{"id":661197,"date":"2026-04-03T17:37:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/661197\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:37:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:37:22","slug":"how-are-the-diamondbacks-using-abs-challenges-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/661197\/","title":{"rendered":"How are the Diamondbacks using ABS challenges so far?"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 It took no time for the Arizona Diamondbacks to use their first Automated Ball-Strike (ABS)<\/a> challenge this season, as Corbin Carroll benefitted from overturning a called third strike that missed the zone by 0.2 inches at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day.<\/p>\n

Since then<\/a>, the Diamondbacks have been on the conservative side of using their challenges, sticking to clear guidelines from the coaching staff one week into the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cPitchers are not allowed to call it,\u201d manager Torey Lovullo said. \u201cI want the catcher to take control of that.\u00a0So the catcher for the battery, and then the hitter. I want to be armed with one in the seventh inning or later, so you don\u2019t have a (Geraldo) Perdomo situation<\/a> that ends a game.\u00a0At times, we are walking home with two in our pocket,\u00a0and we\u2019ve missed a couple of challenges early in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is a scale in regards to leverage and how certain the player is that they will overturn a call.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 1-0 fastball with two outs in the fourth inning isn\u2019t necessarily an impact moment,\u201d Lovullo said. \u201cSo we want to have high impact with high degree of certainty.\u00a0We want to fill that box. Impact, low certainty, depending on the time of the game. High certainty, let\u2019s go all the time.\u00a0High certainty, low impact, we\u2019re going to go all the time. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ve got to be certain.\u00a0So we talk about two balls off, a ball-and-a-half off,\u00a0before you start checking in or out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through eight games, the Diamondbacks used eight challenges (five overturned calls), the fewest in Major League Baseball after Thursday\u2019s slate. To compare, the Minnesota Twins lead baseball with 26 of them, although most clubs fall within 11-14.<\/p>\n

The D-backs went 0-for-1 on Thursday against the Braves, although an Atlanta challenge became consequential, as it flipped a Ryne Nelson strike out of Ozzie Albies to a lead-off walk that started an eight-run inning. A lot went wrong after the challenge, including Arizona missing one, but it showed how the system can change the outlook of innings and force the losing side to move on quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely affected the inning,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cBut, it\u2019s a ball. And the system is designed to get those calls right. \u2026 I\u2019m not feeling some type of way because it got overturned. I\u2019m more frustrated that I walked him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lovullo said the Diamondbacks will continue to evaluate the best times to use their challenges now that ABS is in games that count. Arizona and the other 29 teams had opportunities to try it out in spring training over the past two years, and many younger players used it in the minor leagues.<\/p>\n

Major League Baseball sent out a report on Thursday that through one week, 55% of challenges were successful, 52% from the hitters and 58% from the pitcher or catcher. Teams get two challenges which have to be initiated by the pitcher, catcher or hitter within a couple seconds of the call being made. Clubs keep challenges if they are successful.<\/p>\n

The overturn rate when a team has one challenge left jumps significantly from 51% to 66%, as teams are more careful when they could run out.<\/p>\n

The ninth inning is the frame with the most challenges so far at 4.3%, naturally as teams have to use it or lose it at the end of games. The ninth inning is followed by the seventh and eighth innings at 3.1% each.<\/p>\n

Baseball Savant<\/a> has even come out with metrics to evaluate how teams are taking advantage, including runs gained per challenge. The Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles are early leaders in that category at 0.22.<\/p>\n

Diamondbacks adjusting to ABS<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, D-backs pitcher Zac Gallen struck out Detroit Tigers hitter Matt Vierling looking, but Vierling tapped his helmet and kept the at-bat alive. Vierling ended up fouling off a pitch and hitting a single.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kind of been the one feeling I\u2019ve been, I don\u2019t know about\u00a0dreading, but just wondering how I was going to react,\u201d Gallen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little odd. Thankfully, it wasn\u2019t a huge spot, but it is a little weird, especially in that case to flip a count from 2-2 to 3-2.\u00a0But you got to tip your cap when a guy feels like it\u2019s a ball.\u00a0So just got to make a better pitch next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Tigers went 4-for-5 on challenges, as Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres both flipped strikeouts into walks, although D-backs catcher James McCann also earned a strikeout of Torres with a challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s honestly not too new for most of us in here,\u201d Tuesday\u2019s D-backs starter Brandon Pfaadt said. \u201cWe used it in the minor leagues quite a bit.\u00a0So we\u2019ve gone maybe a year or two without it,\u00a0but we\u2019ve known it,\u00a0and you can use it to your advantage sometimes,\u00a0and sometimes it\u2019ll get you. I think it\u2019s just the way of the game now. I kind of like it.\u00a0It keeps it honest.\u00a0I know others will say differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

ABS also creates a buzz in the ballpark with fans reacting to the call one way or another, especially when the pitch misses the zone or clips the zone by 0.1 inch.<\/p>\n

It does not take long for the pitch to show up on a graphic on the video board, about 13 seconds, as the games are not significantly delayed as can happen with replay reviews.<\/p>\n

Follow @alexjweiner<\/a><\/p>\n

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