MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announces major plans on introducing automated ball-strike

Major League Baseball could be in for another big change in the coming seasons after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred made a huge announcement on Tuesday.

According to the Athletic, Manfred is planning to propose the automated ball-strike challenge system. If the proposal is accepted, the system could be implemented ahead of Opening Day 2026.

The proposal will be submitted to the league's competition committee in the offseason. The committee consists of 11 members; six owners, four players, and an umpire.

Rob Manfred has been vocal about his desire to bring the ABS system to major leagues after it was introduced at the Triple-A level in 2023 and 2024.

"My single biggest concern is working through the process and deploying it in a way that's acceptable to the players," Manfred said.

"There's always going to be things around the edges that we need to work through and whatever, and I want them to feel like we respected the committee process and that there was a full airing of concerns about the system, and an attempt to address those concerns before we go forward."

MLB tested the ABS in spring training ahead of the 2025 season. The strike zone was determined by the Hawk-Eye tracking system when a batter, pitcher, or catcher challenged a strike call from the umpires. Each team was allowed two challenges per game.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred shared teams are "positive" on ABS' introduction

While the implementation of ABS in spring training this year divided opinions, mainly because of the time it takes to complete the process, Rob Manfred shared that teams are "positive" about the change.

“I think that teams are really positive about ABS,” Manfred said. “You know, I do have that unscientific system that I use — my email traffic — and my distinct impression is that using ABS in spring training has made people more prone to complain about balls and strike calls via email, to me, referencing the need for ABS. That is undoubtedly true, undoubtedly true.”

There has been growing discontent among fans over contentious strike calls in recent seasons and the introduction of the ABS would certainly help the umpires.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash