Ask every baseball fan, player and manager to name the single worst umpire in the sport and the answer would be completely unanimous – Angel Hernandez.
Regarded as arguably the worst umpire in Major League Baseball history, Hernandez keeps making horrific mistake after mistake after mistake.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he keeps getting assignments.
The whole situation would be comical if it wasn’t so frustrating.
Any umpire can (and does) make mistakes. But it’s a constant, reoccurring theme with Hernandez and it’s gotten to the point where the baseball world is wondering what exactly will it take to finally fire him???
During a recent episode of the “Foul Territory” show, host Scott Braun and FOX MLB insider Ken Rosenthal delved into the growing concerns surrounding Hernandez’s umpiring.
Rosenthal questioned where the line should be drawn for the league to intervene, highlighting the need for accountability.
“My thought is, what is the line for a league or a person of authority to have to interfere? … What is the line when suddenly, finally someone will step in?” Braun asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Rosenthal responded. “There has to be a line, right? There has to be a line where you tell the umpires union, ‘enough is enough. We cannot stand this anymore.’”
Rosenthal’s inquiry stemmed from two particularly egregious incidents involving Hernandez this season.
One instance involved a contentious call during a Yankees-Blue Jays game, where Hernandez allowed a pitch to be thrown after the pitcher had stopped his motion, resulting in confusion and frustration for the players involved.
Another incident occurred during a matchup between the Astros and Rangers, where Hernandez’s mindboggling strike zone came under fire.
According to umpire scorecards, Hernandez missed a significant number of calls during a recent Padres-Brewers game, further fueling criticism of his performance.
In response to the escalating pressure, Rosenthal reached out to an umpire for their perspective.
“I basically said, ‘Where is your line? Why aren’t you guys embarrassed by this?” Rosenthal said. “I know to a certain degree umpires are going to close ranks, but I thought this was so exceptional, and not in a good way, but so out there that maybe I would get a reaction.”
Surprisingly, the umpire defended Hernandez, describing him as a respected figure among their ranks.
“This umpire did not go there. He said, ‘Frankly, we all make mistakes, the scrutiny on Angel is too much.’ Now, he didn’t excuse (the Rangers calls), he agreed (those were) not good at all, what happened in that at-bat with Wyatt Langford, but he said, and this surprised me: The umpires love Angel Hernandez. They think he is just a quality human being, a great guy.”
Rosenthal added that even though Hernandez may be a “nice guy,” there has to be some accountability at some point.
“I would think there is enough evidence here. We’ve all seen it over the years to think that Angel Hernandez probably doesn’t belong in this group anymore,” Rosenthal said. “But, again, that was the reaction I got and I was surprised to get it.”
Former MLB catcher and show host A.J. Pierzynski emphasized the importance of holding umpires to a high standard of performance.
Pierzynski pointed out that while Hernandez may be pleasant off the field, his on-field decisions ultimately impact the outcome of games and should be subject to scrutiny.
“I liked Angel as a guy too,” Pierzynski said. “Angel, when you see him, is the nicest guy. ‘Hey, brother, how are you?’ The nicest guy in the world. And then he messes up, and you’re like, ‘Angel, we kind of missed that one.’ And he’s like,’ Yeah, I know, but it’s OK, it’s only one strikeout of three.’ This is my at-bat you’re taking out of my hands.”
“Nice guy. Nice conversations with him. But at the end of the day, I’m judged on my performance. He should be judged on his and all these guys should be,” he added.
While Hernandez has been excluded from top postseason assignments by MLB, he has not faced disciplinary action for his inexplicably poor performances, which seem to happen one after another.
The Umpire Union is known to be quite strong, which may help explain why Hernandez has been so untouchable.
But when will enough be enough???
What are your thoughts on Hernandez?
What will it take to finally get him out of baseball???