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San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers reacts to striking out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Sacramento Athletics Friday, May 15, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif.<\/p>\n
Sara Nevis\/Associated Press<\/p>\n
After one of the San Francisco Giants<\/a>\u2019 recent losses to the Diamondbacks, manager Tony Vitello<\/a> noted that the team needs to be better at throwing strikes\u00a0\u2014 and hitting them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a pretty fundamental part of the game, and Vitello is correct: The Giants aren\u2019t among the better teams when it comes to anything strike-zone related, including the ABS challenge system. They\u2019re last in taking walks, by a large measure. They\u2019re climbing the ranks in walks issued, while the expertise the Giants showed with the ABS system this spring has diminished.<\/p>\n The strike zone is slightly smaller with the ABS\u2019s new elongated oval, meaning walks are up overall across MLB, at 3.5 per nine innings compared to 3.2 last year. Yet the Giants have drawn just 119, or 2.1 per game; the next worst team, Toronto, has 161.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Giants are seeing the fourth-fewest pitches per plate appearance, 3.80, and seeing the most strikes (including pitches swung at out of the zone) at 65.9%. (The Yankees are last, seeing a strike just 61.2% of the time.) Teams will just keep throwing strikes until San Francisco starts doing more damage. Meanwhile, the Giants are helping their opponents by swinging at 33.1% of pitches outside the zone, the fourth worst mark in the majors.<\/p>\n Could the ABS system itself be playing some role in this? Catcher Eric Haase theorized that teams with older players who haven\u2019t seen the ABS system before are at a slight disadvantage because they haven\u2019t learned the ABS zone, which is calibrated to a player\u2019s specific measurements, while younger players became accustomed to the system in the minors. The A\u2019s, Marlins and Royals, all younger squads, are among the better teams challenging when in the batter\u2019s box.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think part of it is that,\u201d Matt Chapman<\/a> said of learning the ABS zone, \u201cand part of it is that we\u2019re not doing enough damage, so teams are coming after us. I think\u00a0 both are true.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dodgers catcher Will Smith celebrates after Giants third baseman Matt Chapman struck out to end their game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Mark J. Terrill\/Associated Press<\/p>\n Assistant GM Paul Bien is the team official with the most ABS expertise, and he thinks there is something to having a lineup with fewer ABS-experienced hitters.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the players\u2019 intuition there probably makes a lot of sense,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously been an adjustment for everyone, and it seems like the more reps you have at it, the more natural it\u2019ll become. That\u2019s a good hypothesis.\u201d<\/p>\n The Giants\u2019 two best hitters when it comes to challenges, Drew Gilbert and Bryce Eldridge<\/a>, are both familiar with the system from the minors. Eldridge, by virtue of his height (6-foot-7) has a larger zone than most, but he knows that ABS zone well\u00a0\u2014 for the most part.<\/p>\n \u201cThe high strike could go either way, especially with me,\u201d Eldridge said, echoing the team\u2019s catchers, who believe the high strike is harder to gauge. \u201cIt\u2019s a little tricky sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/a>
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