MLB fans distressed with umpire performance early on this year: "Home plate umpires just love to f**k us with terrible calls"

MLB umpires have a focused lens on them with the rise of robot umps. There is technology out there that can call accurate balls and strikes and not completely alter a game with a bad call and it may be coming sooner rather than later. In the meantime, every single call by an umpire is scrutinized.

When they miss calls badly, and they often seem to do, it can have an effect on the outcome of a game. There's more to a win or loss than an umpire's single call, but it is something that is happening more and more to the lament of fans.

The latest example has MLB fans up in arms. In a close game between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the victim of a poor strike call.

On a pitch that was both low and inside, the Blue Jays slugger was rung up by the home plate umpire. Baseball fans have sent their ire toward him, but this is only the latest in a long line of bad calls this year. It likely won't be the last, either.

This call has frustrated the fans. Umpiring seems to be on a steady decline with nothing being done to prevent it.

Bad calls on the basepaths can be overturned via challenge, but strikes and balls cannot. They can't even be argued, so these calls are made and they impact the game and whether they're right or not, that's the end of the discussion.

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MLB umpires should do better

With a robotic umpire coming sooner or later, MLB umpires should work with some urgency. Human error is a big part of the game, but routinely missing calls like the one above are happening far too often.

MLB umpires are bad this year

They know their main job is to call balls and strikes and that a robot can do it almost perfectly. Why they haven't even attempted to get better is shocking. Their job may eventually be obsolete, but there's no urgency to improve.

Until they do, teams will continue to suffer for their inaccuracy and perhaps get thrown out or lose games.