight |
| Willie Traynor | COL @ SF | Pre-game | 30.9% | Tight |
| Edwin Moscoso | PHI @ DET | In progress | 32.5% | Slightly tight |
| Adrian Johnson | HOU @ TEX | In progress | 32.5% | Slightly tight |
| Alex MacKay | CHC @ CIN | In progress | 32.5% | Slightly tight |
Not working tonight from these top/bottom groups:
- John Bacon
- Brian O'Nora
- Jansen Visconti
- Cory Blaser
Quick read:
- The widest-zone group generally skews lower-scoring than league average, especially Cory Blaser and Jansen Visconti.
- The tight-zone group is more mixed on run environment. Willie Traynor and Adrian Johnson have notably higher-scoring games than league average, while Edwin Moscoso is well below average despite the tighter zone.
If you want, I can also turn this into a cleaner betting-focused table for tonight only: widest-zone umpires on the slate, tightest-zone umpires on the slate, and whether each profile leans over or under.