The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system has arrived in the regular season this year for the first time, bringing significant change and an added element of strategy to games.
Los Angeles Dodgers batters struggled with judging calls in Spring Training, which prompted a team-wide meeting to discuss how they can improve heading into the regular season.
Through six games, the Dodgers rank ninth in baseball with a 63.6% success rate when challenging calls. That includes pitcher and catcher challenges, with Will Smith having a keen eye in particular.
Smith has gone 5-for-7 (71.4%) in ABS challenges and is tied with the Tampa Bay Rays’ Nick Fortes for most calls overturned among catchers.
“Yeah. It’s the strike zone. There’s times where it’s a little more valuable to challenge,” Smith answered when asked if he now has a better understanding of the ABS challenge system.
While Smith is happy to have helped some calls go the Dodgers’ way, he would prefer not needing to be in a position to do so.
“I don’t know. It’s good to overturn it, but also kind of frustrating he didn’t call a strike,” Smith said.
“You want the strike, obviously, but sometimes you want it to be the other way around where you stole a strike. It’s fun. It’s a good element to the game and something you’ve got to keep working on.”
The ABS challenge system allows players on either offense or defense to challenge a call by tapping their cap or helmet, but only the batter, pitcher, and catcher can do so. Additionally, a challenge must be made within two or three seconds of the umpire’s call, and without any assistance from the dugout.
Challenges are retained if a team correctly disputes an umpire’s call, but lost if they lose a challenge. Thus, there is some strategy involved to ensure clubs don’t waste an opportunity and miss out on potentially challenging a call later in the game.
ABS challenge system impacting MLB player heights
A byproduct of the ABS challenge system was an astounding amount of modifications to players’ official heights across the league. It was recently reported more than half of the hitters on Opening Day rosters had their heights reduced, while a small group actually saw an increase.
Because the ABS system requires precise measurements to create the digital strike zone, many players could no longer artificially inflate their heights, whether intentional or not.
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