10 Best MLB Umpires Of All Time

Last Updated on August 25, 2023

Umpires in MLB in an inseparable part. Some of the MLB umpires in baseball are legends. Moreover, some MLB umpires are young, but their accuracy and consistency are excellent. So, who are the best MLB umpires in baseball sport?

Bill Miller is my list’s number-one MLB umpire because of his entire career. Secondly, Tripp Gibson, John Libka, Alan Porter, Pat Hoberg, and Nic Lentz are also the best umpires in the major league. Similarly, you may hardly avoid Ryan Blakney and James Hoye from the major leagues’ list of best umpires.

Though there are other legends of umpiring in baseball, I will make a short list for you, including the 10 best umpires in the major league. Stay connected to know the selected legend umpires and learn about them in detail.

Table of The Best MLB Umpires

This table provides a quick view of the selected 10 best umpires in major league baseball. The table includes all of the umpires’ accuracy, consistency, and debut time. So, let’s break down the following table.

RankUmpire NameAccuracyConsistencyDebuted Time
1Bill Miller93.5%93.6%1997
2Tripp Gibson95.1%94.2%July 8, 2013
3John Libka94.7%.2017
4Alan Porter94.3%93.2%2010
5Pat Hoberg95.5%94.3%31 March in 2014
6Nic Lentz94.5%93.8%2016
7Ryan Blakney94.1%93.6%April 21, 2015
8James Hoye93.5%93.4%8 June, 2003
9Gabe Morales93.5%93.1%April 2, 2014
10Ryan Additon93.3%92.7%May 21, 2017

Source: Umpscorecards

11 Best MLB Umpires

1. Bill Miller

Bill Miller

Bill Miller is a legendary MLB umpire on the MLB history. He is the most successful umpire in MLB sports, without any doubt. This great career helps me bring him to my list’s first position. Let’s talk in detail about this legend.

First, he was born May 31, 1967, as William Scott Miller. Miller started his journey in 1997 in the American League of MLB. Undoubtedly, he was a great umpire in MLB with most accuracy.

On the other hand, Bill has been an umpire in MLB in the 4-world series and 2 All-Stars games. The accuracy of Millar is 93.5%, with his consistency clocking in at 93.6%. This is the world’s most accurate in MLB than other umpires.

Overall, he was replaced by another great umpire, Joe West, as the president of the MLB Umpires Association in 2019. After analyzing this Umpire’s career, without any doubts, I said that he was a legend in MLB.

2. Tripp Gibson

Tripp Gibson

Let’s introduce another legend of MLB umpire. Tripp Gibson debut debuted his career on July 8, 2013, at 39. He made himself a capable and worthy umpire for different MLB leagues.

You may wonder if Gibson took part in the 2022 World Cup umpire crew. Moreover, he was also a substitute teacher prior to the entry of the major league. Tripp is also known for his accuracy in umpiring.

Gibson is always a pitcher-friendly umpire in MLB. The accuracy rate of this umpire is 94.9% and 94.2%. Similarly, his 0.5 runs favor per game is also the lowest in entire leagues.

After analyzing his career, I can’t down his rank on my content. He is definitely dominant on the second position of this list. Like Miller, he is also a legend on the MLB umpire list.

3. John Libka

John Libka

In the present day, John Libka is the best umpire in baseball sport. In the 2017 major league, this umpire is doubted at the age of 35. John is the leading number 3-position on my list. Note he is the youngest and newest umpire in MLB today.

The number of his uniform is 84. He did the umpiring in 2022 for Wild Card Games. This season highlights his career and also helps him to make his career with more bright.

On the contrary, Libka is a hard-working umpire. He focuses on the game so that accuracy comes with a better score. Undoubtedly, this umpire is also a blessing for MLB today.

According to Michigan native accuracy, his accuracy is 94.7%. It is better than 1.36%, which is better than his expected accuracy rate. On the contrary, he gives 0.5 runs of favor per sport.

4. Alan Porter

Alan Porter

Alan Porter is a great umpire in MLB who was born in 18 December 1977. At the age of 45, in 2010, he debuted in MLB. He has been a full-time member of the MLB staff since the 2013 season.

His accuracy rate in MLB is 94.3%, and 93.2% consistency. The accuracy and the consistency make this umpire all-time great in MLB. Moreover, Porter also built his career impressive with 0.4 runs of favor per game.

Moreover, he also umpired two times World Series in 2015 and All-Star games. He also umpired in several MLB games with great accuracy.

Furthermore, Porter wears 64 number uniform. Unfortunately, the hitter bats injured him in 2010 between the Astros and the Pirates. Alan Porter recovered and returned stronger, inspiring him to work better than before.

5. Pat Hoberg

Pat Hoberg

Unlike some of the umpires in MLB, Pat Hoberg is one of the best MLB umpires nowadays, without any doubt. He is considered a neutral umpire as he doesn’t favor the hitters and the pitchers.

Pat was born on September 11, 1986. But he debuts on 31 March 2014. At 36 age, he takes part in the umpiring crew 19, which Chris Conroy leads. He is also one of the youngest umpires in MLB sport.

Similarly, Pat Hoberg also participates in the 2022 World Series umpire crew. It is the turning time for Pat to highlight his career. With 95.5% of accuracy and 94.3% consistency, he earned one of the best umpires in both categories.

