Handicapping Major League Baseball means taking a look at a whole bunch of different factors. I closely examine umpires for their tendencies when they are behind home plate. Why wouldn’t you want to consider this information? The home plate umpire has so much control over the game. Today, I want to take a look at three umpires who have a long history of being good for over bettors (hitter friendly). Keep an eye out for these umpires behind the plate.
All statistics mentioned below are 5 year averages for the last five full seasons.
- Alfonso Marquez (79 Overs 55 Unders) (63.02% of pitches strikes) (9.79 runs per game)
Marquez has consistently shown to be a good over umpire over the last few seasons. He ranks among the ten lowest umpires in percentages of pitches called a strike. His strikeout/walk ratio is also a very low 2.39. That is also among the ten lowest in the majors. 59% of games going over the total and all the underlying numbers pointing strongly toward the over is enough to make him a top over umpire.
2. Mark Wegner (60 Overs 47 Unders) (63.09% of pitches strikes) (9.97 runs per game)
Wegner hasn’t done quite as many games behind the plate as Marquez, but if anything his underlying numbers are even stronger pointing toward an over umpire. Wegner’s strikeout/walk ratio is an extremely low 2.23. This suggests Wegner is very hesitant to ring up batters on that third strike. The last couple years Wegner’s numbers have been even stronger toward the over than the overall five year trend.
3. Edwin Moscoso (73 Overs 43 Unders) (62.75% of pitches strikes) (9.98 runs per game)
Moscoso has the single lowest called strikes percentage of any regular MLB umpire during this period. He consistently pinches the strike zone and makes it very tough on pitchers. In this time period, 62.9% of his games have gone over the posted total. His strikeout/walk ratio is a really impressive 2.22. Moscoso is making it really hard for the pitcher to get a called strike three. He is a younger umpire, but he is one to watch.