November 23, 2024 • 13 mins
In this episode of DiamondCast, we dive into the hotly debated topic of Automated Ball-Strike Systems (ABS) in Major League Baseball. With ABS set for expanded testing during the 2025 spring training season, we explore the timeline, the technological advancements, and the potential impact on America’s pastime. From its origins in the Atlantic League to its trials in Triple-A and the refinement of the challenge system, we cover everything fans, players, and coaches need to know about this groundbreaking shift.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Origins of ABS:
- How the Atlantic League became the testing ground for automated strike zones in 2019.
- The gradual adoption across minor league levels, culminating in Triple-A games in 2023-2024.
- Spring Training 2025 Testing:
- Details of the expanded trials in Florida and Arizona.
- How teams will experience both the full ABS system and the challenge system.
- Technological Refinements:
- Enhanced calibration for batters of all sizes.
- Faster feedback to umpires and players to maintain game flow.
- Optimized challenge mechanics for a smoother experience.
- Regular Season Expectations:
- Why ABS might not be implemented until 2026.
- How collective bargaining and player feedback shape the future of ABS.
- Impact on the Game:
- Will ABS improve fairness and consistency?
- How will it affect the rhythm of the game and the role of umpires?
Listener Takeaways:
- ABS aims to eliminate controversy over balls and strikes, but its success depends on balancing technology with tradition.
- The spring training trials will be crucial in determining if MLB is ready for a full-scale ABS rollout.
Call to Action:
What do you think about MLB’s push for automated strike zones? Share your thoughts with us on social media using #DiamondCastABS. Don’t forget to subscribe to DiamondCast for the latest insights into baseball’s evolving landscape.
Episode Links:
- MLB’s Official ABS Overview
- History of ABS in Minor League Baseball
- Behind the Scenes: How ABS Technology Works
Follow Us:
- Twitter: @BasebalClassics
- Website: BaseballClassics.com/DiamondCast
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:02):
Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up
look from the top step of thedugout. Welcome to the baseball
classics podcast covering anyseason from 1901 to the present.
We'll explore exciting pennantraces, dive head first,
analyzing and even doing somecomparisons that are bound to
(00:23):
settle an argument or start oneup. And now, here's your host,
Dean Patino.
Hello again, everybody. Thanksso much for tuning in to this
baseball classics, diamond caston the case for an electronic
strike zone in Major LeagueBaseball by 2025
(00:45):
so just before I get into thisepisode, a quick reminder to
head on over to baseballclassics.com/diamond.
View for your free. Always free,no login. Updates on major
league baseball. It consolidatesand puts everything in there
that's happening within that dayfor Major League Baseball. So we
(01:06):
update it every morning. Again,go over to baseball
classics.com/diamond,view. You get the latest rumors,
trades, news, and so much moretransactions, trades, and again,
there's a lot in Diamond viewthat we've put in there for you.
Again, we call it real timediamond view, and during the
regular season, it gives youupdated scores and the schedules
for the teams and standings, andagain, so much more. But right
(01:30):
now, believe it or not, there'sso much happening every day in
Major League Baseball. Now,Sunday is probably the slowest
day during the off season. Buteven so, there's always news
every single day during the offseason about major league
baseball. And again, we go outand bring all this information
curated for you. We put it intoone website which looks
(01:52):
absolutely beautiful on a mobiledevice. So again, treat
yourself. Tell your friendsbaseball classics.com/diamond,
view. All right, let's dive intothis episode. So baseball is a
game steeped in tradition. It'sone of the things we all love
about it, but it's also a sportthat must continue to evolve
with the time to maintain itsintegrity, fairness and fan
(02:15):
appeal, the adoption of thiselectronic strike zone
technology known as abs, theautomated ball strike system is
not merely an enhancement, it'sa necessity to uphold the sports
competitive balance and tomodernize it for the new era. So
(02:35):
first and foremost, theelectronic strike zone promises
unmatched accuracy andconsistency in calling balls and
strikes. Human umpires, despitetheir training and experience,
of course, are susceptible toerrors and inconsistencies, and
studies have shown that even thebest umpires can make mistakes
with missed calls, significantlyaffecting game outcomes. The
(02:57):
electronic strike zoneeliminates these human errors,
ensuring each pitch is judgedfairly and uniformly, thereby
enhancing the integrity of MajorLeague Baseball. Modern
audiences crave a faster, moreengaging viewing experience.
Major League Baseball hasstruggled with declining
(03:20):
viewership. I cover that inanother upcoming episode where I
talk about the case for MajorLeague Baseball salary caps.
