The five worst MLB umpires in the game today

4. Ted Barrett

Ted Barrett is one of the more imposing MLB umpires. He used to box with Mike Tyson back in his younger days, making him someone that, frankly, one may not want to be too argumentative with.

That does not mean that he is a good umpire. Barrett was actually the worst umpire in MLB in 2018, getting over 11.5% of his calls wrong. He is hardly someone who inspires anything close to confidence when he is behind the plate.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube to support his inability to call a game correctly. One can find such clips such as when he got four consecutive pitches wrong, or when he called a pitch six inches outside a strike. His time should have come to an end long ago.

Instead, MLB made him a crew chief in 2019. Amazingly, he is not the worst umpire on his crew either.

3. CB Bucknor

There are some umpires that pitchers love to see behind the plate due to their strike zone. CB Bucknor is one of those.

It is one thing to give pitches in a specific part of the zone but not in another. Consistency also matters, as a pitch that is called a ball the first time should be called a ball when it is in that spot a second time. That is not the case with Bucknor, whose strike zone is essentially twice the width of home plate.

This does not mean that his struggles as an umpire only favor pitchers. Bucknor is also known for his ‘foul tips,’ where he claims that the batter made contact even though the bat is several inches above the ball. It is fair to say that he has no idea what he is doing on the diamond.

It is sad when the reputation of the umpire precedes him. In CB Bucknor’s case, his horrendous ability behind the plate is noteworthy.