Major League Baseball will test two new, "advanced" replay system during games starting next week in New York, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports is reporting. If the systems prove valuable and accurate, an "overhaul" of the replay system prior to next season is possible, Passan reports.
The systems are radar- and camera-based, such as those used in tennis for the boundary calls. Citi Field and Yankee Stadium will be the sites where MLB does the testing, but definitely take note that the system won't be used to officially replay calls during the games. The upcoming games in those stadiums will still take place under current MLB rules, it's just that the advanced replay system will be tested by MLB officials during the games.
Major League Baseball currently only uses instant replay on home runs -- fair/foul, fan interference, did it clear the fence? etc.
There's no specific word just yet on how much replay will expand if these advanced systems work. In late July, commissioner Bud Selig said that baseball would look into expanding replay to include catch/no-catch situations in the outfield ("trapped balls") and fair/foul issues on line drives down the line.
We can only hope that obvious misses on out-safe calls on the basepaths are included as well. You don't even need advanced technology for some of them. Remember Jerry Hairston and Todd Helton in Colorado? This is what we're fighting for.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.