Unlike the above umpires, he gave 0.3 runs of favor per game. It also helps him earn the top rank in the major league. Undoubtedly, his best umpiring helps him get lots of honor and makes him a legendary umpire.

6. Nic Lentz

Nic Lentz

Nic Lentz is another great umpire on MLB. He is a part of the umpiring crew number 3, which Ted Barrett leads. Nic was born in 1989, and he debuted his career at the age of 33 (2016). Lentz has ejected New York Yankees in 2018.

He wears 59 number uniform and umpiring at the 2022 Division Series. This time, he highlights his career and goes ahead without facing any troubles.

Let’s talk about this accuracy and consistency. The accuracy of Lentz is 94.5%, and the consistency of 93.8%. Moreover, he provides 0.3 runs of favor per game, which is truly good enough on MLB.

He is also a top-earning umpire in MLB. He earned lots of popularity throughout his career and worked hard to provide more accurate performance without any doubts.

7. Ryan Blakney

Ryan Blakney

If you are still looking for the best MLB umpires of all time, you may choose Ryan Blakney. He is one of the best umpires with 94.1% of accuracy and consistency of 93.6%, while he provides 0.4 runs of favor per game.

He debuted his career on April 21, 2015, at the age of 37. Washington Native was promoted to be a full-time umpire in the big leagues before 2020. After debuting his career as an umpire on MLB, he works with more accuracy.

On the other hand, his uniform number is 36. He is a part of the umpire crew, which Marvin Hudson leads. Wearing 36 number uniform, he was doing umpiring at the 2021 Wild Card games and 2022 division. In this series, he was able to highlight his career.

8. James Hoye

James Hoye

This is another great young umpire today in MLB. James Hoye is a great umpire because of his accuracy, consistency, focus, hard-working, and others.

He was born on 8 February 1971. He takes part in the umpiring crew number 8 led by Paul Emmel. James debuted in MLB as an umpire on 8 June 2003, at the game of 52.

However, the accuracy rate of this umpire is 93.5%, and the consistency of the umpire is 93.4%. On the other hand, James just provided 0.5 runs of favor per game. Similarly, he also provided 0.12 runs of impact per call.

In his long whole career, he has taken part in World Series twice and also taken part in the All-Star game once. The uniform number of this legendary umpire is 92.

9. Gabe Morales

Gabe Morales

Let’s welcome another youngest MLB umpire on my list. His uniform number is 47. You always found him on this uniform number. Undoubtedly, he is the best youngest umpire in MLB.

Gabe Morales debuted his career in MLB as an umpire on April 2, 2014. After debuting, he takes part in the umpiring crew number 19, which Bill Welke leads. Gabe umpired All-Star game in 2022. Moreover, he also umpired crew for Wild Card games in 2018 and 2020. Moreover, he is also umpiring for the Division series in 2021.

With 93.5% accuracy and 93.1% consistency, and 0.5 runs of favor per game, he is one of the best umpires in MLB. Moreover, Gabe has averaged 0.13 runs of impact per call.

10. Ryan Additon

Ryan Additon

Ryan Additon is also the best MLB umpire on my list. He was born on December 5, 1985. At the age of 37-year old Florida native made his debut on May 21, 2017.

A part of the umpiring crew number 14, the umpiring group is led by Mark Carlson. He will be a full-time umpire in the major league from February 4, 2022.

In addition, the accuracy of this umpire is 93.3%, and consistency of 92.7%. Moreover, he is provided an average of 0.5 runs of favor per game and 0.13 runs of impact per call. However, Additon wears 67 number uniform in the game.

Who Is the Best MLB Umpire?

The biggest MLB umpire is Pat Hoberg, with an accuracy of 95.5%. He is also a legendary umpire in baseball sport. This accuracy and consistency are more than any other MLB umpires.

According to my research, Bill Miller is the biggest MLB umpire in baseball sport. Why? Because of his entire glorious umpiring career. He did 4-times World Series umpiring and 2 times All-Star games.

Undoubtedly, Pat Hoberg and Bill Miller are the biggest MLB umpire in baseball. The above-selected umpires are also the best umpires in the major league, without any doubt.

Is MLB Using Robot Umpires?

MLB probably used robot umpires in 2024 for major league baseball. Still, MLB doesn’t use any robots for umpiring. But, it may have a chance to use an MLB robot umpire in 2024 because the authority is working on it.

Rob Manfred told ESPN that they are going to use robots as an umpire in baseball in 2024. He thought that robots could change the game speed. Rob told that robots may work much better than human umpires.

FAQs (Frequently Ask Questions)

Q: What is an MLB umpire’s salary?

Answer: The average salary of an umpire is $235,000 in the 2023 season. Moreover, the rookie umpire’s salary is $150,000. Based on the umpires’ performance, they get a salary. However, experienced umpires get a $450,000 annual salary.

Know more: How Much Do MLB Umpires Make

Q: Are there any female MLB umpires?

Answer: A female MLB umpire has never been in the big leagues. You may find female umpires in minor leagues or the training institute of the baseball sport. In the baseball story, the female umpires never take the parts of umpiring in the big leagues.

Wrapping Up!

You will get a huge number of umpires in baseball history, but all could be better. However, Pat Hoberg is one of the most accurate umpires in baseball. The above 10 are the best MLB umpires who are also legends of baseball. My research helps you to get a clear concept of a leading list of umpires in MLB.

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