Major League Baseball’s recent adjustment to the strike zone has sparked frustration among players, including San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb and Los Angeles Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
This season, MLB reduced the “buffer zone” – the leeway umpires had for calling borderline pitches – from 2 inches down to just three-quarters of an inch. That means pitches that were called strikes last year are now being called balls. And many players say no one even warned them.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb is one of the many players who feel blindsided.
“If it is smaller, I do think we should be told that it’s smaller, and that the buffer zone might be smaller,” Webb said.
“Everybody’s zone has shrunk,” Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud told The Athletic. “Every (umpire) across the league.”
Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud also spoke up, saying the new zone is affecting his approach at the plate. “Everybody’s zone has shrunk,” Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud told The Athletic and added, “Every (umpire) across the league.”
Phillies reliever Matt Strahm, who recently voiced his opinion on torpedo bats, also claimed that he was unaware of the changes.
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“I was unaware of that,” Strahm said. “I thought everything was going to be normal after spring (training, when MLB tested an electronic ball-strike challenge system). Go back to what we’ve been doing. I guess I wasn’t aware that the (buffer zone) has shrunk.”
Dips In The Accuracy Of MLB Strike Zone Calls
According to data from Baseball Savant, the accuracy of strike calls has dipped in 2025, especially when it comes to calling actual strikes.
In March and April this season, umpires correctly called strikes 87.2% of the time, a slight drop from 88.6% in 2024 and 89.4% in 2023. While the accuracy of ball calls has slightly improved to 88.6%, the overall accuracy across all ball-strike calls in 2025 stands at 88.2%, down from 88.0% in 2023 and 87.5% in 2024.
So while the zone technically calls balls more “accurately,” it now offers pitchers less consistency and forgiveness, especially when they hit the edges.
MLB’s competition committee will probably discuss the impact of this rule tweak in Friday’s meeting. For now, players are still adjusting to the unusual rule.
Also Read: VIDEO: San Francisco Giants Star Logan Webb’s Interview Interrupted By Teammates Massive Fart
