David Lennon: MLB's automated ball-strike system will be a challenge for everyone
A general view of the scoreboard during an ABS challenge during a spring training game on Feb. 27, 2025 in Goodyear, Arizona. Credit: Getty Images/Tim Warner
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Chris Sale raised eyebrows earlier this week in announcing that he will “never” challenge any umpire’s calls when the new Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS) takes effect for the 2026 regular season.
For the fiery Sale, a perennial Cy Young candidate and one of the game’s most lethal pitchers, it sounded like a curious strategy. Why forfeit the right to overturn a potential missed call, which, on the surface, always seemed like a pitcher’s dream?
Isn’t this the exact thing everyone wanted?
Maybe, maybe not. Turns out, Sale has company in the Mets’ clubhouse.
“I think I’m not going to put myself in that situation,” Manaea told Newsday. “I think as pitchers, we’re worried about too many other things — like executing the pitch, we’re moving [on the mound], so it’s kind of hard to judge. And, honestly, our catchers are great, so I trust their opinion way more. I tried it in the minor leagues and I didn’t even like it.”
Manaea voices concerns that plenty others have as well. How can a player trust himself, in the heat of competition, to make a level-headed judgement regarding the strike zone? The concept sounds easy. But that’s for those of us analyzing the pitch on a press-box video monitor or from the living room couch on a 65-inch flat screen.
Up close? That 98-mph fastball or spinning back-door slider is barely more than a blur — never mind figuring out if it dots the black or not. Under this challenge system, which was first deployed in the minors back in 2022 but not auditioned by MLB until last year’s spring training, an umpire’s call can only be challenged by the pitcher, catcher or hitter — without input from the bench of teammates — and must be done within two seconds.
Each team receives two challenges per game, and the challenge is retained if correct. Also, the path of the pitch, as monitored by the 12-camera Hawk-Eye tracking system, is immediately shown on the stadium’s scoreboard so fans can see the verdict as soon as the teams do. MLB loves the entertainment value of this challenge format — as opposed to relying full-time on an automated strike zone — but it’s going to take some getting used to for players, managers and umpires alike.
To that end, the Mets continued their familiarization with the new rule Saturday by using an “umpire” — actually, catching coach J.P. Arencibia, fully-outfitted in the tools of the trade — for the live BP sessions on Clover Park’s main field. Manaea and Nolan McLean took turns on the mound facing Marcus Semien and Kurt Senger, then the players huddled with Arencibia and some coaches armed with the Trackman data on tablets.
The main objective was for Manaea and McLean to get their pitching reps in. But having Arencibia there also helped give everyone an idea of reading the strike zone in real time — along with the umpire’s call. It’s much harder than it looks, and it looks very, very difficult.
“I think it’s going to be an adjustment,” Semien said. “We’ve had a lot of things over the years that are new rules or new additions to the game that we’ve had to adjust to. This is a big one. The thing that I like is that it’s not automatic for the whole game. Calling balls and strikes are still a human element. And you have to make a decision pretty quick as to whether you want to use a challenge or not.
“I got a pitch against Manaea that I thought about challenging, and then after the fact, we went back and said, yeah, it was very borderline, but it was a ball. So you kind of learn that OK, that one could have went either way. When you see one that’s a pretty big miss, that’s the time to use it.”
Ideally, sure. Semien had a tough task Saturday, basically showing up on his first day, a Rangers duffel bag over his shoulder, unpacking and then jumping into the box against live pitching — particularly against a ramped-up McLean, who’s ahead of nearly everyone else as he preps for the World Baseball Classic.
Semien’s strike-zone radar probably isn’t in midseason just yet. But as a 13-year veteran and two-time Silver Slugger who’s finished third for MVP twice, he knows what he’s doing in the batter’s box. Even for him, it’s tough to feel confident in the calls.
“The funny thing is we’re always trying to learn the strike zone and control the strike zone anyway,” Semien said. “Now it’s measured, and you’ll see it, and the fans will be able to see it. When it went down, I don’t think it was something that players were open to initially because it’s just different and scary.”
Scary for the managers, too. They’re left to trust these impactful, game-turning decisions to probably the least trustworthy people on the field -- only because the players are susceptible to the emotions of the moment. It’s not like they can step back and check out video replay. They’re only going by what they see with their own eyes and instantly reacting to it.
Just like an umpire. But that’s what the umpire is specifically trained to do, at the highest level of the sport, and they’re not 100% right either. The players are new at this aspect of the game, and that’s why managers and team officials are wary of their ability to be successful at it.
“We saw it last year in spring training — guys being wrong,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “That’s why being an umpire is not an easy job. People complain. And then, alright, here’s the challenge system, go ahead. They put it up on the board, and [the players] are like, man, I missed that one big-time.”
Adjusting to ABS over these next six weeks isn’t necessarily about getting better at challenging calls. For some players, it’s fully realizing how bad they actually are at it and maybe convincing them not to try so the precious opportunities aren’t wasted. For now, the Mets don’t have any strict policies about how they’ll handle the new rule — like who gets the green light or not (figure on Juan Soto for sure). But you get the sense that Mendoza & Co. will probably have a list together by the end of camp.
“The biggest thing for me is I want players to be baseball players, right?” Mendoza said. “I want pitchers to pitch, I want hitters to hit and catchers to catch the baseball. I don’t want hitters trying to be an umpire. I don’t want pitchers to be an umpire. They’ve got to go out there and play the game.
“As spring training progresses, we’ll see. Everybody’s going to be free to challenge in spring training. If they want to challenge, go ahead. And then we’re going to start tracking. Then we’ll come up with some guidelines.”
Mendoza understands none of this is going to be perfect. Just like the umpires themselves.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
