Major League Baseball announced today that 10 umpires have been promoted to the full-time Major League staff.  The newest members are Erich Bacchus (pronounced BACK-us), Adam Beck, Nestor Ceja (SAY-ha), Shane Livensparger (LIVE-en-spar-gurr), Nick Mahrley (MAR-lee), Brennan Miller, Malachi Moore, Edwin Moscoso, Alex Tosi and Junior Valentine.

Four (Beck, Ceja, Moore and Moscoso) of the 10 new Major League Umpires are graduates of MLB’s Umpire Camps held at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, California, and two (Livensparger and Mahrley) have served in the United States Air Force.  All of the new Major League Umpires have worked Major League Spring Training games since becoming call-up umpires:

• Erich Bacchus, 32, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2012.  The Maryland resident has 234 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire during the regular season. 
• Adam Beck, 34, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2013.  The Florida resident has 253 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 
• Nestor Ceja, 35, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2012.  The Texas resident has 253 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 
• Shane Livensparger, 38, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2009.  The Florida resident has 382 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire.  Shane became a Second Lieutenant in the Air National Guard this past December. 
• Nick Mahrley, 40, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2007.  The Arizona resident has 473 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire.  Mahrley has served in the United States Air Force.
• Brennan Miller, 31, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2013.  The Virginia resident has 195 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 
• Malachi Moore, 32, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2012.  The California resident has 156 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire.  Malachi, who has deep ties to the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, plans to wear number 44 in honor of retired Major League Umpire Kerwin Danley. 
• Edwin Moscoso, 33, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2014.  The Venezuela resident has 333 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 
• Alex Tosi, 34, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2011.  The Missouri resident has 187 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 
• Junior Valentine, 35, has been a Minor League Umpire since 2011.  The Tennessee resident has 233 games of Major League experience as a call-up umpire. 

       The new umpires fill the slots left by the retirements of 10 veteran Major League Umpires:

• Ted Barrett worked 26 years as a Major League Umpire, including five World Series.  He was the home plate umpire for the 18-inning Game Three of the 2018 Fall Classic between the Boston Red Sox and the host Los Angeles Dodgers, which spanned 7 hours and 20 minutes.  His 139 career Postseason games worked are the second most all-time, behind only the 151 by the retired Gerry Davis.  Ted is the only umpire ever to work the plate for multiple perfect games (David Cone’s on July 18, 1999 and Matt Cain’s on June 13, 2012); he also called balls and strikes for Ervin San­tana’s no-hitter on July 27, 2011 and was at first base for Seattle’s combined no-hitter on June 8, 2012, just five days before Cain’s gem.  The former amateur boxer was ordained as a minister in 2007 and holds a doctorate in theology. 
• Marty Foster worked 24 years as a Major League Umpire.  Marty began his umpiring career in 1986 in a Denver summer league.  He worked the 2000 Opening Series between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in Tokyo.  A proud moment for Marty was having his late father-in-law, former Midwest League President George H. Spelius, on a Major League field one last time for the 2016 All-Star Game in San Diego. 
• Greg Gibson worked 24 years as a Major League Umpire.  Greg officiated the 2011 World Series, five League Championship Series, 10 Dvision Series, and the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.  The Kentucky resident called balls and strikes for both Randy Johnson’s perfect game at Atlanta on May 18, 2004 and Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter vs. Colorado on June 18, 2014.
• Tom Hallion worked his 30^th year as a Major League Umpire in 2022.  He was the crew chief in the 2021 World Series and also worked the 2008 Fall Classic. Known for his signature strike three call, Tom was on the field in some capacity for seven no-hitters in his career.  He umpired the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 and was behind the plate for the finals between Japan and Cuba at San Diego’s Petco Park.
• Sam Holbrook worked three World Series in his career of more than 22 years, and he was behind the plate for one of the most epic games in Baseball history: Game Seven of the 2016 World Series, when the Chicago Cubs won at Cleveland to capture their first World Series Championship since 1908.  Sam has served on the board of Umps Care, the official charity of the Major League Umpires.
• Jerry Meals worked 26 years as a Major League Umpire.  Jerry was behind the plate when Kerry Wood matched a Major League record with 20 strikeouts in 1998.  He worked the 2014 and 2020 World Series. Jerry was one of the umpires who represented MLB during the 2006 Japan All-Star Series, he worked the Toronto round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and he was behind the plate for Justin Verlander’s no-hitter at Toronto on May 7, 2011.
• Paul Nauert worked the 2017 World Series and the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis in his career of more than 22 years.  Paul was a part of the crew that worked MLB China Series 2008, the league’s first games in China, and the 2008 Japan Opening Series.  His first baseball memory was attending a Louisville Colonels game with his father.  At his first Major League game in Philadelphia, Paul’s father attended, and he left an empty seat for his mother, who had passed away two years earlier. 
• Jim Reynolds officiated the 2014 and 2018 World Series, the 2004 and 2018 All-Star Games, and the 2004 Japan All-Star Tour during more than 23 years as a Major League Umpire.  The Massachusetts native worked the final game at Tiger Stadium and the first game at Comerica Park.  The University of Connecticut product long served as Treasurer/Secretary of Umps Care.
• Tim Timmons was assigned to the 2018 World Series and the 2009 and 2019 All-Star Games during more than 23 years as a Major League Umpire.  The Ohio State University product was a part of the crew that worked MLB China Series 2008, the first MLB games ever played in China, and the 2008 Japan Opening Series.  Tim’s proudest moment as a Major League Umpire was the first game after the September 11^th attacks, when he felt just how important baseball was to America. 
• Bill Welke worked the 2015 World Series, four League Championship Series, five Division Series, three Wild Card rounds, and the 2003 and 2016 All-Star Games during more than 23 years as a Major League Umpire.  The Michigan native and his older brother, former Major League Umpire Tim Welke, were paired on the same crew in the 2005 regular season and again from 2008-2010.  Bill is a graduate of Western Michigan University. 

Michael Hill, Major League Baseball’s Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations, said: “On behalf of Major League Baseball, it is a pleasure to thank these 10 retiring umpires for their professionalism, leadership and contributions to the game.  We wish them and their families well as they conclude their accomplished careers.  I also congratulate our 10 new Major League Umpires and our staff’s seven new crew chiefs.”

With these retirements, the new crew chiefs are longtime Major League Umpires Lance Barksdale, Dan Bellino, Chris Conroy, James Hoye, Adrian Johnson, Alan Porter and Todd Tichenor.  Johnson and Porter are the second and third African American crew chiefs ever, joining Kerwin Danley, who was a crew chief in the 2020 and 2021 seasons prior to retiring.