2023 CCS Year-End Umpire Award Winners

Close Call Sports announces recipients of its 2023 Year-End Umpire Awards, thanks to your nominations and comments. Read on for Crew Chief, Fill-In, Most Improved, Honorable, Promising, and the hallmark Best Overall Umpire of the Year awards.

(Best Overall) Umpire of the Year: Quinn Wolcott.

Runners-Up: Chris Guccione, Brian Knight.

Quinn Wolcott is the CCS 2023 Umpire of the Year after finishing the 2023 season with the highest cumulative plate score on staff, including the best seasonal score since modern-era tracking began in 2015. For his efforts, Wolcott received his first career World Series assignment, having officiated a 2023 American League Division Series two rounds earlier.

Seven Other Awards and Video follow (via "read more"):

2023 CCS Year-End Umpire Awards Nominations Open

Close Call Sports announces its annual Umpire Ejection Fantasy League Postseason Awards and opens nominations and elections at this time. You may vote for 7 different award categories. Reply to this post if you wish to campaign for or explain why you chose a certain umpire for a specific award.

Post-Season Awards Include:

a. Umpire of the Year (min. 1 / max. 1 umpire) +5

b. Promising Umpire of the Year (min. 1 / max. 2) +3

c. Bernice Gera Honorable Umpire (min. 0 / max. 1) +2

d. Fill-In Umpire of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1) +2

e. Most Improved Umpire (min. 0 / max. 1) +1

f. Crew Chief of the Year (min. 0 / max. 1) +1

g. Best Ejection of the Year (min. 0 / max. 2) +1

h. Most Disappointing Season (min. 0 / max. 1) -1

In lieu of the postseason awards ballot, we will be accepting nominations via replay/comments on this post or on our other social media outlets.

An eligible umpire may be selected for as many or as few awards as that umpire is eligible for; Ballots will be accepted until 11:59pm on Sunday, November 19, with awards distribution beginning shortly thereafter.

MLB Umpire Jeff Nelson Retires After 27 Year Career

Veteran MLB umpire and crew chief Jeff Nelson has retired after 27 years of major league service, according to Nelson's hometown StarTribune.

Nelson leaves the highest level of baseball having officiated over 3,100 big league games, beginning with a National League stint in 1997. Nelson officiated six Wild Card Series, eight Division Series, nine League Championship Series, and four World Series during his major league career.

Nelson racked up 75 total MLB ejections during his career, the first of Alex Arias, Barry Bonds, and Ricky Bottalico during an intentional HBP and bench-clearing brawl situation in 1998, and concluding with Brian Sweeney on September 8, 2023.

Video as follows:

2023 MLB World Series Umpire Roster

Major League Baseball assigned seven umpires to the 2023 MLB World Series featuring the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks. Bill Miller will serve as crew chief while Alfonso Marquez will be backup chief. Five of the seven-person crew are officiating their first career World Series.

Crew Chiefs are indicated in bold text and by the -cc suffix with regular season crew chiefs denoted by an asterisk (*). Those working their first World Series are marked with ^1st WS^. The following listings feature Game 1 configurations such that the plate umpire from Game 1 will work right field in Game 2, and all other umpires will move clockwise (e.g., 3B becomes 2B). Games 4 and 5 plates are if necessary. All World Series umpires are taken from a pool of umps who officiated the 2023 AL and NL Division Series.

MLB World Series (Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers) Umpires:

HP: DJ Reyburn ^1st WS^ [Game 1 Plate]      [2 WC, 4 DS, 1 LCS, 1st World Series]

1B: Alfonso Márquez* [Game 3 Plate]            [3 WC, 12 DS, 6 LCS, 5th World Series]

2B: David Rackley ^1st WS^ [Game 4 Plate]  [4 WC, 3 DS, 1 LCS, 1st World Series]

3B: Brian Knight ^1st WS^ [Game 5 Plate]     [3 WC, 5 DS, 1 LCS, 1st World Series]

LF: Vic Carapazza ^1st WS^ [Game 6 Plate]   [2 WC, 6 DS, 2 LCS, 1st World Series]

RF: Bill Miller* -cc [Game 7 Plate]                 [6 WC, 11 DS, 8 LCS, 5th World Series]
Reserve: Quinn Wolcott [Game 2 Plate]           [3 WC, 4 DS, 1 LCS, 1st World Series]

World Series Replay Review: Lance Barrett, Todd Tichenor.

