Better Know An Umpire: Angel Campos

Welcome to Better Know An Umpire, an effort to educate ourselves on the human elements who have ultimate decision-making power over some 2,500 Major League Baseball games a year. (All cumulative statistics are through the 2011 season, unless otherwise stated.)

Name: Angel Campos

Uniform number: 84

Age: 38

Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 190 pounds

First year as MLB umpire: 2007

Total MLB games worked through 2011: 473 (home plate: 111)

Previous experience: Pacific Coast League, Texas League, California League, Midwest League, Northwest League, Venezuela Winter Professional Baseball League, Mexico Winter Professional League

Career ejections: 11

No-hitters called: None

Over/under record ( 2007-2011): 48-29

Hated in: Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Anaheim

Notable alleged blown calls: Angels-Orioles, April 22, 2012; Cardinals-Pirates, May 1, 2012.

Claim to fame: Was scheduled to call a game on Sept. 11, 2010 in Cleveland, but his appendix ruptured during a long rain delay. Campos was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery and missed the rest of the season.

Scouting report from Major League Umpires' Performance, 2007-2010, by Andy Goldblatt:

His totals from 2007 through 2009 showed that he had one of the biggest strike zones in the major leagues ... yet his R/9 was 10.08, six percent higher than average. ... Even though 2010 evened things out somewhat, Campos's four-year R/9 is more than seven percent higher than the major league average, ranking him the fourth-most run-friendly umpire ...

Scouting report from an Angels fan blog:

If major league umpire Angel Campos is not on the take to manipulate baseball games he should be. Both teams got mocked at the plate by this cartel conspirator, this dreamkilling fleshbag of deceit, this hoarder of power, this dark angel of campfoddery. He was behind home plate this afternoon and it appeared at times that he was behind lots else.

Average K/9 ( 2011): 14.4

Average BB/9 ( 2011): 5.9

Sample PITCHf/x strike zone: July 24, 2008. This is what a 1-0 game looks like where neither teams draws a walk. Time of the game: Two hours even.

True fact: Nearly ejected Yu Darvish last Sunday for talking to his catcher.

Strike 3 call:

To check out other installments of Better Know An Umpire, click here.