Every few years, Major League Baseball rolls out a rule change that reshapes how the game is played.<\/p>\n
In 2020, MLB implemented the three-batter minimum for relievers and introduced the automatic runner in extra innings.<\/p>\n
Three years later, the league rolled out another wave of changes \u2014 adding the pitch clock, limiting pickoff attempts, and restricting defensive shifts \u2014 all in an effort to speed up play, encourage action on the bases and restore more balance between hitters and pitchers.<\/p>\n
Now, another shift is on the way.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMajor League Baseball will use the new technology during select 2025 Spring Training games to get real-time results and gather feedback.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
In just under two months, the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system will officially become part of regular-season Major League games. The system has been tested extensively in the Minors and made its Spring Training debut at the big-league level last year. In 2026, it becomes real.<\/p>\n
For Phillies manager Rob Thomson, a baseball lifer who has seen the game evolve in cycles, the key factor is simple: whether the players buy in or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cWhen we tried it in spring training last year, a lot of the guys liked it \u2014 not everybody \u2014 but most did. And I think the umpires liked it as well. As long as somebody doesn\u2019t get embarrassed, I like it. And if the players like it, I think it\u2019s fair for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
The system itself is straightforward. Each team is allowed two challenges per game, initiated by the hitter, pitcher, or catcher. Challenges are immediate and binary \u2014 either the call is overturned or it isn\u2019t \u2014 which keeps the pace intact.<\/p>\n
One concern often raised is whether ABS diminishes the value of pitch framing. Thomson, a former catcher himself, doesn\u2019t see it that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey talk about whether it\u2019s going to make receiving less important,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not really true, because you only get two challenges. Framing still comes into play.\u201d<\/p>\n
That balance matters for a club like Philadelphia, especially with J.T. Realmuto back behind the plate. While Realmuto hasn\u2019t graded as an elite framer in recent seasons, his feel for the strike zone \u2014 and willingness to challenge calls \u2014 stood out during last spring\u2019s trial run.<\/p>\n
Left-hander Tanner Banks saw that firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know J.T. was excited about it,\u201d Banks said. \u201cThere were times in spring when he\u2019d catch a pitch and immediately know it was a strike. You see guys like Bryce [Harper] or Kyle [Schwarber] get rung up on pitches that are balls \u2014 the hitter knows the zone better than anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the pitching side, Banks acknowledged there\u2019s an adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a human element pitchers like with umpires,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe you steal something because the catcher does a great job. But at the end of the day, you want consistency. The umpires I\u2019ve talked to are for it if it helps make the right call. It\u2019s not a jab at anyone \u2014 it\u2019s a matter of game integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accuracy, of course, remains another big question. Strike zones differ by hitter stance, height, and approach, and every ballpark presents its own quirks. Whether ABS can apply that consistently across 30 stadiums is something the league will continue monitoring.<\/p>\n
Phillies ace Cristopher S\u00e1nchez views it as another adaptation point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt changes the game and you have to adjust,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said through an interpreter. \u201cThere are a few things that I don’t necessarily like or agree with, but I just try to adapt and keep going.<\/p>\n
That perspective carries weight. S\u00e1nchez was on the mound for one of the most scrutinized ball-strike calls of the entire 2025 postseason \u2014 a missed call in Game 4 of the NLDS that altered the inning and, ultimately, the series.<\/p>\n
Rule changes tend to be judged in hindsight. When they help, they\u2019re praised. When they don\u2019t, they\u2019re criticized.<\/p>\n
But MLB\u2019s intent has remained consistent: get the calls right.<\/p>\n
Instant replay paired with managers\u2019 challenges, introduced in 2014, once felt intrusive. Now it\u2019s expected. ABS will likely follow a similar path \u2014 an adjustment period, some early friction, and then normalization.<\/p>\n
When the ball hits the catcher\u2019s mitt in 2026, the margin for error will be smaller. For players and teams built on precision and strategy, that may be exactly the point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every few years, Major League Baseball rolls out a rule change that reshapes how the game is played.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2397],"tags":[5,4,144,25,4216,40,16702],"class_list":{"0":"post-540518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-phillies","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-philadelphia","11":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","12":"tag-philadelphiaphillies","13":"tag-phillies","14":"tag-phillies-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115967294439824827","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/540519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}