{"id":594152,"date":"2026-02-26T14:52:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/594152\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:52:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:52:46","slug":"thursday-rockpile-rockies-players-and-coaches-offer-their-thoughts-on-the-new-abs-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/594152\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday Rockpile: Rockies players and coaches offer their thoughts on the new ABS system"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the last few years, we have seen a number of rule changes<\/a> to Major League Baseball. This year is no different, with the addition of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) at the major league level.<\/p>\n

It was originally implemented in the minors starting in 2022, and a few stadiums began using it in spring training last year. It has also been used in the Arizona Fall League since 2024, and they added a \u201ccheck swing challenge system\u201d last year that may be on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

MLB players and fans got their first glimpse of the future at the 2025 All-Star Game when the system was implemented.<\/p>\n

But the Colorado Rockies got their first taste of it last Friday with the start of spring training games. Opinions varied, but, overall, players and coaches think it\u2019s a good addition to MLB \u2014 plus, many of them first experienced ABS in Triple-A Albuquerque.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s good,\u201d said Warren Schaeffer. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to seeing how each team handles it differently. It\u2019s definitely a point of strategy, and each team is going to do it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brenton Doyle sees in it a way to keep everyone honest.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps umpires accountable here and there,\u201d Doyle said, \u201cand when [the umpires] do miss, they know you know where they\u2019re missing. So I think it\u2019s a good reminder for them, and it\u2019s also a chance for us to maybe get some good out of it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Hunter Goodman, it\u2019s a way to empower hitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s interesting,\u201d said Goodman. \u201cBut I think in those big situations \u2013 in big games \u2013 it gives the player the power if they think something was wrong versus getting rung up in a big situation. Now you have the power to say, \u2018Alright, I think that was wrong.\u2019 So I think it\u2019ll be cool to see. I think there\u2019ll be some fan interaction with it, and that\u2019ll be exciting as well. I think it\u2019ll be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodman also offered some insight as to how the Rockies are practicing with it during spring training.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some of the live at-bats, we would have the TrackMan up, and I\u2019d catch a pitch and be like, \u2018That\u2019s a strike,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then we look at the TrackMan and see what it was and stuff like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr even our hitters sometimes in lives, (with) the pitching coach or the hitting coach calling pitches,\u201d he continued, \u201cand then they call one and the hitters say, \u2018I think that was off,\u2019 and then you look at the TrackMan. So we\u2019re trying to figure it out in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tanner Gordon said they\u2019ve discussed a slightly different ABS strategy for pitchers..<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about just kind of feeling out the game,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cObviously, you\u2019re not going to challenge the second pitch of the first inning, but a high-stakes pitch, maybe. Maybe with the game on the line, maybe in the seventh or eighth inning that can turn the game one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cYou definitely want to use it in key situations,\u201d Braxton Fulford added, \u201cbig counts, 1-1 counts are a big one. There\u2019s a big difference between a 2-1 count and a 1-2 count.<\/p>\n

\u201cSame thing offensively,\u201d he continued. \u201cIf you have runners on base and it\u2019s late in the game, you want to use it in those key situations as opposed to just using it. Early in the game, when you think it might be a strike, might not be the best time to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fulford was also part of two challenges on Friday \u2013 one that went his way and one that went the other way.<\/p>\n

View Link<\/a><\/p>\n

View Link<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was struck out on an ABS strike, and then I got one myself, which is a good feeling,\u201d he said. \u201cYou think it\u2019s a strike, but you could never do anything before, and now if you think it\u2019s a strike, you can challenge it and get it overturned. It\u2019s kind of a big momentum swing for you and your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Jordan Beck and Kyle Karros acknowledged the inconsistencies they\u2019ve faced with it, but overall are still in favor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when I was out there on Day 1 (in Triple-A), it seemed like it was pitcher friendly that day because the catcher was, like, 4-for-4 or something,\u201d Beck said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s good. Pitchers still have to throw strikes and stuff, and hitters need to know their zones as well, so I think it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday was a unique day,\u201d Karros said. \u201cI feel like literally every single ABS challenge was called a ball and then overturned into a strike \u2014 oftentimes two strikes \u2014 and that was the end of your at-bat, which feels a little weird just waiting to see if you get punched out. But I think it\u2019s going to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n

