During spring training this year, Major League Baseball used a challenge system for balls and strikes based on ABS (automated ball-strike system). For those unaware, ABS uses a Hawk-Eye camera that plots where the pitch crosses home plate to determine if any part of the ball touched the strike zone or not. To challenge, either a pitcher, hitter or catcher will immediately signal to the umpire (usually a tap on his own head) after the ball or strike call.
The system isn’t going to be used in the major-league regular season, though it’s already been utilized in the minors the last several years. Having it here in spring training this year was tantamount to a test with big-league players.
How was it? Let’s run through some pros and cons.
Con: It’s more replay
The goal behind replay reviews in sports is a noble one: to fix missed calls that could have an adverse affect on the athletic contest in question. Given that sports are entertainment performed by humans, however, sitting around and waiting for a review just sucks up extra time and can be pretty annoying. Take the last two minutes of a close college basketball game, for example. It’s brutal.
Through this lens, there’s an argument to be had with replay that less is more. And more replay, then, can annoy people.
Pro: It’s limited and very fast
If you’ve seen this ABS challenge system in reality, though, the time suck is very minimal. Start to finish, it’s, what, 15 seconds? In the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing. Far less than replays on the bases.
Remember, each team has two challenges a game and though they don’t lose it if they are successful in overturning a ball-strike call, it’s not like we’re replaying every single pitch. It’s certainly worthwhile to fix missed calls, too, so those aren’t considered a waste of time.
And, again, there’s the speed factor. A hitter or member of the battery must challenge a call immediately. This isn’t like a play in the field where a defender or baserunner starts emphatically pointing to the dugout and then the manager holds up his hand to pause play on the field while a guy in a room somewhere whether or not to challenge. This is virtually automatic.
Con: Less ‘human element’
We’re still, ultimately, talking about being entertained by human beings and missed calls are part of the so-called human element. It’s not like the players are perfect, so why should we expect the officiating to be perfect?
Nearly every detractor of replay cites the human element as part of the argument against it.
Pro: The ability to fix missed-spot misses
On the other hand, I think most officials would like the ability to fix their honest misses. Sometimes you just miss a call and it’s a rotten feeling.
One of the biggest ways home-plate umpires get fooled is when the catcher sets up outside and a pitcher misses his spot with the pitch sailing over the plate. That’s still a strike and definitely looks that way to a hitter. Here’s an example.
That’s a strike. One can easily understand how an umpire misses that call, but it’s still a strike. The ABS system allows for a fix.
Con? Pro? Mitigates framing
This one depends on your point of view, but an ABS challenge could certainly override an excellent frame job by the catcher.
Framing is a skill. We measure it and give catchers credit in defensive discussions for their ability to change balls into strikes. There are discussions on “framing metrics” that have even bled into the Hall of Fame with candidates this past year like Brian McCann and Russell Martin that we’ll continue to have with Yadier Molina and into the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, isn’t the strike zone the strike zone? Just because a catcher fools an umpire into thinking a ball is actually a strike doesn’t mean it should remain a strike, right? There’s a reason some people refer to good framing as “stealing strikes.” Good framing means getting a call for the defense via deception. Yeah, it’s a skill, but should it be?
It’s an interesting discussion and it’s possible to see a good number of fans fall both in the “pro” or “con” camp regarding the ability of ABS to overturn a good catcher frame job into a ball.
Pro (or con?): Game-altering calls can get fixed
The bottom line here is an ABS challenge system is there to avoid disaster. Let’s say it’s the bottom of the ninth in Game 7 of the World Series. The team pitching has a one-run lead with the bases loaded, two out and a full count. The pitcher is a hard slider that misses the zone, but the umpire rings up the batter, seemingly giving the pitching team the World Series title.
But it was a bad call. Is that really how we want our champion decided?
The ABS system could fix it.
I know, I know, I hear you. Are we really going to pause a championship celebration for a challenge?
I think the easy answer is yes. Keep in mind in this system it would be an immediate challenge and only take a few seconds. If there’s an obvious missed call, it’s better to get it right.
Right?
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