MLB is cool with ABS. But is new rule a Trojan horse for 100% robo-umps?
MLB is cool with ABS. But is new rule a Trojan horse for 100% robo-umps?
Bob Nightengale, USA TODAYWed, April 8, 2026 at 9:54 AM UTC
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PHOENIX — The fans love it.
The umpires tolerate it.
The players are getting used to it.
And after nearly two weeks of the ABS challenge system implemented in Major League Baseball – with 585 challenges already through Monday – we can't help but wonder if a full automated strike zone comes next.
“I hope not,” Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I think the human element is super important. I don’t want to lose the catcher catching a close pitch and being frustrated, but not willing to challenge. That element of the game I think is important.”
Still, there are others who believe robo-umps are coming soon, just the way instant replay was slowly implemented in baseball. It began in 2008 only on home run calls, to now being available on virtually every play.
So, why just make sure that calls are right with two challenges a game when you can assure that every pitch is called correctly?
An overturned call displayed on the scoreboard at Citi Field.
While strategy still is being formulated on the proper times to challenge a call (seventh through the ninth innings are the most popular) or what players on a team are permitted to make a challenge (only 14 by pitchers), there definitely has been a side effect.
Silence from the dugout.
“The benches are a lot quieter during the game," Hinch said. “You don’t hear the razzing with players and umpires."
There has not been a single player ejected from a game this year, and only five managers.
“We’re definitely going to see ejections go down to record lows,” Atlanta All-Star first baseman Matt Olson said. “Why argue when you can go to replay?"
Indeed, there’s no reason to scream at the umpire when you can simply tap your helmet and challenge.
How does ABS work in MLB?
Certainly, the challenge system has already had a critical effect in some games. Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies turned a strikeout into a leadoff walk that turned into an eight-run inning last week. Arizona Diamondbacks DH Adrian Del Castillo turned an inning-ending strikeout Tuesday into a two-run, game-tying single against the New York Mets.
“I’m happy they have that system," Albies said. “That changed the whole game."
While the challenge system can certainly lead to some embarrassment for umpires, with the entire ballpark now able to judge them in real time, and being held accountable just as the players and managers are
“I think people will understand just how hard their job is," said Arizona Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen, “and how good these umpires have gotten over the last few years with the emphasis on the strike zone."
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Gallen, one of four players on the MLB Joint Competition Committee, personally leaned against the ABS challenge system, but the Diamondbacks were among the 23 teams who voted to accept it.
“I think it will be interesting to see if we have a buffer zone in the future," Gallen said, “so if the pitch is close enough, the call can just be confirmed instead of being a tenth of an inch off. Flip a coin at that point."
Tigers starter Casey Mize, who is also on the competition committee, spoke to umpire crew chief Bill Miller about his views on the ABS challenge system, and was told it simply will take time for the umpires to call the strike zone based on their height, and not their stance.
“That’s when it becomes difficult," Mize said. “You think of a player like Juan Soto who really spreads out or a guy like Cody Bellinger who stands straight up. He was saying with it being stance-based, it was different strike zone. But it’s not a stance-based strike zone, it’s a height-level strike zone. And it makes it challenging. And these guys being in the league as long as they have, this is literally brand new to them.”
It’s certainly a tougher task for veteran umpires who have never had the ABS challenge system in the minor leagues. Miller has umpired in the major leagues since 1997, but until opening day in San Francisco, had never been exposed to the ABS in a regular-season game.
“Being in the league as long as they have," Mize said, “this is literally brand new to them. They haven’t had a crash-course on it outside of a few spring training games. ... They’re kind of doing the best they can. Unfortunately, social media is probably going to blow them up for it."
MLB ABS stats
It will take time, Mize says, but eventually, everyone will adjust to the zones, and there should be fewer challenges as the season progresses. Of the 585 challenges through Monday’s games, 54% of the calls were overturned.
“I think you’re going to see a pretty good amount of challenges early on,” Mize said. “I think they will start to die down as umpires and players come to know the zone a little better. It’s designed to fix the egregious ones. So, to see the ones that are less than one inch off, you kind of roll your eyes a little bit. But it’s available to challenge, so you can do it."
Well, it may not be available quite to everyone. While the pitcher, catcher and hitter are permitted to challenge, pitchers have challenged just 14 times.
“Pitchers are not allowed to call it,” Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said of hs team's strategy. “I want the catcher to take control of that. So the catcher for the battery, and then the hitter. I want to be armed with one in the seventh inning or later.’’
And it better be used in a high-leverage or crucial moment, Lovullo tells his players.
“A 1-0 fastball with two outs in the fourth inning isn’t necessarily an impact moment,” Lovullo said. “So we want to have high impact with a high degree of certainty.
“But you’ve got to be certain. So, we talk about two balls off, a ball-and-a-half off, before you start checking in or out of that.”
The Minnesota Twins lead the major leagues with 34 challenges in their first 10 games, and have been successful 20 times, 58.8%. There are 11 teams who have challenged less than 20 times.
“I think ABS has been really effective," Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters. “I like how it’s working out, and I’m pleased because I think we’ve done a good job with it.”
The irony, of course, is that Shelton was the first manager this year who was ejected arguing about the ABS challenge system. He thought that the Baltimore Orioles took too much time before deciding to challenge a call in the ninth inning instead of the allotted two seconds.
“It’s a whole new ballgame," Gallen says. “It takes time for all of us to get adjusted to it.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB ABS system a Trojan horse for full robo-umps? 'I hope not'
Source: “AOL Sports”