Video as follows:

MLB Postseason Ejections P1-3 - Hudson, Hoye (HOU-TEX)

HP Umpire Marvin Hudson ejected Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu (throwing at Rangers batter Adolis Garcia) and Rangers RF Garcia (fighting) and LF Umpire James Hoye ejected Astros manager Dusty Baker (arguing ejection) in the bottom of the 8th inning of the #Astros-#Rangers game. With none out and one on, Rangers batter Garcia took a first-pitch fastball from Astros pitcher Abreu for a hit-by-pitch. Replays indicate the pitch was located inside and struck Garcia in the upper left arm, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejections, the Rangers were leading, 4-2. The Astros ultimately won the contest, 5-4.

These are Marvin Hudson (51)'s 6th and 7th ejections of 2023.

This is James Hoye (92)'s 4th ejection of 2023.

These are the 1st and 2nd ejection reports of the 2023 MLB postseason (240th and 241st overall).

These are the 97th and 98th player ejections of 2023. This is the 109th manager ejection of 2023.

Ejection Tally: 109 Managers, 98 players, 34 coaches.

This is Houston's 6/7th ejection of 2023, T-4th in the AL West (OAK 10; TEX 9; SEA 8; LAA, HOU 7).

This is Texas' 9th ejection of 2023, 2nd in the AL West (OAK 10; TEX 9; SEA 8; LAA, HOU 7).

This is Bryan Abreu's first career MLB ejection.

This is Dusty Baker's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since June 24 (Manny Gonzalez; QOC = Y-c [Balk]).

This is Adolis Garcia's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since July 8 (Gabe Morales; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

This is Marvin Hudson's 6/7th ejection of 2023, 1st since July 25 (Angel Perdomo; QOC = U [Throwing At]).

This is James Hoye's 4th ejection of 2023, 1st since Aug 13 (Brad Wilkerson; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers (ALCS Game 5), 10/20/23 | Video as follows:

September 2023 Top 5 Calls of the Month

September 2023's Top 5 Calls of the Month showcase five close plays across baseball that umpires were able to officiate correctly thanks to hustle, sound mechanics, and patient judgment.

Top 5 Calls of the Month - September 2023

5. Jeremy Riggs' swipe tag at first base.

4. Alfonso Marquez's no home run, no fan interference.

3. Ryan Additon's walk-off caught stealing at second.

2. Jeremie Rehak's catcher's interference on a swing and a miss.

1. John Tumpane gets low to call a play at the plate.

Video as follows:

2023 AL and NL League Championship Series Umpire Roster

Major League Baseball assigned 14 umpires to the 2023 American and National League Championship Series round of the MLB postseason featuring Astros-Rangers (ALCS) and Phillies-Diamondbacks (NLCS). Crew Chiefs are Dan Iassogna and James Hoye.

Crew Chiefs are indicated in bold text and by the -cc suffix with regular season crew chiefs denoted by an asterisk (*). Those working their first League Championship Series are marked with ^1st CS^. The following listings feature Game 1 configurations such that the plate umpire from Game 1 will work right field in Game 2, the Reserve umpire falls in rotation between 1B and HP (e.g., 1B->Reserve->HP->RF) and all other umpires will move clockwise (e.g., 3B becomes 2B). Games 5, 6, and 7 plates are if necessary.

AL League Championship Series (Houston Astros vs Texas Rangers) Umpires:

HP: Stu Scheurwater ^1st LCS^ [Game 1 Plate]        [2 WC, 2 DS, 1st Lg Champ Series]

1B: James Hoye* -cc [Game 3 Plate]                        [5 WC, 4 DS, 4th LCS, 2 WS]

2B: Doug Eddings [Game 4 Plate]                             [4 WC, 6 DS, 3rd LCS, 1 WS]

3B: Marvin Hudson* [Game 5 Plate]                         [2 WC, 8 DS, 3rd LCS, 2 WS]

LF: Jordan Baker [Game 6 Plate]                               [4 WC, 2 DS, 2nd LCS, 1 WS]

RF: Dan Bellino* [Game 7 Plate]                                 [2 WC, 7 DS, 2nd LCS, 1 WS]

Reserve: Mark Ripperger ^1st LCS^ [Game 2 Plate] [2 WC, 1 DS, 1st Lg Champ Series]

NL League Championship Series (Philadelphia Phillies vs Arizona Diamondbacks) Umpires:

HP: Andy Fletcher ^1st LCS^ [Game 1 Plate]        [4 WC, 2 DS, 1st Lg Champ Series]

1B: Dan Iassogna* -cc [Game 3 Plate]                  [4 WC, 7 DS, 7th LCS, 3 WS]

2B: Mike Muchlinski [Game 4 Plate]                     [3 WC, 3 DS, 3rd LCS, 1 WS]

3B: Lance Barksdale* [Game 5 Plate]                    [4 WC, 6 DS, 4th LCS, 2 WS]

LF: Tripp Gibson [Game 6 Plate]                            [4 WC, 3 DS, 2nd LCS, 1 WS]

RF: Adam Hamari [Game 7 Plate]                          [4 WC, 1 DS, 2nd LCS]

Reserve: Carlos Torres ^1st LCS^ [Game 2 Plate] [3 WC, 2 DS, 1st Lg Champ Series]

League Championship Series Replay Review: Mike Estabrook, Jeremie Rehak, Chris Segal.