We'll get to that another day.
Okay, so implementing anelectronic strike zone would
streamline the decision makingprocesses, reduce interruptions
of the gameplay andsignificantly cut down the time
(03:43):
of games. And we know there's alot of people that that have
wanted that. So this increase inpace will cater to broader
audiences, particularly youngerviewers, revitalizing interest
and boosting audience,attendance and viewership.
Electronic strike zone wouldalso change the dynamics of
player performance and teamstrategy, so pitchers and
(04:07):
batters would adjust theirtechniques, knowing that the
strike zone is universally fixedand unbiased. This clarity would
likely lead to more strategicpitching and batting elevating
the level of play andcompetition across the league,
games are often marred bydisputes over strike calls,
which can lead to confrontationsbetween players, managers and
(04:29):
umpires, and these conflicts notonly disrupt the game, but also
negatively impact the spectatorexperience. With an electronic
strike zone, the subjectivity ofcalls is removed, leading to
fewer disruptions andmaintaining the focus on the
game itself. Critics will arguethat an electronic strike zone
would undermine the role ofumpires. However, it doesn't
(04:53):
replace umpires. This technologywould allow them to focus on
crucial aspects of the game,such as overseeing.
Base plays, checking for playerinfractions and managing game
flow. Plus they're still callingballs and strikes. This is just
there is a check system, checkand balance system for Major
League base on now, maybesometime down the road, it may
(05:14):
replace home plate umpirescalling balls and strikes. But
again, we're not in thatterritory or anywhere close to
that right now. So this shiftcould enhance the overall
quality of umpiring and allowfor further professional
development in other areas ofthe game. So by 2025 technology
(05:34):
will certainly have advanced toa point where the implementation
of an electronic strike zone canbe seamlessly integrated into
all major league baseball games.
Trial runs in minor leagues andother professional sports
leagues have shown promisingresults. I'll get to that in
just a moment, improving thetechnology's reliability and
effectiveness. So theintroduction of electronic
(05:55):
strike zone in Major LeagueBaseball by 2025 is not just an
upgrade, it's an imperative stepforward. This change aligns with
the league's ongoing efforts tomodernize the game and adapt to
technology. Technologyadvancements by improving
accuracy, speeding up play,enhancing competition and
(06:17):
reducing conflict. Theelectronic strike zone will
ensure that baseball remains abeloved and fair sport for
generations to come. So the timefor debate has passed. The time
for action is now. So let'susher in this new era of Major
League Baseball with open armsand a clear vision. I want to
say that this topic. I wroteabout this topic months ago,
(06:41):
early in the 2020 in 2024and my case that I made about
this is that Major LeagueBaseball should bring in this
technology for the regularseason in 2025 now, at the time,
nobody was talking about it,bringing it in that soon. When I
say nobody, I mean, there mighthave been some people, but the
(07:05):
general population of of thebaseball world was not talking
about bringing that soon intothe Major League Baseball
regular season. But my case was,No, you need to bring it in
right now. It's ready to go. Andshortly after that, Commissioner
Rob Manfred announced that MajorLeague Baseball was going to
(07:25):
bring it in to test it in springtrainings by 2025 so at least
that's a step in the rightdirection. So let's talk about
that a little bit more. So MajorLeague Baseball again, they're
taking the significant stepsright now toward implementing
the electronic strike zone,again, known as the abs, the
automated ball strike system. Soduring, you know, and it's going
(07:47):
to be brought in during the2025, spring training season. So
it's been, again, long time incoming. It's been discussed for
quite some time. And thisinnovation has been around for a
while. And again, it's going tobring consistency and precision
to one of the game's mostdebated areas, of course, balls
and strikes. Now, starting inspring training 2025 here's what
(08:10):
Major League Baseball is goingto do. They're going to expand
its testing of the ABS system,incorporating it into select
spring training games, andCommissioner Rob Manfred
confirmed that the trial willinclude a mix of methods, so
some games will use the fullautomated system, while others
will feature a challenge systemwhere pitchers, batters or
(08:32):
catchers can appeal an umpirescall to the abs for review.
I'm glad that they're going tobe testing out different ways of
implementing this system. Again,I think at some point home
umpires may not be making theballs and strike calls, but I
(08:55):
still think we're quite a waysaway from that. So every major
league baseball team duringspring training in 2025 we have
the opportunity to experiencethe ABS system during again
spring training, ensuringwidespread exposure to the
technology for all the teamsbefore any potential regular
season rollout. Now, the phaseof testing will not be uniform
(09:18):
across all venues, but willstrategically focus on key
spring training sites. Theleague's goal is to fine tune
the technology in a high stakesenvironment, while giving
players and coaches meaningfulopportunities to provide
feedback. Now, the ABS systemhas already been extensively
trialed in the minor leagues.
