12:52pm: As expected, the ABS challenge system has been approved, per an MLB announcement.
11:50am: Major League Baseball’s Joint Competition Committee will meet today to vote on the implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike system for the 2026 season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. The 11-person committee — comprised of six owners, four players and one umpire — is expected to approve the ABS system for next year.
It’ll be a radical shift to the game’s identity — one that many fans feel is overdue but many others oppose with fervor. The strike zone will not be fully automated if and when the ABS system is approved. Rather, the challenge system that has been used in the minor leagues, during spring training and during this year’s All-Star Game will be in place.
Under the incoming ABS system, any pitcher, catcher or hitter will be able to tap his helmet or cap to signify his desire to challenge a ball or strike call from the home plate umpire. Teams are afforded two challenges per game but are only docked a challenge if it is unsuccessful. Once a team has two unsuccessful challenges, they’ll be out of challenges for the remainder of the game. In theory, there’s no limit to the number of successful challenges a team could go through in a game. Challenges must come immediately after a ball/strike call is made; the dugout cannot have the team’s replay coordinator review the pitch and call for a challenge 10 to 15 seconds after the pitch was delivered, for instance. The challenge result will be shown on the on the scoreboard immediately after a challenge is granted.
For many players, this system will be second-nature. The ABS system was first implemented in the low minors back in 2021. It’s been standard at the Triple-A level since 2022. More veteran players got their first taste of it during spring training 2025 and will have all of the 2026 spring schedule to acclimate to the changes. As with any notable change, there will be some hurdles and probably some hiccups in the adoption, but the league’s hope is surely that — much like the pitch clock and, to a lesser extent, instant replay — it will quickly become a fairly seamless integration.
Forget the challenge system, just fully automate it.
Better yet, why not just put a pitching machine on the mound? And why stop there? Just have AI simulate the games and we won’t need anyone on the field!
Disingenuous reply.
No, it was a perfectly sincere reply expressing an opinion with which you do not agree. Big difference.
BlueSkies: It’s fine to not want any automation of the strike zone (though I do disagree there), but what’s disingenuous is suggesting that replacing some aspect of the umpiring with an automated system is in any way tantamount to replacing the players themselves with machines.
Meow: I get your point — slippery slope arguments always rely on some exaggeration. Still I take the argument as being sincere. It isn’t difficult to find fans arguing for automating more and more of the game. Try right here in this discussion, in fact. The danger of the sport becoming unrecognizable is real.
I want a metal robot to stand behind the catcher so that batter have something physical to direct their complaints at. It can automatically detect and eject when someone says “mother f***er”
Rezonator, i’ve been a fan of major league baseball for 40 years and I am sick and tired of terrible umpires dictating the outcomes of games and series. It is time to use the technology to correct these errors.
Why not AI based robot batters and fielders while we’re at at?
Hilarious.
the issue with that is that very close pitches especially at the top and bottom of the zone will get called incorrectly. You can always determine the width of the plate but the top and bottom change per batter. a challenge system lets the most egregious ones get changed while keeping it closer to the older game
No matter how unfair it may be, it won’t be as bad as the most incompetant humans calling it.
No, they have taken scans of each player and the strike zone adjusts depending on the batter. This is public knowledge
Or terrible hitters being fooled by the pitch
No, I will never root for machines to take over people’s jobs. Just add replay challenges for questionable strike/ball calls — five for each team, and they can decide when to use them.
When these machines enslave you and you’re working in their concentration camp, fixing their circuits in exchange for a glass of water, don’t come crying to me saying, “Oh, I have no idea how this could have happened.”
It will be still Bubba calling the pitch behind a catcher. It is just that his ever present poor judgement won’t hinder a game being played.
When machines “take over” people’s jobs, the people’s jobs get better. I started using computers in 1975. I am NOT going back. My job got better every time the computer got better. AI? Bring it. It will give us all better jobs. Now you have to work and learn more to keep up. So? What’s wrong with that? Bring it on.
Good, about darn time.
Interesting timing, especially after last night’s ump show at Petco. Roberto Ortiz was BRUTAL.
