Relegate umpires to minors? Rangers’ Max Scherzer has plans to help fix MLB’s strike zone

ROUND ROCK — So, how’d Max Scherzer feel after his first rehab start since offseason back surgery?

His multi-point, grand master plan to fix umpiring in major league baseball may suggest that he’s in midseason form. His 2 1/3 inning ramp-up outing against the Salt Lake Bees on Wednesday suggests that he’s progressing naturally in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation.

First, that umpire manifesto: Scherzer was asked about the minor league’s automatic balls and strike system. The 39-year-old said he’s not a huge fan and that baseball needs to maintain its human element. That doesn’t mean that the current working order is flawless.

“We need to rank the umpires,” Scherzer said inside a small ballroom at Dell Diamond. “Let the electronic strike zone rank the umpires. We need to have a conversation about the bottom — let’s call it 10%, whatever you want to declare the bottom is — and talk about relegating those umpires to the minor leagues.”

Scherzer maintained that a large majority of umpires “are really good” but said that there should be a system in place to help improve those on the bottom. There you have it; a solution to one of baseball’s high profile issues, all in a day’s work.

Oh, yeah, and he pitched, too. Scherzer threw 52 pitches before exiting in the third inning of in his first rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock. He gave up three earned runs on five hits (two home runs), no walks and four strikeouts.

He favored his fastball — which sat at 92.2 mph and reached 93.8 mph on 28 attempts — but mixed in all five of his pitches. The two-time Cy Young award winner elicited 11 swings-and-misses (five with his fastball, four with his slider and one apiece with his curveball and changeup) and landed nine fastballs for called strikes.

“I like where everything is at,” Scherzer said. “Physically, I feel good. Especially in that third up, getting out there to face the last hitter, I still felt like I had something in the tank to go out there and do that. That’s just part of the process of how you build up.”

Scherzer allowed base hits to two former Rangers outfielders in the first inning: Jason Martin clubbed a hung changeup 377 feet into right field for a solo home run, and Willie Calhoun singled into right on a low-and-in fastball. Scherzer threw 26 first-inning pitches, generated six swings and misses and struck out Jordyn Adams (on a slider) and Hunter Dozier (on a 93.8 mph fastball).

Salt Lake outfielder Cole Tucker drilled a high 91 mph fastball for a solo home run to lead off the second inning, then Jack López singled off of Scherzer’s slider in the next at bat. Scherzer struck out Chad Wallach on six pitches before Elliot Soto hit a cutter away into right field for a run-scoring double. The 39-year-old struck out Adams for a second time (on a slider low-and-away) for the third out.

“The first home run, that’s a 3-2 changeup,” Scherzer said. “I want to throw that changeup for a strike. If I throw that for a ball, I’m actually more mad. The fact that he hit a homer on it, it’s almost a good thing. That means I’m throwing strikes.”

Scherzer — who underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back on Dec. 15 — had originally been expected to be sidelined until June, though he cleared hurdles and met checkpoints at a rate that accelerated his timeline. He faced hitters for the first time since his surgery last Monday in Detroit and did so again on Friday in Atlanta before he was sent off to Triple-A for his rehab start.

“Obviously, I need to continue to build my arm up to try and get up to 100 pitches, and I’m in the process of doing that,” Scherzer said. “Hopefully next time out I’ll get up to 65-70.”

Scherzer would be in line to make his second rehab start on Monday, though the minor league off-day means he won’t throw again until Tuesday. Round Rock will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Double-A Frisco will be in Corpus Christi, so the exact location of his next start remains to be determined.

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