This is Scientific Americans 60 Second Science.

I'm Steve Mursky.

I think there will come a time where we will experiment

with an automated strike zone.

Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Manfred spoke February 27th at the Sport Techi State of the Industry Conference

at the Berkeley Center in Brooklyn, as the name suggests,

Sport techie deals with the intersection of sports and technology.

Back to Manfred on the automated strike zone.

The technology has gotten much, much better.

We are much closer to being able to do that.

But the way I always answer this question and it remains my answers.

Whether you have the technology or not, I think this is one of those areas

where you have to think about the management of the game on the field.

You know, the source of authority for umpires

or one of the sources of their authority

is they call a ball or strike on every single playing a baseball game and before you alter that fundamental dynamic

you really have to think through what the consequences of that's going to be.

Manfred also addressed the question of whether baseball analytics have gone too far.

I can't get enough baseball data, but I know some fans think that all the numbers and the reliance on them

for decision-making are taking some of the fun out of the game.

I don't waste a lot of time on the question of whether there is a point where analytics goes too far.

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