Just looked up his scorecard from last night. 84% on called strikes—that is BRUTAL. You are correct!
It was absolutely horrific. Definitely one of the worst ump performances I’ve seen
Love this over fully automated. Best of both worlds. Natural flow of ump calling balls and strikes but still holds them accountable for blatant missed calls.
Totally agree. The challenges make things interesting too.
Keep rooting for these robots. When they enslave you and you’re working in their concentration camp, fixing their circuits in exchange for a glass of water, don’t come crying to me.
NKYF must not be real, being opposed to appropriate digital remedies for a bad strike zone is a bad take and inexcusable.
It’s just a matter of time before they take over the world, thanks to people like you. Little by little, they’re going to enslave you. Wadeboggs, you’ll soon be just a number. Don’t come crying to me when that happens. You’ve been warned.
That’s the third copy of that response in this thread. Almost like a bot…
@crise, you are the bot if you don’t complete this CAPTCHA 5F22BH in a reply.
George Noory much?
That’s still a better outcome than Joe West.
Angel Hernandez just announced he is sueing MLB to be the umpire on the newly formed committee. He filed the paperwork at a Lens Crafters in Manhattan.
Manhattan, Kansas. He couldn’t see his boarding pass correctly.
This is a good thing. Having watched it for years in Triple-A, the players and fans will really like it, especially the graphics on the Video Boards. At this point, most of the MLB players have already seen its benefits in Triple-A.
It will show just how good the umpires can be when they want to be, and will limit the spiteful retaliation by umpires.
The only problem will be if a team runs out of the two challenges. Then, they’re fair game for the umpires.
I’d like to see the system go back to the original 3 challenges per team.,
P.S. – Never let a pitcher challenge. They’re awful at it, while the catchers and hitters are usually quite good.
Interesting point about a pitcher’s accuracy in challenging balls/strikes versus batters and catchers. I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sure someone in baseball is keeping track of those stats.
I guess something has to be done. I may be in the minority on this, but it seems to me umps are making more and more bad calls.
The challenge system is ridiculous when the purpose of the system is to get the calls as correct as possible. Why are the players also tasked with being umpires?
It also feels counter to Manfred’s obsession with speeding up the pace of the game.
It’s not, though. The process is very quick, unlike video replay challenges.
It completely disrupts the flow of the game. Example being in the ASG, there was a strikeout to end the inning. Guy challenges it. Adds additional time guys are standing around doing nothing and delays the excitement of an inning ending strikeout in a big spot. Contrary, you get a big inning ending K on a close pitch? Pitcher celebrates only to find out it was a ball. Watching it felt awkward. Just make it fully automated if you’re going to do this.
Can’t wait for some player to earn their team’s/media’s/fans’ ire by frequently blowing through his team’s challenges on pitches that weren’t even that borderline.
Vladdy Jr is going to be humbled at the beginning for sure
Ha ha. Yes. This happened in cricket. Players got the selfish rep for always blowing their teams challenges. Mercilessly mocked. It’s a skill.
I really wonder about how it’s going to go when I see some players pitch a fit at called strike 3 that the TV zone at least shows as being a clear strike. But it’s hard to know if all those complaints would go to challenges or not.
Jazz will blow through it in his first AB every game.
Jazz was the first guy who came to mind xD Although I think if there’s actual challenges on the line he might rein it in a bit.
Managers probably shouldn’t even let hitters challenge unless trailing in the 9th inning. Pitchers probably shouldn’t either as the catchers have the best idea of the zone.
What a bunch of crap. This whole thing is stupid. You are taking the human element out of the game. No wonder the game of baseball is just going to crap.
No, what’s stupid is allowing terrible umpires to completely change the outcome of a game with erroneous calls. If a player doesn’t perform in the majors, he gets sent to the minors or released. Why aren’t umpires held responsible for their performance?
