![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kp481b9f531xcsz6m4.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\nWelcome to Verducci\u2019s View, a new weekly baseball newsletter from Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci. Every Monday, Tom will empty out his notebook and cover MLB\u2019s hottest topics, provide in-depth analysis through both text and video breakdowns, look forward to what\u2019s worth watching during the week and more. This week, we\u2019re focusing on the early effects of ABS, a comp for Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle and more.<\/p>\n
What effect is ABS having on pitch framing by catchers? The art of presenting pitches to influence the umpire\u2019s ball-strike call remains, but the hitter\u2019s ability to challenge the call does slightly diminish its effect.<\/p>\n
For instance, Giants catchers, led by pitch framing wizard Patrick Bailey, stole more strikes than any team last year (pitches out of zone called strikes). This season, their rate of stolen strikes is down 7%\u2014about the equivalent of a hitter\u2019s successful challenge every game or two.<\/p>\n
Pitch framing still matters. Entering the weekend, umpires incorrectly called 861 strikes on pitches out of the zone. Only 167 of them were overturned by a batter\u2019s challenge, or 19%.<\/p>\n
But ABS means catchers who are not expert at subtly framing pitches, such as Francisco Alvarez of the Mets and Shea Langeliers of the Athletics, can stop yanking pitches two or more inches out of the zone back to the middle of the plate. The art will become more subtle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just turn on your receiving or turn off your receiving,\u201d says Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. \u201cIt will shrink some of the big moves that catchers make. But the framing part of it is still super important because there\u2019s all these ones that are marginal. You are not just trying to influence the umpire. You\u2019re also influencing the other team on when to challenge and when not to challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think moves are going to start to be smaller. That glove yank, ripping through, I think that\u2019s going to shrink.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven other early impacts of ABS<\/p>\n
1. Dugouts are quieter. There is less beefing at umpires. Got a problem? Challenge.<\/p>\n
2. Game situation awareness is heightened. Says one veteran pitcher, \u201cI\u2019ve noticed our players are much more locked into the game situation because there is so much emphasis on leverage when it comes to when to challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Good umpires are getting their due (and it\u2019s often the younger ones). Erich Bacchus, 35, working his fourth year as a full-time MLB umpire, called 466 pitches in his first three games behind the plate. Nine were challenged. Only one challenge was successful. Will Little, 42, was off to a similarly impressive start: 501 called pitches over three games and only one overturned call on 10 challenges.<\/p>\n
4. Ryan Jeffers is the ABS whisperer. The Twins catcher has gained 10 strikeouts with his challenges. Nobody else has more than three. Working the Tigers-Twins FS1 broadcast last week, my broadcast partner, Connor Onion, and I decided these \u201cstrikeouts gained by catchers\u201d should be an official league statistic and be named \u201cTerminators.\u201d Jeffers is the runaway leader in Terminators. We keep strikeouts for pitchers. It\u2019s time to keep them for catchers.<\/p>\n
5. Hitters are swinging less. The emphasis on a fixed strike zone has raised awareness of strike zone discipline.<\/p>\n
Percentage of Swings<\/p>\n
In-Zone Pitches<\/p>\n
All Pitches<\/p>\n
2025<\/p>\n
74.6%<\/p>\n
47.8%<\/p>\n
2026<\/p>\n
73.8%<\/p>\n
46.4%<\/p>\n
6. The rate of walks and strikeouts is soaring. Walks are at their highest rate in 75 years and fifth highest of all time. Strikeouts, after a two-year decline, are taking their biggest year-to-year jump since 2019. (Before you panic, read the next point with obligatory disclaimer.)<\/p>\n
