The upcoming Major League Baseball All-Star game in Atlanta is about to become the latest field for the automated ball strike (ABS) system.
This new system could be part of the league on a regular basis from as early as 2026. In this ABS challenge system, the catchers or hitters may request video reviews of a limited number of ball or strike calls. According to ESPN, it will be utilized for Tuesday night’s game.
This new system was introduced to the league during spring training. This system is based on the players’ heights and not just a generic strike zone. The hitter or catcher calls for a challenge by tapping on their helmet. After that, a video replay is shown, and it determines the correct ball. In the entire match, each team will only have two challenges. However, if they are correct, they retain the challenge, just like the existing replay system. According to the league, around 52.2 % of challenges were successful.
It has been used for quite some time in the minor leagues.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that he’ll propose the use of the ABS system to the competition committee. He hopes that it can be adopted in time for use in the 2026 regular season. A similar type of ABS is used in other sports that have a ball in them.