Lol so Fan6591 watches the game for the umpires, not the players eh? Weird position to take
Yawn
One thing I can’t stand about football and basketball is the subjectivity of fouls. It seems that by rule, in football there’s holding on nearly every play in football and pass interference on nearly every contested passing play. It’s just a matter of when refs decide to call it. In basketball, there are fouls on basically every contested play near the hoop. I can’t stand how much refs decide the games in those sports.
This being adopted in MLB, along with replay already being in place, really takes away how much an umpire can screw up a game. I love this. The game should be between the players and teams, not the umpires.
Bingo.
Now they need to actually define checked swings.
They’re working on it.
I have mixed feelings about the automated strike zone. I am a bit romantic about the umps calling the zone, correct or not. But we have the technology not to have to put up with incorrect calls. For now, I think the challenge system, while imperfect, is the right way to go. Baby steps I guess. I do think if it goes well then a fully automated zone will come sooner or later.
As a frequent ump during my childhood pickup softball days, I have similar feelings. The kids today are not going to know anything about (playfully) kicking dirt, tossing bats and basepads onto the field, spitting seeds, and shouting.
Pathetic. All in or nothing.
Why is the binary the best options? Like saying let’s have fully automated cars or walk. It’s a tool of a trade not an extinction of a function.
Because wrong calls impact the game way beyond just a single pitch. I’d rather see it the other way around, have the calls all be automated with a possible override option. All the calls can be made in real time by machine and human. This will actually improve human accuracy. If there’s a glitch, you correct the call. None of this challenge garbage. Get every ball and strike call correct. That’s what I want.
This needs to happen. But I really want it to be tinkered with so you don’t get BS calls like this (a ball 99% outside the zone is a ball. sorry)
reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/1iy689k/bo_naylor_u…
A ball that touches the zone is a strike, sorry.
Will Yankees fans still be crying when their 8 foot tall silverback still gets rung up?
Apparently KBO already has fully automated ball strike system. Why is the supposed ‘world standard’ of baseball lagging behind? Why not just fully automate it instead of a challenge system?
My concern of a fully automated system would be how ugly catching would become. Outside of when runners are on base, what reason would a catcher have to frame a pitch? He could literally just catch it however he wanted, not stick it and still get the call. I just think it would look really sloppy and unprofessional.
I think it would make catching better, as the only thing teams care about is pitch framing, Without pitch framing, catching would return to emphasizing traditional skills like blocking balls in the dirt, controlling the running game, avoiding catchers interference, and hitting. Catching is incredibly sloppy now, as these other facets of the game are discarded in favor of pitch framing.
Because they want to give major league catchers and pitchers a chance to make adjustments to the ABS system. Lots of catcher and pitcher tandems currently lean on catcher pitch-framing to get their calls. MLB parks also need more data to fine-tune for a full ’27 ABS rollout.
The umps are still greatly involved. There are only 2 incorrect challenges for each team. If the challenges are successful over and over the umps will either be forced to improve or the incompetent umps (and there are plenty of them) will be exposed. I welcome the new system.
very good.
next item of business: dismantling the umpire’s union.
Why have umps.Do every thing by cameras and sensors?Might streamline the game even more for the people who need to watch Netflix.Can’t sit through a game and enjoy the outdoors.But no umps mean no arguing.Which slows the game down.Make it that coaches can talk on the frequency so no more mound visits.Unless it is to change pitches.Anything to speed the game up.Maybe start of with a 2-1 count like most softball leagues i have played in.That would speed up the game.No more than 2 foul balls.Then your out.If you hit a homerun ,you don’t run the bases.
the union.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m really hoping we see commercials while a pitch is reviewed.
Knowing MLB could profit from this would make it much easier to support.
Fanduel. You can make a quick bet on your smart TV whether the challenge will be overturned.
Longtime fan here, back to 1967, when I was six. The umps simply miss too many calls in key situations. Maybe it was always that way but it sure is now.
I remember Charlie O’Brien getting Maddux calls 10-12″ off the plate. How do you even hit that?
Is the quality of an average major league player with 30 teams just as good as it was with 20 teams? That’s might answer your question.
