PHOENIX -- Phase one of the Brewers’ introduction to MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) System was a feeling-out period. Now, it’s on to phase two, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that one of MLB’s innovative teams is trying something new.
If you watched the dugout closely during the Brewers’ 10-8 win at the Rockies on Thursday, you would have seen one of the coaches -- “game preparation strategist” Evan Martin, or “Ninja” as he’s known -- occasionally affixing a green index card to the railing. It signaled to everyone on the field that the conditions were right to challenge a pitch if the opportunity presented.
It was the first such input from manager Pat Murphy and his staff, who previously let players experiment with challenges on their own. Now, nearly two weeks into the exhibition schedule, they want players thinking about when it’s smart to consider a challenge, and when it’s better to swallow personal pride and preserve those precious two challenges for the team.
“Now we want to zero in,” Murphy said. “We’re getting closer.”
The plan was finalized during a meeting in Murphy’s office on Thursday morning that included Milwaukee’s research and development department, the folks who work behind the scenes identifying small edges to help the small-market Brewers punch above their weight year after year. It is likely to evolve over time. At Thursday’s game, for example, the Brewers were in the third-base dugout, so it was difficult for right-handed hitters to see the card pitch-to-pitch. Eventually, the status could be relayed by base coaches in some manner.
“They hire these really, really smart guys that talk about these things that get your brain -- for me, it’s, like, a real uncomfortable area,” Murphy said. “But they do a great job of bringing things to your attention.
“We had five R&D guys in here with our baseball staff saying, ‘How are we going to present this? Does this make sense? What are you worried about from a strategy standpoint?’”
Fans might naturally ask: Is this legal? After all, the rules state that a player must decide whether to challenge on his own, without assistance from the dugout or other players. An umpire can disavow a challenge if he or she believes the player had help.
But in this case, the dugout isn’t telling a hitter or catcher whether or not to challenge. It is merely signaling to players and third-base coach Matt Erickson that the count and game conditions are such that it should be considered.
Players were alerted to it before game time on Thursday.
Right before game time.
“Three minutes before I went up to bat,” said leadoff hitter Garrett Mitchell, who got the word from Martin.
He didn’t need the card this time. Mitchell hammered the game’s first pitch for a Statcast-projected 462-foot home run.
But in his second at-bat, with runners on first and second with one out in the second inning, the card came out and Mitchell had the green light to challenge. He didn’t use it, walking on six pitches.
“I think it’s awesome, actually,” Mitchell said. “It takes some of the guessing out of it, the, ‘What are they thinking?’ It gives you confidence. If you think it’s a ball, go for it.”
Only the catchers had advance notice about the system before Thursday’s game. The starting catcher, Jeferson Quero, who is already well versed in the ABS system from his time in Triple-A, practiced looking for the card on Thursday morning before the Brewers departed for the game in Scottsdale. Reese McGuire, who was in the lineup at catcher for Friday’s game against the D-backs, was next up a day later.
“I think that’s key for us to make it a little bit easier,” Quero said. “It was my first time using it. I had to pay more attention on every pitch, because it changed every pitch.”
“At first they considered having a yellow for in the middle, or something. But at that point you would be unsure,” McGuire said. “They’re trying to make it as simple as possible. If it’s a green and you feel like it, go.”
It’s a work in progress. Quero challenged a called ball in the bottom of the first inning against the Rockies because he was certain the pitch was a strike. He was right, and the Brewers won the challenge. But because the pitch was relatively close and the green card wasn’t out, Murphy considered it an inadvisable decision.
Coaches are gaining experience, too. In the fifth inning with two outs on Thursday, Luis Rengifo was called out on a pitch below the zone. But before he challenged, Erickson inadvertently tapped his helmet at third base. Home-plate umpire Pete Talkington waived off the challenge, and the inning was over.
“Matty did it on accident, and he knew the minute he did it it wasn’t right,” Murphy said. “Rengifo hesitated. We looked at the high-home [camera], and that’s exactly what happened. The umpire was correct.”
There are more layers to add to the Brewers’ strategy, Murphy said, and plenty of time to sort it all out.
“It’s complicated. That’s why I called in smart people,” Murphy said. “I don’t want to reveal all of our strategy, but the key is to not lose challenges early, but also not to have challenges when you end the game.
“It’s situation-based. Count is more important than runners on base, and [game] situation is more important than anything.”