Video as follows:

2023 AL and NL Division Series Umpire Roster

Major League Baseball assigned 24 umpires to the 2023 American and National League Division Series round of the MLB postseason featuring Orioles-Rangers, Astros-Twins (ALDS), Braves-Phillies, and Dodgers-Diamondbacks (NLDS). Crew Chiefs are Alfonso Márquez, Bill Miller, Mark Carlson, and Todd Tichenor.

Crew Chiefs are indicated in bold text and by the -cc suffix with regular season crew chiefs denoted by an asterisk (*). Those working their first Division Series are marked with ^1st DS^ postseason will be noted with a ^1st Postseason^ mark. The following listings feature Game 1 configurations such that the plate umpire from Game 1 will work right field in Game 2, and all other umpires will move clockwise (e.g., 3B becomes 2B). Games 4 and 5 plates are if necessary.

AL Division Series (Baltimore Orioles vs Texas Rangers) Umpires:

HP: Lance Barrett [Game 1 Plate]                    [3 WC, 3rd Division Series, 1 LCS]

1B: John Libka ^1st DS^ [Game 2 Plate]         [1 WC, 1st Division Series]

2B: Alfonso Márquez* -cc [Game 3 Plate]     [3 WC, 12th Division Series, 6 LCS, 4 WS]

3B: Cory Blaser [Game 4 Plate]                       [3 WC, 5th Division Series, 2 LCS]

LF: Quinn Wolcott [Game 5 Plate]                   [3 WC, 4th Division Series, 1 LCS]

RF: Nic Lentz                                                    [2nd Division Series]

AL Division Series (Houston Astros vs Minnesota Twins) Umpires:

HP: Brian Knight [Game 1 Plate]                 [3 WC, 5th Division Series, 1 LCS]

1B: DJ Reyburn [Game 2 Plate]                   [2 WC, 4th Division Series, 1 LCS]

2B: Bill Miller* -cc [Game 3 Plate]             [6 WC, 11th Division Series, 8 LCS, 4 WS]

3B: Jansen Visconti [Game 4 Plate]              [1 WC, 2nd Division Series]

LF: John Tumpane [Game 5 Plate]               [2 WC, 4th Division Series, 1 LCS]

RF: Roberto Ortiz ^1st DS^                          [1 WC, 1st Division Series]

NL Division Series (Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies) Umpires:

HP: Brian O'Nora [Game 1 Plate]               [7th Division Series, 1 LCS, 1 WS]

1B: Ben May ^1st DS^ [Game 2 Plate]       [1 WC, 1st Division Series]

2B: Mark Carlson* -cc [Game 3 Plate]     [2 WC, 7th Division Series, 6 LCS, 2 WS]

3B: David Rackley [Game 4 Plate]             [4 WC, 3rd Division Series, 1 LCS]

LF: Chris Guccione [Game 5 Plate]            [6 WC, 8th Division Series, 5 LCS, 2 WS]

RF: Ramon De Jesus ^1st DS^                    [1 WC, 1st Division Series]

NL Division Series (LA Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks) Umpires:

HP: Vic Carapazza [Game 1 Plate]             [2 WC, 6th Division Series, 2 LCS]

1B: Gabe Morales [Game 2 Plate]              [2 WC, 2nd Division Series]

2B: Todd Tichenor* -cc [Game 3 Plate]    [3 WC, 6th Division Series, 3 LCS, 1 WS]

3B: Will Little                                              [3 WC, 5th Division Series, 1 LCS]

LF: Jim Wolf                                                [3 WC, 6th Division Series, 5 LCS, 2 WS]

RF: Ryan Additon ^1st Postseason^            [1st Division Series]

Division Series Replay Review: Nestor Ceja, Bruce Dreckman, Junior Valentine, Chad Whitson.

Video as follows:

2023 AL and NL Wild Card Series Umpire Roster

Major League Baseball assigned 24 umpires to the 2023 American and National League Wild Card Series round of the MLB postseason featuring Blue Jays-Twins & Rangers-Rays (AL), and Diamondbacks-Brewers & Marlins-Phillies (NL). Crew Chiefs include Dan Iassogna, Lance Barksdale, Alan Porter, and James Hoye.

