TAMPA, Fla. – Aaron Judge didn’t hesitate.
Rung up on a third strike during a live batting practice at-bat on Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees captain tapped his helmet to initiate an ABS challenge, a new weapon he might’ve welcomed countless times in recent seasons.
Seconds later, the left-field scoreboard delivered a verdict: Paul Blackburn’s pitch had been outside and low, a ball. The at-bat extended, Judge hammered the next offering into left field – a snapshot of how the introduction of the automated ball-strike challenge system could change games this season.
“I’m excited for it,” Judge said. “I think it’s going to be a little weird, because I’m not an umpire. I’m a hitter. I’ve never been in the box trying to think about, ‘Is this a ball? Is that a strike?’ If I feel like I can hit it, I feel like it’s a strike.”
Umpires have long faced challenges calling Judge’s zone, in part because of his 6-foot-7 frame. Since Judge's first full season in 2017, no hitter has had more called strikes against him on pitches out of the strike zone (Judge and Mookie Betts are tied for the most with 638). The difference between Judge and other hitters is biggest on pitches below the zone -- Judge has had far more low strikes called against him (368) than any other hitter during that timeframe (Josh Bell is next with 233).
“He’s one of the most miscalled zones in baseball,” Austin Wells said. “Being so tall, he’s getting calls below his knees all the time. That’s tough. It might be harder for him because that’s how he’s been called for so long, but I know he’s going to benefit from it.”
Others will, too. Early in Wednesday’s session, Trent Grisham twice initiated ABS challenges while facing Yankees prospect Ben Hess -- Grisham was correct both times. Grisham is among the club’s sharpest strike zone arbiters; his 17.3% chase rate last season ranked fourth-best in the Majors.
Under the rules, pitchers, catchers or hitters may initiate challenges without input from the dugout. Teams receive two per game and retain them if successful. Judge said he encouraged his teammates to be aggressive, especially during Spring Training.
“We’ve got to get a feel for it. We’ve got to use it,” Judge said. “This could be a tool that if we scratch out a couple of more wins because we got a couple of calls right, then hopefully that’ll help us not tie for the division.”
Last spring, Boone acknowledged that he was not the biggest fan of the system. He seems to be warming to it. Boone said he is encouraging pitchers to challenge as well, a topic that has prompted debate in other clubhouses.
On Wednesday, Hess tapped his cap from the mound, flipping a call against Grisham.
“I’m definitely good with it for now. We’ll evolve that a little bit,” Boone said. “Our pitchers might be a little less inclined, but I want them to have the freedom right now. There’s certain pitches that I do think they’ll be a little better on than a catcher.”
Wells named Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole among the pitchers he believes could benefit.
“We have a lot of pitchers that know the zone really well,” Wells said. “And we also have a lot of pitchers that pitch purely off of emotion, which is amazing and that fuels him. But it’s a lot harder to know the zone when you are convicted 100 percent that every pitch you throw is a strike.”
Even Jazz Chisholm, Jr., who relished challenging calls last spring, will have freedom to tap his helmet. Boone said the Yankees’ research shows Chisholm frequently receives incorrect calls near the top of the zone.
Boone’s broader takeaway is that teams may not have challenged enough in the Minor Leagues. Presented with the possibility where Judge receives a bad call in the late innings but the team has no challenge available, Boone nodded and said, “It’s going to happen.”
“The natural reaction or tendency is, ‘I’ve got to save one,’” Boone said. “Then you wind up taking them home. Games are won or lost in the second, third or fourth inning all the time.
“We want our guys to be good at it. We also want them to be aggressive with it. That scenario you’re talking about is going to happen. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t right to not challenge -- because you may never get to that spot.”