Atlantic League to Use Robot Umpires in All Games Starting July 25

Serious changes continue to appear on the horizon in the MLB. As Commissioner Rob Manfred attempts to shorten game times, boost offense and make any changes necessary to improve dwindling fan interest among younger generations, the MLB is at a crossroads unlike anything it's seen before. Now, it could have a huge effect on the way the game is officiated.

The Atlantic League, a professional baseball league which has an agreement to be the MLB's surrogate for rule experimentation, plans to use a new automated umpire system to call balls and strikes for the remainder of the season after some brief experimentation.

This will be a hotly-contested topic for fans and prognosticators over the coming years. While some believe the implementation of robot umpires is virtually inevitable, baseball purists will point to human error as an irreplaceable part of the charm of America's pastime.

Just the mention of automated officiating in the MLB seems like it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the increasing possibility of its implementation will likely discourage aspiring umpires from pursuing that career path for fear of being replaced.

Thankfully, we won't necessarily lose moments like the Aaron Boone's escapade below as human umpires (still feels weird to say) have the ability to override the computer system if necessary.

Ultimately, the automation of umpiring in the MLB seems to be much more of an imminent possibility than the idea of stealing first base, another rule which the Atlantic League added this season.

As sad as it may be, the game could be going digital sooner rather than later.