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Atlanta Braves legend John Smoltz recently revealed that managers have already started planning strategies for the upcoming season now that MLB has approved the ABS. Smoltz noted that some players are likely to earn more trust than others when it comes to making the calls.
Smoltz, who won the 1996 Cy Young Award and three NL strikeout titles with the Braves, spent 20 of his 21 MLB seasons with Atlanta. The 58-year-old is now a broadcaster and analyst for FOX Sports.
Smoltz shared insights about the managers' ABS strategies for the 2026 season during his appearance on "Flipping Bats with Ben Verlander" on Wednesday.
"I've heard people say, 'I got a three-strike policy, you’re wrong three times, you’ll never get a chance to use your challenge again,'" John Smoltz said [Timestamp 14:48]. "That’s a great way to go about it because you know the ego and the players that think they know they’re going to want to quickly do something."
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Smoltz thinks it's a brilliant idea, sharing that he has heard several MLB managers planning to adopt the strategy.
"You’ve got to have the trust of certain guys that you know," Smoltz added. "You tell me [Luis] Arraez is at the plate I will give him whatever luxury he wants cuz he thinks and he knows he knows the strike zone better than anybody. I’m not going to question him."
San Diego Padres infielder Luis Arraez is widely recognised for his elite contact-hitting skills, having won three consecutive batting titles. In addition to the batting titles, he has earned three All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards.
Arraez has consistently demonstrated exceptional plate discipline, making him well-suited to make an ABS call in such a scenario.
John Smoltz on pitchers making the calls under ABS
In the same conversation with Ben Verlander, John Smoltz urged that pitchers should be cautious about challenging calls and instead lean on their catchers and hitters.
“Pitchers, as much as I think that I would know the strike zone at the mound, I’d be very careful to let pitchers ever ever contest a strike. I would rely on my catcher and my hitter, and that’s being a former pitcher," Smoltz said [Timestamp 15:33].
Earlier in the conversation, Smoltz shared his personal opinion about the ABS. He expressed confidence that it would improve the game by correcting obvious mistakes. From the perspective of speed, technology, and pitching, Smoltz believes it will have a positive impact on the sport.