I’d say far far better. Stronger, faster, better conditioned. Major leaguers now obviously come from all over the world. The talent pool population wise is much deeper.
Long time fan here also. Umpiring is definitely more difficult today because of how pitching has changed. For the most part every pitcher can throw near 95 mph and many can add curves or sliders near that velocity. I welcome the challenge system.I would like to know how many pitches were overturned in spring training games this year.
Thank god. The umpires just are not capable of accurately judging balls and strikes as ball speed and movement have grown.
I love this! Mostly to shatter the false confidence of a select few idiots behind the plate.
It was AMAZING in the all-star game. I’m so happy about this.
Twins fired their scouts,too many mediocre to terrible teams, robot umps, analytic overload,stat nerds getting erections during games, advertising on every inch of the field and Manfred is a toady for asswipe owners. It’s all about $ and making casinos happy. It used to be a good game
@jhanley108
Just look at old style stadiums. They were plastered with ads everywhere.
Not helmets, handrails, mound, bathroom, microphones, green screens-it’s a transactional game now.
Just go fully automated. Cut out the middleman and the wasted time of challenges.
Moving forward. Good to see. There will be issues. The first game that is decided by a very very close challenge could be a spectacle ! Losing folks will be unhappy.
Can’t wait to a ball/strike call to be challenged on the last out of the World Series. Full count. Ball 4 called. Pitcher challenges and wins and that’s how the WS ends? Welcome to the league of postponed drama.
It will help account for the wild framing that had been going on. But I still think 2 things could happen that would make it easier for Umpires. One: give them pitch coms so they can hear the pitch and be ready for what they are looking for or 2: use vision technology (like smart glasses) to see the strike zone defined.
Watching the challenge system in spring training games, I was less bothered by it than I thought I’d be. In this limited use I’m fine with it being implemented in real games. Still, I have to laugh at the fans who think they somehow invented complaining about umpires. Guess what? It’s as much a part of the game as the ground rule double, and always has been. So stop already with the demands to “perfect” a game that’s pretty damned perfect already.
But it isn’t perfect. The strike zone varies from umpire to umpire, some players get favorable calls while others don’t, and you had horrific umpires like Angel Hernandez who should have been fired decades ago.
I figured someone would try to argue against my point and prove it at the same time. Congrats on being the first. Next?
It satisfies the player’s egos. It gives the fans a compromised version that appeases both sides of the argument. It satisfies the umpire’s egos.
And yet the challenge system doesn’t solve the issue of balls and strikes. There will still be wrong calls.
This solution will only appear to address the situation. This is a political change, and a pathetic one at it.
The best case would’ve been to do the automatic but not rub the umpire face into it. Let the umpire call it out but if they get the answer in their ear. This way they can defer if they miss it or aren’t certain. Some way to at least keep their human skills without their mistakes interfering. And take all the silly boxes away from the broadcasts. The point of this technology is to provide incredible faith in the balls and strikes from the umpires. The less fans have the answers, the more players trust the umpires, the better the on field game goes. Unless the idea that drama makes for better entertainment is what is really happening.
This is to remove bias and just terrible umpires from the game. I don’t care about the umpires’ feelings. If they don’t want to get upset, then do a better job and stop holding grudges.
At the SABER conference in Dallas they mentioned that the difference between one missed call on a 1-1 count changes the whole game. 2-1 vs. 1-2.
Judge is about to walk 300 times next year.
The strike is a lot bigger when it’s automated. They’ll need to shrink the zone if they don’t want offense to drop more than it already has.
The strike zone is already defined in the rule book. Supposed to be letters to the knees, but then that shrunk to basically belt to the knees. At least now you won’t have worry about pitches a foot off the plate being called a strike now, or umpires with a bias to start calling pitches off the plate against certain hitters, or not calling strikes for certain pitchers.
Ed – glad someone else remembers when it was “letters”. Yes, it seems like a belt high fastball is either crushed or called a ball!
Good thing Angel Hernandez retired. His games would have taken 6 hours to get through with this new system.
At some point, Angel would have cracked and charged the operator and kicked him out and destroyed the system!