View Link<\/a><\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Karros also acknowledged that he never used it in Triple-A because he wasn\u2019t sure it was a worthwhile skill to learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like it didn\u2019t really make sense to use it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we [didn\u2019t] use it in the big leagues, why would I use it in Triple-A? So I didn\u2019t use it at all then, but I know some guys were challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did say he will \u201c100%\u201d start challenging now, though.<\/p>\n

Like everything else, Schaeffer has a plan and a framework for teaching his players how to navigate the ABS system effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not in the hard rules but more about education of the players in terms of game situations and general game awareness, especially in the minor leagues when you\u2019re trying to develop more game awareness,\u201d Schaeffer said.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen to use it in a higher leverage situation, and if it wasn\u2019t used in a higher leverage situation, it was a conversation behind closed doors about getting better decisions made. Pitchers were not allowed to challenge because of, I think, for obvious reasons, in terms of their body\u2019s moving, their head\u2019s moving, the catcher\u2019s moving the ball\u2026 there\u2019s a bunch of different things. And the catcher pretty much knows the strike zone back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodman also acknowledged that everyone is experimenting and getting used to the new system.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring spring training, everybody\u2019s trying to figure things out, whether it\u2019s hitting or pitching or defensive stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a great time for us as catchers and hitters to figure out the zone and challenge things and see where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the Rockies have been part of 23 challenges so far and have won 10.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

This will be a story to watch in 2026.<\/p>\n

Diamondbacks\u2019 Nolan Arenado \u2018will be a force\u2019 in NL West, Rockies\u2019 Warren Schaeffer says | Denver Post ($)<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, Patrick Saunders and I walked across the concourse into \u201cenemy territory\u201d to chat with an old friend wearing a different uniform. Nolan Arenado is turning 35 in a few months, but is hoping to bounce back after a down year in St. Louis. Warren Schaeffer offered some memories of their playing days, as well, and is excited to play against him in a different role.<\/p>\n

My take will run next week on the SB Nation MLB home page<\/a>, so be on the lookout!<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Amador looking to make noise in Rockies\u2019 2B battle | MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Adael Amador is one of many young Rockies fighting to break camp this year. After a meteoric rise, the middle infielder hit a snag as soon as he hit the majors and seems to be slowly fading behind other players who are more MLB-ready. Warren Schaeffer and Josh Byrnes offer their insights as to what Amador could bring to the table in 2026, and the 23-year-old himself says \u201cmy confidence was always high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please keep in mind our\u00a0Purple Row Community Guidelines<\/a>\u00a0when you\u2019re commenting. Thanks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over the last few years, we have seen a number of rule changes to Major League Baseball. This…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2405],"tags":[6604,4763,646,5,740,1004,167,52,4316,2092,1381,11428,39318,19,4,21995,1028,168,33559,151,673,7169,9130],"class_list":{"0":"post-594152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-colorado-rockies","8":"tag-adael-amador","9":"tag-arizona-fall-league","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-braxton-fulford","13":"tag-brenton-doyle","14":"tag-colorado","15":"tag-colorado-rockies","16":"tag-coloradorockies","17":"tag-hunter-goodman","18":"tag-jordan-beck","19":"tag-kyle-cooper","20":"tag-kyle-karros","21":"tag-major-league-baseball","22":"tag-mlb","23":"tag-mlb-players","24":"tag-nolan-arenado","25":"tag-rockies","26":"tag-scottsdale","27":"tag-spring-training","28":"tag-st-louis","29":"tag-tanner-gordon","30":"tag-warren-schaeffer"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116137507000991580","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594152","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=594152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}