TAMPA — Yankees to Experiment with Pitching Strategies

For now, the Yankees are prepared to explore pitching in various positions with the newly introduced automatic ball-strike system (ABS).

This spring, they’ll test out ABS in a Grapefruit League game, but it won’t officially come into play until the regular season kicks off.

As a result, the team has crafted a strategy aimed at making the most of their challenge system—essentially, they have two challenges per game, which they can keep if used successfully.

“Once we’re ready to head out of camp, we’re going to work on solidifying our approach and probably continue to adapt throughout the season,” coach Aaron Boone mentioned after a morning meeting focused on ABS education and strategies. “We’ve been putting in a lot of behind-the-scenes work and have had numerous discussions over the winter. Right now, we feel pretty solid about educating our players and exploring concepts like leverage.”

“Everyone is free to try it out now. Let’s see how it develops in the future,” he added.

Over the winter, Boone had hinted at a preference against allowing pitchers to challenge calls, a view that seemed to resonate with many coaches at winter meetings. Their rationale is often that anything that is borderline tends to get called as a strike.

However, by Thursday, he had lightened his stance a bit, at least for now.

“We’re not at a point where we won’t consider pitchers’ challenges. I’m still somewhat uneasy about it,” Boone said. “Maybe the batter first, then the pitcher, likely in that order.”

Max Fried appears optimistic about gaining some leeway this spring.

“I think I’ll really need to stay focused during spring training and see if my eyesight is as sharp as I believe it is,” Fried remarked. “If I’m feeling good this spring, I might enjoy a bit more freedom during games.”

A new rule implemented on Thursday requires first and third base coaches to remain in their boxes until a pitch is thrown, a move that came after some controversy during the 2023 Yankees-Blue Jays series in Toronto. The Blue Jays were unhappy about a Yankees coach stepping out of the box, which could provide a better angle to observe pitches.

“Regulating this is probably a wise choice,” Boone acknowledged. “We discussed it in our winter meetings. Overall, I think it promotes the competitiveness of the game.”

In Thursday’s live batting practice, Lewis Gil pitched for what amounted to two innings, clocking in at 95 mph over around 35 pitches and striking out Aaron Judge.

“He had a really productive winter focusing on strength and conditioning, and he’s come in ready for Opening Day,” Boone noted. “He hasn’t lost his talent. He’s a young player who’s eager to prove he can still be the guy he was back in ’24.”