Ten MLB umpires are ‘set to retire at the end of the month’ – the LARGEST turnover since 1999, as baseball says goodbye to highly-experienced group
Major League Baseball is reportedly set to see off 10 umpires at the end of the month, although the retirements have nothing to do with upcoming rule changes for next season.
According to ESPN, part of the reason for the mass exodus is due to ‘nagging injuries’ for some umpires, while the others retiring at the same time can simply be explained by the timing of when they started on the job.
The turnover of 10 umpires is the largest at that job since 1999.
Former Padres manager Andy Green argues with home plate umpire Paul Nauert in 2019
The group includes crew chiefs Ted Barrett, Greg Gibson, Tom Hallion, Sam Holbrook, Jerry Meals, Jim Reynolds and Bill Welke.
Marty Foster, Paul Nauert and Tim Timmons are also retiring.
With the retirements, the league is losing years of experience.
The departing crew chiefs have called 16 World Series, while all of the retiring umpires have worked over 200 combined MLB seasons.
The turnover of 10 umpires is the largest the league has seen in the job since 1999
‘I’m so grateful to have the career that I did and to be a part of baseball history,’ Barrett, who worked five World Series, told ESPN.
‘I’m incredibly proud of the crews that I worked with and everything baseball provided for me. For all of us.’
MLB will reportedly promote or hire 10 new umpires next month with rule changes on the horizon for 2023.
The changes include bigger bases, a ban of the defensive shift and a pitch clock.
Crew chief Sam Holbrook (left) and Tim Timmons (right) are retiring at the end of the month
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