The Major League Baseball (MLB) robot referee will not play every game this spring, but will play in Friday's matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Stein Brenner Field in Tampa, Florida.
It is called an “Automated Ball Strike Challenge System” or ABS. Think of it like soccer – the referee can make a call and the coach can challenge it for reviews.
There are still judges on the home plate, but now Player You can try ball and strike calls using a computerized system.
Batters, pitchers and catchers try just by tapping their helmet or cap, but only 2 seconds. Once you try, pitch graphics will appear on the scoreboard and broadcast, and the referee will update the count. MLB says this takes about 17 seconds.
MLB We've been testing minor ABS challenges over the last three seasons, and now we're going to use the system for around 60% of spring games to see how it holds up in the big leagues. If everything went well, fans could see it in regular season games early next year.
Home to 19 teams, 13 Spring Training Ballparks will use the ABS system, with all teams shooting challenging ball strike calls at some point this spring.
Each team faces two challenges per game. And if it's correct, keep them. The Chicago Cubs have already used the system twice. This is exactly what MLB wants. I'm looking for lots of feedback from players and managers to fine-tune the system.
Rays outfielder Richie Palacios told News Nation that he had been messing around with the ABS system for the past few years.
Rays starter Ryan Pepiot said he wants to know how to play batters from batters, but is worried that the game could be slower.
In minor league tests, the ABS system showed its full season with just that – the walks were up and the pace was slower – but fans and players said they prefer the challenge system.
