Jul 24 2009
New Jersey Ump Starts His Pro Career
New Jersey’s Mike Walsh made his debut as an umpire in the Gulf Coast League. He hopes this will be the first strike toward the major leagues.
The 23-year-old Walsh, from Old Bridge, has umpired local baseball and softball leagues since 2004. He enrolled in the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires in Florida. Wendelstedt spent 32 years umpiring games in the big leagues. His school feeds college and professional leagues. The faculty is composed of high-level professional umps, including 11 current major leaguers.
Walsh finished at the top of his 120-student class. Along with 25 other students, he was selected to attend the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp. (PBUC) camp in March. PBUC is responsible for the training, evaluation, and recommendation for promotion, retention, or release of all umpires in the minor league baseball system throughout the United States and Canada. PBUC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL).
After he excelled at the 10-day camp, Walsh and eight others were offered umpiring jobs in the Rookie League (the Florida Gulf Coast League).
This Mike Walsh got his encouragement from his father, also Mike. The senior Walsh is a well-respected local umpire who has worn ump blue for 38 years.
“My dad told me I should try it because it would be a good summer job,” the younger Walsh said. “He taught me the basics and I got better with each game, and I started picking up some things on my own.”
At the Wendelstedt school, participants thoroughly reviewed the rulebook — spending three to four hours a day in the classroom in addition to on-field instruction and game situations. At the PBUC camp, the focus was on the nuances of the two-man umpiring system employed in the lower minor leagues, college, junior college and high school.
“It’s a tough system because you can’t see everything,” he said. “You have to keep your focus, be in position and just try and do the best you can. You also have to be able to work well with your partner, and that comes down to training and communication.”
Like everyone else, umpires make mistakes, and Walsh acknowledges that it’s impossible to be perfect. The toughest calls for him include plays at first where the first baseman may have pulled his foot off the bag too soon and a swipe tag play where the fielder is pulled off the base while trying to tag a sliding runner.
“You always want to get a rules interpretation right, and if I’m not sure, I’ll always ask my partner for help,” Walsh explained. “Judgment calls are almost always bang-bang. You have a split second to make the call you have to call as you see it.”
He’ll be on his own and earning $1,900 a month plus housing and meals this season. The PBUC will rank the 16 umps in the Gulf Coast League. Those at the top of the list are likely to move up to Class A ball. If an ump does not move up after two years in rookie ball, he or she is released.
“I want to do well and keep improving,” Walsh said. “My goal, along with everyone else, is to one day make the major leagues. That’s the ultimate experience. And as an umpire, you have a great job with the best seat in the house.”