Now it first debuted in theAtlantic, lead back in 2019
(09:44):
and has since been tested invarious minor league levels,
including triple A games in 2023and 2024
so these trials allowed MajorLeague Baseball to assess its
accuracy, speed and impact onthe pace of play.
Okay, and here's the keylearnings from these experiments
that have informed severalimprovements to the system. So
(10:08):
enhanced calibration nowadjustments to ensure the strike
zone aligns perfectly with eachbatters, height and stance,
addressing earlier concernsabout fairness and consistency
for players of varying varyingsizes. Improved feedback speed.
The system now is providing nearinstant feedback to umpires and
(10:30):
players, reducing any potentialdelays. And the challenge system
has been refined so based onfeedback from players and
coaches, the challenge systemhas been optimized to allow
quick appeals without disruptingthe game's flow. So when will it
arrive in the regular season?
Well, while the ABS system willbe a prominent feature of spring
(10:51):
training in 2025 itsintroduction to the regular
season remains tentative. Theearliest Major League Baseball
could see abs during the rareseason is 2026 now, again, I
would love to have seen it in2025
but okay, if it's going to be2026
let's make that happen now. Thistimeline aligns with the
(11:14):
league's ongoing collectivebargaining agreement
negotiations and gives officialsample time to address any
lingering concerns from players,managers and fans. So 2026 as
far as regular season, makessense from that perspective.
So Major League Baseball'scommitment to an automated
strike zone reflects its broaderstrategy to modernize the game
(11:37):
without sacrificing its essenceby incorporating lessons from
years of testing, includingadjustments made after feedback
from minor league trials, theleague hopes to ensure the
system enhances fairness andconsistency without detracting
from the game's rhythm or charm.
So as spring training 2025unfolds, all eyes are going to
(11:57):
be on this ABS system to see howit handles the pressure of near
major league baseball levelcompetition. If the technology
meets expectations, Major LeagueBaseball could soon usher in a
new era of umpiring, where thefocus shifts away from disputes
over the strike zone and back tothe game itself. And Wouldn't we
(12:18):
all love to see that everybodywould be in favor of that. So
that is my case for Major LeagueBaseball, bringing in ABS, this
electronic straight zonetechnology, as quickly as
possible. So realistically, itseems like the soonest it would
(12:38):
be in the regular season 2026but we'll take it for spring
training in 2025 and I expectedto to do very well during the
spring training testing. Again,it's been around now, tested in
the minor leagues for fiveyears. No, it's It's time. It's
time Major League Baseball doesthis. So that's a wrap for this
(12:59):
episode again. Thanks forjoining me here on the baseball
classics. Diamond cast, again, areminder. Head on over to
baseball classics.com/diamond,view, book market. You won't
want to miss it. You'll love it.
Everything that's in there foryou. So until next time, I hope
you have a terrific day andwe'll see you and the next
(13:22):
baseball classics diamond castyou.
Major League baseball fans, get ready for a close up
look from the top step of thedugout. Welcome to the baseball
classics podcast covering anyseason from 1901 to the present.
We'll explore exciting pennantraces, dive head first,
analyzing and even doing somecomparisons that are bound to
(00:23):
settle an argument or start oneup. And now, here's your host,
Dean Patino.
Hello again, everybody. Thanksso much for tuning in to this
baseball classics, diamond caston the case for an electronic
strike zone in Major LeagueBaseball by 2025
(00:45):
so just before I get into thisepisode, a quick reminder to
head on over to baseballclassics.com/diamond.
View for your free. Always free,no login. Updates on major
league baseball. It consolidatesand puts everything in there
that's happening within that dayfor Major League Baseball. So we
(01:06):
update it every morning. Again,go over to baseball
classics.com/diamond,view. You get the latest rumors,
trades, news, and so much moretransactions, trades, and again,
there's a lot in Diamond viewthat we've put in there for you.