7. The MLB batting average heading into Sunday was .233, which would be the lowest in history. Now the disclaimer. We still have 91% of the season to play. Pitchers are ahead of the hitters. The weather is not hitter-friendly. Nobody is arriving at conclusions. These are simply early trends to watch. The MLB batting average through a similar number of games last season, for instance, was .235. It ended at .245.<\/p>\n
Remembering Davey Lopes, the Original 40\u201340 Man<\/p>\n
The Dodgers honored Davey Lopes on Friday after his passing last week. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Davey Lopes<\/a> dedicated his life to baseball. Few have ever brought to it the grittiness and intelligence that Lopes did.<\/p>\n He did not make his MLB debut until he was 27, a late start brought about by earning a college degree in elementary education and four years in the minors. He stayed until he was 42 years old. A dynamo on the bases and in the box, he stole more than 500 bases and hit more than 100 home runs. Only three others no taller than 5-foot-9 did that, all Hall of Famers: Hugh Duffy, Tim Raines and Joe Morgan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lopes\u2019s most extraordinary season, at least as how it defined him as a player, happened in 1985 with the Chicago Cubs under manager Dallas Green. Lopes was 40 years old. Despite starting only 67 games (he came off the bench in another 32), he stole 47 bases in 51 tries.<\/p>\n The traditional 40\u201340 Club (home runs and stolen bases) is impressive. But six players have done it. Lopes is the only player in history to steal 40 bases at 40 years old.<\/p>\n When his 16-year playing career ended, Lopes continued to make his mark on the game as a coach and manager. He redefined the job and importance of first base coach, a role that once was so ceremonial the Yankees posted Mickey Mantle there in 1970 to boost attendance. Lopes was a master at reading pitchers\u2019 times and tells. Under Lopes\u2019s guidance, the Phillies stole 501 bases in a four-year span (2008\u201310) with a success rate of 84.3%. He not only loved baseball but also had a gift to see it with a discerning eye few could match.<\/p>\n Lopes died last week in his native state of Rhode Island from complications of Parkinson\u2019s disease. He was 80 years old.<\/p>\n Imanaga 2.0<\/p>\n Cubs lefthander Shota Imanaga looks like a different pitcher. He has always relied heavily on the outlier carry of his below-average velocity four-seam fastball. But his fastball last year lacked finish (and command), which is why he gave up 24 home runs on his four-seamer. Nobody else gave up more than 16.<\/p>\n But with some tweaks to his setup and delivery, Imanaga has regained the magic dust to his heater. Check out these numbers on his four-seamer:<\/p>\n Year<\/p>\n MPH<\/p>\n AVG<\/p>\n SLG<\/p>\n V. Drop<\/p>\n HR<\/p>\n 2025<\/p>\n 90.8<\/p>\n .227<\/p>\n .567<\/p>\n 15.5\u201d<\/p>\n 24<\/p>\n 2026<\/p>\n 92.2<\/p>\n .130<\/p>\n .217<\/p>\n 13.6\u201d<\/p>\n 0<\/p>\n With less vertical drop, his fastball is holding its plane better (fighting gravity), which means the ball is not dropping where hitters expect it will be in the hitting zone.<\/p>\n How did he do it?\u00a0 For one, he moved 7 \u00bd inches from the first base side of the rubber to toward the middle. He also created more rhythm with his hands at the start phase of his delivery, which had been jerky (with a pause) or almost non-existent (like a quick pitch). With more rhythm, he sinks into his legs more over the rubber.<\/p>\n MLB <\/p>\n He is also doing a better job of driving his head toward the plate and staying over his front leg. Notice on his follow-through how his head is lower and his back is flatter:<\/p>\n MLB <\/p>\n The Rays\u2019 Way Taj Bradley has flourished in his first full season away from the Rays. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Shota](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/mmsport\/si\/01kp48tkp9dkaes1bbfw.png\" "\\"Shota")
<\/p>\n![\"Shota](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_0,h_0\/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/voltaxMediaLibrary\/mmsport\/si\/01kp48wz34123m0qfbb0.png\" "\\"Shota")
<\/p>\n![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kp48hbk6n2b19wc798.jpg\" "\\"Minnesota")
<\/p>\n