Crew Chiefs are indicated in bold text and by the -cc suffix with regular season crew chiefs denoted by an asterisk (*) while those working their first postseason will be noted with a ^1st^ mark. The following listings feature Game 1 configurations such that the plate umpire from Game 1 will work right field in Game 2, and all other umpires will move clockwise (e.g., 3B becomes 2B). Game 3 plates are if necessary.

AL Wild Card (Toronto Blue Jays @ Minnesota Twins) Umpires:

HP: Andy Fletcher [Game 1 Plate]                [4th Wild Card, 2 DS]

1B: Adam Hamari [Game 2 Plate]                 [4th Wild Card, 1 DS, 1 LCS]

2B: Mike Muchlinski [Game 3 Plate]            [3rd Wild Card, 3 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS]

3B: Dan Iassogna* -cc                                  [4th Wild Card, 7 DS, 6 LCS, 3 WS]

LF: Mark Wegner*                                        [4th Wild Card, 10 DS, 5 LCS, 2 WS]

RF: Jeremie Rehak                                       [1st Wild Card, 1 DS]

AL Wild Card (Texas Rangers @ Tampa Bay Rays) Umpires:

HP: Carlos Torres [Game 1 Plate]                [3rd Wild Card, 2 DS]

1B: Tripp Gibson [Game 2 Plate]                 [4th Wild Card, 3 DS, 1 LCS, 1 WS]

2B: Lance Barksdale* -cc [Game 3 Plate] [4rd Wild Card, 6 DS, 3 LCS, 2 WS]

3B: Adrian Johnson*                                    [3rd Wild Card, 4 DS, 1 LCS]

LF: Adam Beck ^1st^                                   [1st Wild Card]

RF: Alex Tosi ^1st^                                      [1st Wild Card]

NL Wild Card (Arizona Diamondbacks @ Milwaukee Brewers) Umpires:

HP: Mark Ripperger [Game 1 Plate]           [2nd Wild Card, 1 DS]

1B: Dan Bellino* [Game 2 Plate]                [2nd Wild Card, 7 DS, 1 LCS, 1 WS]

2B: Alan Porter* -cc [Game 3 Plate]         [4th Wild Card, 6 DS, 3 LCS, 2 WS]

3B: Mike Estabrook                                     [2nd WC, 2 DS]

LF: Chris Segal                                            [2nd Wild Card, 1 DS]

RF: Sean Barber ^1st^                                 [1st Wild Card]

NL Wild Card (Miami Marlins @ Philadelphia Phillies) Umpires:

HP: Stu Scheurwater [Game 1 Plate]         [2nd Wild Card, 2 DS]

1B: Doug Eddings [Game 2 Plate]             [4th Wild Card, 6 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS]

2B: James Hoye* -cc [Game 3 Plate]       [5th Wild Card, 4 DS, 3 LCS, 2 WS]

3B: Marvin Hudson*                                  [2nd Wild Card, 8 DS, 2 LCS, 2 WS]

LF: Jordan Baker                                        [4th Wild Card, 2 DS, 1 LCS, 1 WS]

RF: Edwin Moscoso ^1st^                          [1st Wild Card]

Wild Card Series Replay Review: Ryan Blakney, Rob Drake, Nick Mahrley, Brennan Miller.

Video as follows:

MLB Ejection 239 - Shane Livensparger (2; Joey Votto)

HP Umpire Shane Livensparger ejected Reds 1B Joey Votto (strike two call; QOCN) at the end of the 1st inning of the #Reds-#Cardinals game. With one out and none on in the top of the 1st, Votto took a 1-1 sinker from Reds pitcher Miles Mikolas for a called second strike before striking out on a foul tip. Replays indicate the 1-1 pitch was located off the inner edge of home plate and thigh-high (px 0.99, pz 2.66), the call was incorrect.* At the time of the ejection, the Reds were leading, 1-0. The Cardinals ultimately won the contest, 4-3.

This is Shane Livensparger (43)'s 2nd ejection of 2023.

*UEFL Rule 6-2-b-1 (Kulpa Rule): |0| ≤ STRIKE < |.748| ≤ BORDERLINE ≤ |.914| < BALL.

This pitch was located 0.91 horizontal inches from being deemed correct.

This is the 239th ejection report of the 2023 MLB regular season.

This is the 96th player ejection of 2023. Ejection Tally: 108 Managers, 96 Players, 34 Coaches.

This is Cincinnati's 11th ejection of 2023, 2nd in the NL Central (STL 14; CIN 11; PIT 10; CHC, MIL 8).

This is Joey Votto's 1st ejection since July 10, 2021 (Doug Eddings; QOC = Y).

This is Shane Livensparger's 2nd ejection of 2023, 1st since May 5 (Scott Servais; QOC = N [Balls/Strikes]).

Wrap: Cincinnati Reds, St Louis Cardinals, 10/1/23 | Video as follows: