ABS Is Here

After almost a full month of Olympics and football posts, I've decided to give you all a break and talk about something else.  Baseball.  A topic that I'm sure you'll probably be sick of once the season starts, especially with the WBC starting next week.  One of the things we'll see in the WBC is something new for the regular season that we've already seen used in Spring Training.  The ABS challenge system.

We've known that the ABS challenge system was coming this year since MLB announced it towards the end of last season.  While some fans were clamoring for MLB to fully adopt ABS, that was never going to happen.  They experimented with it both ways (challenge system and completely automated) in the Minors, and the clear preference among players was the challenge system.  Which was definitely the way to go, for several reasons.

Each team gets two challenges per game, and only the pitcher, catcher or hitter can challenge.  They also need to do it immediately.  No asking the dugout.  No checking with anybody else.  So, there's a strategy element to it.  Because you've gotta know the situation and whether it's worth it to use a challenge that may be needed later in the game.

Some teams have already indicated that they won't let their pitchers challenge.  Which is probably a good idea.  Because pitchers think everything is a strike!  We've seen that already in Spring Training--pitchers challenging on pitches that aren't even close to being in the strike zone.  The Yankees were out of challenges in the second inning the other day because Luis Gil was completely wrong twice!

Another thing that we've seen thru the first few days of Spring Training games is how some ABS challenges are kind of ridiculous.  There are clips of ABS challenges that show an umpire's call being overturned from a ball to a strike because a low pitch nicked the very bottom edge of the zone.  Likewise, ABS turned a strike into a ball because the pitch was a millimeter outside.

Seriously, how can you blame the home plate umpire for "missing" either of those?  If anything, ABS is showing just how accurate Major League umpires actually are.  They are the best in the business for a reason, after all.  And everybody's getting used to the system, so is it possible that we're seeing pitches challenged in Spring Training that wouldn't necessarily be challenged in the regular season?  Absolutely!

Challenging pitches that close really isn't in the spirit of the ABS system.  Especially since teams only get two challenges.  Do you really want to use one unless you're sure you're right?  And, again, can you fault the umpire for getting that "wrong" initially?  It's worth keeping in mind, too, that the ABS strike zone is based on the individual batter's height, so the exact same pitch might be a strike to one hitter and a ball to somebody else.

Much like instant replay, the purpose of the ABS challenge system is designed to correct calls that are obviously wrong.  Close pitches that just nick the corner aren't "obviously" wrong.  If it's late in the game and you have your challenges left, I can see it.  Even if you're not sure.  But that's the type of challenge I hope we don't see (from either the offense or defense) with the bases empty and nobody out in the third inning of a 0-0 game once the games start to count.  Does it really matter if the count is 2-0 or 1-1 at that point?

Umpires aren't perfect.  They know that.  That's why they're in favor of replay.  And that's why they're all for the ABS challenge system, as well.  They want to get it right.  Just like replay, ABS is a tool for them to do that.  And that's what ABS is designed to be.  A tool.  No one is looking to replace human umpires.  This is just a tool at their disposal to help them get it correct.  Which is everyone's goal.

Like replay reviews, ABS challenges will be a fun new element for fans.  As soon as the challenge is initiated, it'll be shown on the stadium video board for everybody to see.  And, like replay reviews, whatever the video shows is the call.  It'll either confirm that the call was correct and the count stays the same or overturn it and change the count.  Teams are required to put the remaining challenges on the scoreboard, too, so the entire stadium will know how many each team has left.

It'll change broadcasts, too.  Any team that has the strike zone box on their TV broadcast has to put it on a delay.  Likewise, MLB has asked broadcasters that have little circles in that box to not differentiate between balls and strikes on the graphic.  It'll be up to them to determine how to do it, but I'd imagine it'll just show the location of each pitch and nothing else (although, balls that are put in play would probably still be notated on MLB.com's live stats).

So, why a challenge system instead of full ABS?  Well, for one, it would eliminate the human element, which I don't think anybody wanted.  It would also eliminate catchers' ability to frame pitches, a skill that has been developed over time that players don't want to see taken out of the game.  Not to mention the fact that full ABS (A) would be boring and (B) wouldn't entirely be correct.

During the Minor League testing, they found that full ABS resulted in more walks, which made games longer.  And, as I said, it wouldn't necessarily be completely accurate.  Breaking balls that broke late for strikes could still end up getting registered as balls based on where the ABS picked up when they crossed the plate.  Same thing with pitches that catch the corner.  And, as infrequent as it is at the professional level, a pitch could bounce before the plate, then get picked up by ABS as a strike even though it's obviously a ball.

Ultimately, the ABS challenge system is the best of both worlds.  It's a compromise between fully automated and a fully umpire-called zone.  It's a welcome change without fully removing the traditional element.  And, like instant replay, the ABS challenge system will only enhance the game experience for everyone.  Players, umpires and fans alike.