Again, we call it real timediamond view, and during the
regular season, it gives youupdated scores and the schedules
for the teams and standings, andagain, so much more. But right
(01:30):
now, believe it or not, there'sso much happening every day in
Major League Baseball. Now,Sunday is probably the slowest
day during the off season. Buteven so, there's always news
every single day during the offseason about major league
baseball. And again, we go outand bring all this information
curated for you. We put it intoone website which looks
(01:52):
absolutely beautiful on a mobiledevice. So again, treat
yourself. Tell your friendsbaseball classics.com/diamond,
view. All right, let's dive intothis episode. So baseball is a
game steeped in tradition. It'sone of the things we all love
about it, but it's also a sportthat must continue to evolve
with the time to maintain itsintegrity, fairness and fan
(02:15):
appeal, the adoption of thiselectronic strike zone
technology known as abs, theautomated ball strike system is
not merely an enhancement, it'sa necessity to uphold the sports
competitive balance and tomodernize it for the new era. So
(02:35):
first and foremost, theelectronic strike zone promises
unmatched accuracy andconsistency in calling balls and
strikes. Human umpires, despitetheir training and experience,
of course, are susceptible toerrors and inconsistencies, and
studies have shown that even thebest umpires can make mistakes
with missed calls, significantlyaffecting game outcomes. The
(02:57):
electronic strike zoneeliminates these human errors,
ensuring each pitch is judgedfairly and uniformly, thereby
enhancing the integrity of MajorLeague Baseball. Modern
audiences crave a faster, moreengaging viewing experience.
Major League Baseball hasstruggled with declining
(03:20):
viewership. I cover that inanother upcoming episode where I
talk about the case for MajorLeague Baseball salary caps.
We'll get to that another day.
Okay, so implementing anelectronic strike zone would
streamline the decision makingprocesses, reduce interruptions
of the gameplay andsignificantly cut down the time
(03:43):
of games. And we know there's alot of people that that have
wanted that. So this increase inpace will cater to broader
audiences, particularly youngerviewers, revitalizing interest
and boosting audience,attendance and viewership.
Electronic strike zone wouldalso change the dynamics of
player performance and teamstrategy, so pitchers and
(04:07):
batters would adjust theirtechniques, knowing that the
strike zone is universally fixedand unbiased. This clarity would
likely lead to more strategicpitching and batting elevating
the level of play andcompetition across the league,
games are often marred bydisputes over strike calls,
which can lead to confrontationsbetween players, managers and
(04:29):
umpires, and these conflicts notonly disrupt the game, but also
negatively impact the spectatorexperience. With an electronic
strike zone, the subjectivity ofcalls is removed, leading to
fewer disruptions andmaintaining the focus on the
game itself. Critics will arguethat an electronic strike zone
would undermine the role ofumpires. However, it doesn't
(04:53):
replace umpires. This technologywould allow them to focus on
crucial aspects of the game,such as overseeing.
Base plays, checking for playerinfractions and managing game
flow. Plus they're still callingballs and strikes. This is just
there is a check system, checkand balance system for Major
League base on now, maybesometime down the road, it may
(05:14):
replace home plate umpirescalling balls and strikes. But
again, we're not in thatterritory or anywhere close to
that right now. So this shiftcould enhance the overall
quality of umpiring and allowfor further professional
development in other areas ofthe game. So by 2025 technology
(05:34):
will certainly have advanced toa point where the implementation
of an electronic strike zone canbe seamlessly integrated into
all major league baseball games.
Trial runs in minor leagues andother professional sports
leagues have shown promisingresults. I'll get to that in
just a moment, improving thetechnology's reliability and
effectiveness. So theintroduction of electronic
(05:55):
strike zone in Major LeagueBaseball by 2025 is not just an
upgrade, it's an imperative stepforward. This change aligns with
the league's ongoing efforts tomodernize the game and adapt to
technology. Technologyadvancements by improving
accuracy, speeding up play,enhancing competition and
(06:17):
reducing conflict. Theelectronic strike zone will
ensure that baseball remains abeloved and fair sport for
generations to come. So the timefor debate has passed. The time
for action is now. So let'susher in this new era of Major
League Baseball with open armsand a clear vision. I want to
say that this topic. I wroteabout this topic months ago,
(06:41):
early in the 2020 in 2024and my case that I made about
this is that Major LeagueBaseball should bring in this
technology for the regularseason in 2025 now, at the time,
nobody was talking about it,bringing it in that soon. When I
say nobody, I mean, there mighthave been some people, but the
(07:05):
general population of of thebaseball world was not talking
about bringing that soon intothe Major League Baseball
regular season. But my case was,No, you need to bring it in
right now. It's ready to go. Andshortly after that, Commissioner
Rob Manfred announced that MajorLeague Baseball was going to
(07:25):
bring it in to test it in springtrainings by 2025 so at least
that's a step in the rightdirection. So let's talk about
that a little bit more. So MajorLeague Baseball again, they're
taking the significant stepsright now toward implementing
the electronic strike zone,again, known as the abs, the
automated ball strike system. Soduring, you know, and it's going
(07:47):
to be brought in during the2025, spring training season. So
it's been, again, long time incoming. It's been discussed for
quite some time. And thisinnovation has been around for a
while. And again, it's going tobring consistency and precision
to one of the game's mostdebated areas, of course, balls
and strikes. Now, starting inspring training 2025 here's what
(08:10):
Major League Baseball is goingto do. They're going to expand
its testing of the ABS system,incorporating it into select
spring training games, andCommissioner Rob Manfred
confirmed that the trial willinclude a mix of methods, so
some games will use the fullautomated system, while others
will feature a challenge systemwhere pitchers, batters or
(08:32):
catchers can appeal an umpirescall to the abs for review.
