I’ve said before that I favor computers calling balls and strikes in baseball as soon as that becomes viable. A human error can decide the outcome of a game, but it should be a miscue by a player, not an official. Until the system is automated, umpires should be paid much better than starvation wages in the minor leagues, which is the case now. With no guarantee of ever making it and no real salary, it’s hard to attract and keep the best. That leads to the most stubborn people, not the most qualified ones, ending up in the majors. That’s why you see so many argumentative umps in the bigs.

From “Five Important Issues for Next Commish.” by David Schoenfield at ESPN:

“Instant replay and quality of umpiring 

We finally get expanded replay next season, so that should help resolve some of the controversial and blown calls. It remains to be seen how effective and efficient the system will be, but it can be adjusted as necessary. Just as importantly, the new commissioner has to work to improve consistency of ball/strike calls and reduce the episodes of ump rage. 

Right now, the best umps (Eric Cooper, Chad Fairchild, Phil Cuzzi) get about 90 percent of ball/strike calls correct, according to our pitch data; the worst umps (Wally Bell, Tim Welke, Kerwin Danley, Jerry Meals) are at 86 percent. That difference may not seem like a lot, but that’s a spread of 10 incorrect calls per 250 pitches. Even a 90 percent correct rate means thebest umps are missing about 25 to 30 ball/strike calls a game. Maybe the human eye can’t do better, but MLB needs to pay its umpire better, and in particular pay minor league umpires a living wage, so you can recruit from a wider field of candidates.”