How is the rotation of the umpiring crew determined? Has something changed since the 1999 season?
— A. Webb Umpire crews are determined at the start of the season. Generally a crew will work together throughout the entire playing season. Temporary changes occur, but generally you will see the same crew together through the year. Jim Joyce works on Crew J with and Terry Craft, Bill Miller. Jim McKean, originally the crew chief of this crew, is out with a knee injury, and Jim Joyce is the acting crew chief. Since we no longer have American League or National League umpires (only MLB umpires), there are 17 crews. Crews therefore go to cities fewer times than they did when there were nine National League and eight American League crews.
