CLEVELAND -- The Automatic Ball-Strike Challenge System being implemented by MLB next season will mark a significant change for pitchers, catchers and batters alike. For the first time in the regular season, Major League teams will be able to request a review of a ball or strike call.
That raises the question: How are the Guardians planning to approach the new system?
We gained a bit of an idea during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., last week, certainly as it pertains to the pitching side of the Guardians’ operation. Cleveland catchers could bear the responsibility of asking for a review.
“We haven't talked about it really in depth, but I would imagine that we will not have our pitchers challenging pitches,” manager Stephen Vogt told reporters at the Winter Meetings. “Focus on making a pitch. Let the catcher make the decision.”
The Guardians got a taste of the ABS Challenge System during Spring Training this year, when MLB tested it during Cactus League play. It has also been a fixture in the Minor Leagues in recent years.
Next season, each team will begin a game with two challenges. A pitcher, catcher or batter may request a review of a ball or strike call, but not a manager or anyone in the dugout. A team will lose its challenge if an umpire’s call is confirmed.
For a full breakdown, MLB.com has a great article detailing the new system.
Given the limited number of challenges a team will have each game, it will be important to have confidence that a call could be overturned when asking for a review. Catchers have as good a view as anyone (next to an umpire) on the strike zone, making them a fitting option to call for a review.
As Vogt said, “A pitcher who is executing a pitch with their head coming down, it’s very hard to judge whether a pitch was in the strike zone.”
Alternatively, Cleveland will have to determine how to best use the system while it is at the plate. Some hitters naturally have a better feel for the strike zone than others. Strategically, it will figure to be most key to ask for a review during an important spot in a game.
If you’re wondering which Guardians hitters could benefit most from the ABS Challenge System, look no further than Steven Kwan. According to Statcast, 216 batters saw at least 2,500 out-of-zone pitches from 2022-25. Among those, Kwan’s called-strike rate of 5.3% on those pitches was tied for sixth highest.
“For hitters who know the zone really well, it's going to change the complexion of at-bats nightly -- maybe multiple [at-bats],” Vogt said. “I think for our guys that maybe don't know the zone as well, we're going to have to do a lot of training. We're already working through different training methods for our guys to learn the strike zone.
“The one thing with ABS, I think it's going to help some guys really clean up their judgment of the strike zone. Paying attention to it and having the ability to challenge, I think, could really help with swing decisions. But I definitely think Kwan will benefit from it a lot.”
As far as preparing for the ABS Challenge System, catcher Austin Hedges sounded ready earlier this offseason to help spearhead that effort.
After he signed a one-year deal in October to return to the Guardians, Hedges noted he planned to spend time with Cleveland’s coaching staff to help build a training system to prepare this offseason and during Spring Training for ABS’ implementation.
Hedges said it’s “priority No. 1” to be the best at the ABS Challenge System, both offensively and defensively.
“If you're going to be taking a certain amount of swings or a catcher is going to be taking a certain amount of reps receiving [this offseason],” Hedges said in October, “a good portion of that needs to be used in a certain way to practice the challenge system, practice knowing where that zone is.
“... Just like any other aspect of baseball, I think the teams that are probably in the top five at success rate on challenges, there's going to be some type of win and loss result. We don't know what that is yet. But one of my goals for us is to be one of those [top] teams and really let us take off because of it.”