Electronic Umpires Coming This Spring

 

 

 

Dateline: 318 kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Major League Baseball is experimenting with the Automated Ball Strike System or ABS in spring training. Cameras are set up around the field to track pitch location. It has been tested in the minor leagues since 2021. This spring will be the first test in major league games. The system will be used in 60% of the major league games this spring. MLB wants to determine whether the system is suitable for the Big Show. They also want to see if any changes or tweaks should be made. It will not be used in regular season games this year. The particulars: Each team gets two challenges at the start of the game. The pitcher, batter or catcher can challenge an umpire’s call. The challenge must be made immediately after the umpires call without assistance from the dugout or other players on the field. As in the replay challenge, a successful challenge is retained. The team will lose its challenge if the umpire’s call is confirmed. Reds’ manager Terry Francona held a meeting with his pitchers to explain the new rule. Veteran players have not been exposed to it. Younger minor league players have used it the last four years. He also had a zoom meeting with coaches whether or not to use the system or not. Pat Kelly, who has over 2,000 wins as a minor league manager, is familiar with the system. The Reds are planning not to use it early in the games while veterans are playing but will use it late in the game when the younger players are in the game. “We will address it with our guys before the games start,” Francona said. “We will discuss it more with our staff. We talked to Pat Kelly because they use it.” “Number one we are not going to use it in the season. You don’t want to start thinking about it as a strategy, because it’s not. Saying that, the league is trying to figure out if it is something that we’re going to use, so you don’t want to make a farce out of anything like that. I think the league does a pretty, good job of just never throwing things against the wall. The fact that they want to try it out, I’m fine with it. We will talk about it more as a staff. My guess is we won’t use it early in the games. When the kids come in late in the game, we’ll use it because they’re used to it anyway and then we can see how it works.” The goal is to eliminate egregious calls, not the common questioning of each and every pitch. The human element could be lost with automation creeping into the game. “If you look at the evolution of umpiring, think about it, guys throw 100 miles per hour. Everything’s on TV now. There’s a pitch this far (holding hands less than six inches apart) off the plate and everybody says the umpire stinks. When you have both dugouts yelling at you. They’re pretty good.” “I didn’t know how I’d feel about replay. I think they’ve done a pretty good job with replay. You have 20 seconds to decide to appeal. If you can’t figure it out in 20 seconds, I have no business yelling at an umpire who has to look at it in regular motion,” Francona said. “Is it perfect? No. They didn’t put it in for when a guy steals second and his foot slips off the bag but nothing’s perfect but it’s been pretty good.” The umpires are shown that they’re right a lot. “I think the umpires do a good job,” Francona said. “They’re human like we are. Some days are better than others. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” Francona made the point that baseball purists won’t like the change but younger players will.