NEW YORK — For at least a couple of years, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has made clear that if a form of the automated strike zone comes to the majors, he would prefer it to be a challenge system — used a handful of times a game — rather than a system that’s employed on every pitch. On Thursday, he said others seem to be coming around to that view, but a lot still remains up in the air regarding the actual implementation of the automatic ball-strike system, or ABS for short, in the majors.
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One issue is what shape of a strike zone the system would be programmed to recognize. Manfred has said in the past that the strike zone as called by umpires looks more round than one might expect.
“The shape of the strike zone, we have not started those conversations (with players), because we haven’t settled on what we think about it,” Manfred said. “Hard to have those conversations before you know what you’re thinking.”
Rob Manfred: "There’s a growing consensus in large part based on what we’re hearing from players that the challenge form should be the form of ABS, if and when we bring it to the big leagues, at least as a starting point." He's held this opinion for a while, others coming around
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) May 23, 2024
Overall, Manfred said the league has gathered a lot of information from players, though.
“The two biggest learnings: you know, originally, we thought everybody was going to be wholeheartedly in favor of the idea, ‘If you can get it right every single time, that’s a great idea,’” he said. “One thing we’ve learned in these meetings is that players feel there could be other effects on the game that would be negative if you used it full-blown.
“The second one is those who have played with it do have a strong preference for the challenge system over ABS calling every pitch and that has certainly altered our thinking on where we might be headed.”
Catchers might be the most affected.
“It’s the unintended consequences of ABS,” Manfred said. “The one that is often pointed to, but not the only one, is the framing catcher. I think that the players feel that a catcher that frames is, if you’ll let me use the word, ‘art,’ of the game.
“And that if, in fact, framing is no longer important, the kind of players that would occupy that position might be different than they are today. And you could hypothesize a world where instead of a framing catcher, who’s focused on defense, the catching position becomes a more offensive player. I mean, that alters peoples’ careers. Those are real, legitimate concerns that we need to think all the way through before we jump off that bridge.”
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In April, pitcher Max Scherzer called for increased regulation for umpires. Manfred on Thursday defended the current system that’s in place.
“Honestly, I think there is a lack of full understanding among players about exactly how we manage umpires. Part of that — a big part of it — is our fault because we don’t like to, for example, publicize, ‘We sent Rob Manfred to Arizona in the wintertime for remedial ball-strike training.’ You can imagine the implications that would have on the field.
“But there is, in fact, a really detailed evaluation system. They get evaluated twice a year, in mid-season, and at the end of the season. There are monetary ramifications to those evaluations in terms of what they get in terms of postseason assignments, which is a big part of — a big increment to what they earn. And there are, in fact, mandatory remedial activities that are more frequently than people realize imposed on umpires.
“Having said that, I think that the management of umpires is … a physically demanding job. It goes beyond just the evaluation, training and discipline. It also goes to things like thinking about their career path, how long should they be out there? And that implicates things like your retirement program. I mean, there’s a lot to the management of it that I don’t think everybody fully appreciates.”
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(Photo: Cooper Neill / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Evan Drellich is a senior writer for The Athletic, covering baseball. He’s the author of the book Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess. Follow Evan on Twitter @EvanDrellich
