Major League Baseball plans to test the ball-strike challenge system during next year’s Spring Training, commissioner Rob Manfred said this week. Manfred suggested as much on Monday in a conversation with Jack Curry of the YES Network (X link). The commissioner reiterated that this morning in an interview with Chris Russo on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio.
“What I can tell you 100% is we are going to test the challenge system in Major League Spring Training in 2025,” Manfred told Russo. “I think that’s an important step forward.” That isn’t a stepping stone to implementing the system in regular season games by next year. Manfred said in May that he didn’t believe the technology would be sufficiently ironed out to put the automatic strike zone in place for meaningful games by ’25.
The commissioner didn’t reveal a specific timeline for its regular season implementation. He did tell The Dan Patrick Show last week (X link) that he expected to have some form of automated zone in place by the end of his tenure as commissioner, which concludes in the 2028-29 offseason. The date will presumably be dependent on the feedback MLB gets from players, coaches, and umpires. While MLB initially seemed to embrace a fully robotic zone, they’ve pivoted to the challenge system after testing both the challenge and the full ABS in the minors.
The challenge system leaves the human umpire as the default. Each team gets a finite number of challenges to turn to the automatic zone on borderline pitches. Challenges must be called for in real time by the hitter, pitcher or catcher. That’ll leave some missed calls but reduces the likelihood of a blown call on an especially important pitch.
That assuages some concerns about the rule book strike zone not perfectly aligning with the way players expect the game to be called. One common complaint about the automatic zone is its tendency to reward pitchers for clipping the top of the zone with an elevated breaking ball. That’s less likely to be an issue with the challenge system, as pitchers and catchers won’t often dispute pitches they don’t perceive as strikes themselves.
The challenge system also preserves some of the value of a catcher’s framing ability, although it offers a check in high-leverage spots when stealing a strike would be most significant. From a fan perspective, that’s mostly an aesthetic concern. It’s an economic one for some players, as there are plenty of current catchers whose value is driven largely by their receiving skills.
In an unrelated bit of rule experimentation, MLB used the Arizona Fall League as a testing ground for check swings. As Baseball America’s Josh Norris first observed (on X) last week, players were able to use bat tracking technology to challenge a check swing call.
MLB rules don’t spell out a technical definition of a check swing. Subjectivity doesn’t work for a challenge system. Sam Dykstra of MLB.com writes that the league used a 45-degree threshold for the bat angle. In other words, if the bat angle went beyond the opposite field base line, it was deemed a swing. The check swing challenge was only in use during the Fall League. There’s no indication it’s under consideration for testing with MLB players, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if it gets an eventual trial run in minor league regular season games.
It’s insane how powerful the umpire’s union is.
I have no problem with the Umpires having a union. I have a problem how there are no penalties or repercussions, backed with data, for any particular umpire, having such poor understanding of the strike zone. It’s cost teams so many games, it is absolutely absurd.
@ Acoss I agree. I feel like they should grade them with data. Whoever grades out as the worst few umpires get demoted to the minors and call up the best few umps from the minors.
It’s not the umpire union holding back a challenge system, it’s the same people who picked the umps for the World Series despite them being ranked in the bottom half of accuracy
I think when this comes to the league they need to get rid of the strike zone box during the tv broadcast. You’ll have teams trying to watch live calling challenges constantly rather than letting the players use their judgment.
“That’s less likely to be an issue with the challenge system, as pitchers and catchers won’t often dispute pitches they don’t perceive as strikes themselves.”
That seems like a bold assumption. If they know high breaking balls clipping the zone can steal a strike, then what stopping teams from using that knowledge late in games when they have challenges remaining? Seems like a nice card to play especially if you need a strike and have a guy that can drop a hammer
I thought a check swing generally was called a swing if the bat went past parallel with the front of home plate. Of course, with no actual rulebook definition, who knows???
I always heard rolling or breaking the wrists. Which I thought was umpire propaganda to make them seem more in tune with the game. Because there’s no way these umpires would be able to see that in real time with the other things they need to focus on.
I’m surprised more retired players don’t get into umpiring. Anyone know of a reason why that is?
They want to be retired instead of traveling around maybe
There’s no way I’d want an umpiring job after making millions as a player. Some college somewhere needs a coach if I only made a few million as a player.
They would have to start umpiring in the minors by the way.
I always imagined Brandon Belt would make a great home plate umpire.
If there’s a 30 second delay, it’s unlikely that players would have time to know. Plus, if that was made illegal, there’s no way the secret wouldn’t get out.
Just make a computerized strike zone already.
I love the idea of the challenge system because it keeps the human element in the game while also adding the strategy of fixing mistakes.
It will be interesting to see which batters, pitchers, and catchers use the most challenges. I can imagine certain overconfident players using challenges all the time.
Step 1 install strike zone projecter into home play
Step 2 project strike zone
Step 3 let fans take turns calling balls and strikes each half winners draw winning seat numbers prior to game
Step 4 get rid of umps behind home plate
Step 5 profit
Sorry
Step 4A remove umps from behind home plate 1B umps is crew chief
Step 4B permanently add 2 umps to OF
Well, what fun will that be without Ángel Hernández?
Bucknor and Gonzalez will have to step things up for the sake of entertainment.
This is a good system. Working well in minors. Umps get it right most of time so this is fair.
Honest to God this guy can’t go a single season without changing the rules. Leave the game alone.
Challenging a ball strike call is going to lengthen the game. Too many hackers with a robot umpire. MLB terminator ump – I need a vacation. MLB should just add more umpires and rotate them, giving some time off during the season.
No it hasn’t done that in the minors. I think they limit the challenges anyway
The time for this is way past overdue. There are so many horrible umps at calling balls and strikes that they need help. Since Baseball has admitted they use ABS to grade umpires they must already know how bad they suck at it and the fans aren’t blind either.
Just keep watering down the product even more. Ever since Buster Posey got injured mlb has gone downhill. Hell look no father than tonight that free base in the 9th for 3 pickoff attempts. Really? In the World Series even? Baseball is a joke compared to what it once was
Should’ve been done long ago. It’s been a big hit for fans and players in the minors.
Enough of the pitch framing. That is not part of baseball, deceive the umpire. The pitch should be called ball or strike on where it crosses the plate. Not how the catcher catches it.