Major League Baseball appears closer to implementing the automated ball-hitting challenge system across the board.
The league sent a memo to minor league club officials on Tuesday announcing that, beginning June 25, all Triple-A games will use the full-time ABS challenge system, . Previously, the system was only used for half of the week, while full ABS was used for the other half.
While this is a step toward implementation across the major leagues, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said it will be at least one more season before the league makes this change everywhere.
Under the ABS challenge system, batters and catchers can challenge umpire’s calls on balls or base hits in real time. The referees then receive a response to this challenge via an earpiece. Teams are given three challenges each and keep the challenge if they are successful. That system is in effect at the Triple-A level for games played Tuesday through Thursday so far this season.
In the full ABS system, all calls were made to the referee with no challenges available. This system has been used for weekend games at the Triple-A level.
According to the memo distributed to teams, nearly 90% of fans think teams should have six or fewer combined challenges per game. A survey of fans and players found that 61% of players and team staff and 47% of fans prefer the ABS challenge system, while only 11% of players and team staff and 23% of fans want the full ABS system, .
While the change is small, especially considering the system was already in place for half of the Triple-A games played this season, the league is clearly working to implement it at all levels in the near future. If everything continues trending in the same direction, the system could be seen in the major leagues as early as 2026.
