MLB: Is Virtual Reality the Future of Instant Replay?

The MLB is continually looking for ways to improve their instant replay system. Could virtual reality be one of those ways?

On June 19, 2009, instant replay was used in an MLB game for the first time during a matchup between the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers. From that point until the summer of 2013, replay was used slightly in exhibition games. On August 15, 2013, it was announced that at the start of the 2014 season one instant replay challenge would be given to all managers through the first six innings of a game, and two more from the seventh through the end.

From the moment the first challenge happened in 2014, all the way until today commissioner Rob Manfred and his team have been attempting to think of the next best way to incorporate instant replay, and how to get the best possible results from each review. Recently, Commissioner Manfred spoke to FOX Business Network on the subject of instant replay. However, he took it a step further, diving more into the topic of Virtual Reality (VR). VR has become a massive hit in the world of gamers over the last couple years. Releases of VR headsets like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift have sold well, despite being quite expensive.

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Jaunt VR is a small company in California that creates 360 degrees Virtual Reality cameras. For the Baseball Hall of Fame Tour coming up soon, this small business shot footage from several teams using their own 360 degree cameras. Manfred hinted at the future of VR in baseball when he said “…The headset’s a little much for me right now, but I’m sure it’s going to get smaller, lighter and better as we move forward.”

There is a method of use for VR that Manfred could be hinting at. Right now, the cameras that are linked to the review center are positioned in or around the press box of a ballpark. What Manfred could be hinting at is a camera that is small enough, yet packed with enough resolution to be positioned inside of the Home Plate Umpire’s helmet, and possibly another camera that would be positioned on the bottom side of a base umpires hat.

While it sounds like a fantastic idea, there are several issues that could become very prominent. Starting with the base umpire, if the umpire is blocked by the runner, and has to make a call without the best possible angle, then looking at a replay from that same angle would be useless. Second, how much would this weigh the umpire down? How heavy will it be? It would proably be to heavy. Third, the technology of VR would have to develop drastically to work with the base umpires; to get a camera that small with that resolution would be near impossible with today’s technology.

Moving on to the home plate umpire, there are two points that arise. First, balls and strikes are not reviewable, so discussing that is useless. Second, the camera angle now for plays at the plate has worked unless the umpire blocks it, which is very rare.

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Is Virtual Reality worth it? Looking at the cost, which would easily be millions of dollars to supply the right kind of camera to each umpire is ridiculous. Second, after paying that, there is such a minuscule difference between the quality and efficiency of VR and those same qualities on what is currently in place that the upgrade is not worth it.