Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC.
In what could be the last full season before a labor confrontation over a possible salary cap proposal, players are preparing for the Automated Ball-Strike system, giving teams a chance to appeal pitch calls by the plate umpire to so-called robot umps.
“I’m really excited about it. I’ve obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while,” said Washington’s Blake Butera, among eight new managers and at 33 the youngest in 54 years. “You always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It’s like: Hey, challenge it. Let’s see what you got.”
ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026.
Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity — and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute.