Discover how the new Automated Ball-Strike system impacts MLB teams, as data reveals which clubs were most affected by umpire calls from 2021-2025.
The 2025 MLB regular season ended on Sunday and, with it, so did an era. Starting next season, teams can challenge calls by the home plate umpire through the Automated Ball-Strike system.
The minor leagues have used ABS for years, and MLB got a taste of it this season during spring training and at the All-Star Game, which is one of summer’s top events at sports betting sites.
The system might not end all bad calls behind the plate, but the system will let teams challenge at least two pitches per game. If they’re right, they retain the challenge.
MLB Teams Hurt By Umpire Calls: 2021-25
The data on correct ball-strike calls has been available for years at the MLB level and made public thanks to UmpScorecards, which posts on its website and social media account on X. RotoWire.com wanted to know which teams were hurt the most by not having an ABS system and which teams stood to benefit the most from the human element.
To do that, as part of our MLB betting coverage, we pulled the past five seasons of data from UmpScorecards and ranked teams by their totFav score, which combines teams’ total batter and total pitcher impact.
TeamUmpScorecard totFav Score (21-25)Miami Marlins-59.91Houston Astros-56.2Baltimore Orioles-51.24Washington Nationals-46.62Kansas City Royals-41.12Los Angeles Dodgers-32.91Tampa Bay Rays-30.13Philadelphia Phillies-22.28Pittsburgh Pirates-16.85St. Louis Cardinals-15.68Minnesota Twins-13.26Athletics-13.03Detroit Tigers-9.62Chicago White Sox-7.73Los Angeles Angels-2.99Cincinnati Reds0.83Boston Red Sox1.01San Diego Padres1.02San Francisco Giants7.28Chicago Cubs12.17Toronto Blue Jays19.71Atlanta Braves21.15Colorado Rockies21.38Milwaukee Brewers32.2Texas Rangers33.35Arizona Diamondbacks36.58Seattle Mariners37.29Cleveland Guardians38.99New York Mets68.3New York Yankees87.41
This data, including 2025 games through Sept. 26, was compiled by RotoWire.com, your source for the best sports betting promo codes, based on statistics from the UmpScorecards website.
Which Teams Fared Worst For Umpire Calls?
The Miami Marlins have been one of the league’s most futile franchises in recent history. Since 2010, the team has had just two winning years – and one of them was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Much of that can be attributed to how the team’s front office has managed the club. But as the data at UmpScorecards.com shows, the Marlins also have endured more than their fair share of bad luck. At minus-58.89, they have the worst score of any team since 2021. They’re also one of only two teams to have both batter and pitcher impact scores end up negative.
The second club on what some fans – and backers at MLB betting sites – might call the “most screwed teams” list could be the result of karma. The Houston Astros are still the butt of many jokes because of their sign-stealing scandal.
Over the past five seasons, the Astros have the third-worst batter impact score (-67.77), with only San Francisco (-79.7) and Toronto (-69.76) getting worse calls from a batters’ perspective.
MLB Teams Helped By Umpire Calls: 2021-25
On the other end of the spectrum are the New York Yankees and Mets, and it’s because of calls that both teams’ pitchers have been getting.
The Yankees’ 86.64 is by far the best score of all teams, but it’s not the Bronx Bombers hitters that are getting the calls. Instead, Yankee pitchers have an impact score of 114.52. It’s a similar story for the Mets as their staff’s 91.43 score is the second-best for pitchers.
However, don’t think all the big-city teams are getting the calls. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the sixth-lowest score among all teams at -33.2, thanks to their batters’ score of -43.76.
The Dodgers beat the Yankees in last year’s Fall Classic and they’re among the half a dozen favorites for 2025 World Series odds betting too.
What 2025 UmpScorecard Data Says About MLB Postseason
Not all games from the 2025 season have been updated on the UmpScorecards website, but the team that benefitted the most from blown ball-and-strike calls was the San Francisco Giants. Their totFav score of 25.43 through the first 160 games was nearly eight points higher than the second-place Toronto Blue Jays (18.49).
San Francisco’s season ended Sunday, but the data shows that seven of the highest totFav scores for 2025 belong to teams playing in October. After Toronto, the other playoff teams in the top 10 are the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians.
Again, though, not all successful teams got the benefit of bad calls. The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League East despite having the third-worst totFav score (-15.01) for 2025 and the sixth-worst pitching impact score (-28.31). The Phils are the World Series favorite with most major operators; customers using the BetMGM bonus code can get Philly at +450 odds as of Sept. 30.
The Dodgers’ overall score was -11.8 this season and their pitching staff had the second-worst score of all teams with a -32.81 (again, with the last few games not tabulated yet).
Will these trends continue through the 2025 postseason? RotoWire.com is your source for the latest news and trends on the MLB playoffs.