I'm glad that they're going tobe testing out different ways of
implementing this system. Again,I think at some point home
umpires may not be making theballs and strike calls, but I
(08:55):
still think we're quite a waysaway from that. So every major
league baseball team duringspring training in 2025 we have
the opportunity to experiencethe ABS system during again
spring training, ensuringwidespread exposure to the
technology for all the teamsbefore any potential regular
season rollout. Now, the phaseof testing will not be uniform
(09:18):
across all venues, but willstrategically focus on key
spring training sites. Theleague's goal is to fine tune
the technology in a high stakesenvironment, while giving
players and coaches meaningfulopportunities to provide
feedback. Now, the ABS systemhas already been extensively
trialed in the minor leagues.
Now it first debuted in theAtlantic, lead back in 2019
(09:44):
and has since been tested invarious minor league levels,
including triple A games in 2023and 2024
so these trials allowed MajorLeague Baseball to assess its
accuracy, speed and impact onthe pace of play.
Okay, and here's the keylearnings from these experiments
that have informed severalimprovements to the system. So
(10:08):
enhanced calibration nowadjustments to ensure the strike
zone aligns perfectly with eachbatters, height and stance,
addressing earlier concernsabout fairness and consistency
for players of varying varyingsizes. Improved feedback speed.
The system now is providing nearinstant feedback to umpires and
(10:30):
players, reducing any potentialdelays. And the challenge system
has been refined so based onfeedback from players and
coaches, the challenge systemhas been optimized to allow
quick appeals without disruptingthe game's flow. So when will it
arrive in the regular season?
Well, while the ABS system willbe a prominent feature of spring
(10:51):
training in 2025 itsintroduction to the regular
season remains tentative. Theearliest Major League Baseball
could see abs during the rareseason is 2026 now, again, I
would love to have seen it in2025
but okay, if it's going to be2026
let's make that happen now. Thistimeline aligns with the
(11:14):
league's ongoing collectivebargaining agreement
negotiations and gives officialsample time to address any
lingering concerns from players,managers and fans. So 2026 as
far as regular season, makessense from that perspective.
So Major League Baseball'scommitment to an automated
strike zone reflects its broaderstrategy to modernize the game
(11:37):
without sacrificing its essenceby incorporating lessons from
years of testing, includingadjustments made after feedback
from minor league trials, theleague hopes to ensure the
system enhances fairness andconsistency without detracting
from the game's rhythm or charm.
So as spring training 2025unfolds, all eyes are going to
(11:57):
be on this ABS system to see howit handles the pressure of near
major league baseball levelcompetition. If the technology
meets expectations, Major LeagueBaseball could soon usher in a
new era of umpiring, where thefocus shifts away from disputes
over the strike zone and back tothe game itself. And Wouldn't we
(12:18):
all love to see that everybodywould be in favor of that. So
that is my case for Major LeagueBaseball, bringing in ABS, this
electronic straight zonetechnology, as quickly as
possible. So realistically, itseems like the soonest it would
(12:38):
be in the regular season 2026but we'll take it for spring
training in 2025 and I expectedto to do very well during the
spring training testing. Again,it's been around now, tested in
the minor leagues for fiveyears. No, it's It's time. It's
time Major League Baseball doesthis. So that's a wrap for this
(12:59):
episode again. Thanks forjoining me here on the baseball
classics. Diamond cast, again, areminder. Head on over to
baseball classics.com/diamond,view, book market. You won't
want to miss it. You'll love it.
Everything that's in there foryou. So until next time, I hope
you have a terrific day andwe'll see you and the next
(13:22):
baseball classics diamond castyou.
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