The home team is 15-2 when Tim McClelland is the home plate umpire.
The location of the strike zone can be found clearly stated in black and white throughout the
MLB baseball rule book. However, the interpretation of that strike zone by home plate umpires is anything but black and white.
That's why it's important for baseball bettors to study umpiring trends before making a wager on either the ‘side' or ‘total.'
Some umps have tight strike zones, which is conducive to high-scoring games because there are more walks and more base runners. Other arbiters have a wide strike zone, which gives the pitcher an advantage and contributes to fewer base runners and a lower scoring affair.
Studying which umpires seem to be behind the dish more often when the home team wins is also a necessary part of MLB baseball handicapping.
Since umpires rotate clockwise, it is simple to gauge who will be behind the dish in every game except the opening game of a series.
For instance, if Jim Joyce is stationed at first base in the series opener, he will be calling balls and strikes in the second game of the series. The home plate ump goes to third, the third base ump shifts to second and the second base umpires moves over to first.
Bettors leaning to the ‘under' on a particular contest will be pleased when they see Jim Wolf listed as the home plate umpire. Wolf has seen the ‘under' go 11-3 in his 14 assignments behind the dish, with an average of just 6.3 combined runs scored.
In fact, the ‘under' had cashed in 11 straight games with Wolf behind the plate from April 14 through June 18. Teams combined for five runs or less on seven occasions during that period.
Mike Estabrook has seen the ‘under' go 11-3 in 14 starts behind home plate, with teams combining to score just 6.7 runs. Estabrook began the season with the ‘under' cashing in nine of his first 11 home plate appearances.
Other MLB umpires with an ‘under' trend include Bill Davidson (11-4-2, 7.9 RPG), Dan Iassogna (11-5, 7.6 RPG), Greg Gibson (10-4-3, 7.6 RPG) and Mike Dimuro (10-4, 7.7 RPG).
Players never know what to expect when Angel Hernandez dons the mask. Hernandez has a reputation of being inconsistent, and this season has not been an exception. The ‘over' is 11-3-2 (78.6 percent) in his 16 home plate assignments, with teams combining for 10.3 runs.MLB Betting Odds
It is worth noting that Hernandez has seen the ‘over' go 7-0-2 in his last nine trips behind the dish from May 8 through his latest assignment on June 18.
Tim Welke has seen the ‘over' cash in 12 of his 15 starts behind home plate, with teams combining for a bloated 11 ½ runs.
Other arbiters with an ‘over' trend include Mike Reilly (11-5-1, 9.5 RPG), Mark Wegner (10-4, 9.1 RPG) and Ed Hickox (10-6, 10.3 RPG).
Looking to bet on the home team? Todd Tichenor would be a good umpire to see listed behind home plate, as home teams are a perfect 15-0 with him calling balls and strikes.
Other ‘homer' umps include Tim McClellan (15-2), Bill Miller (14-3) and Jerry Layne (11-3).
Check our complete list of
MLB umpire stats.