As MLB continues to experiment with an Automated Ball-Strike challenge system in spring training, input and opinions from players around the league are beginning to trickle in.
After his first appearance of the spring on Tuesday for the Toronto Blue Jays, the newly signed Max Scherzer, who was unsuccessful in his two challenge attempts, left no doubts as to where he stands in regards to the ABS system.
“I’m a little skeptical on this,” Scherzer told The Athletic. “I get what we’re trying to do here, but I think major league umpires are really good. They’re really good. So what are we actually changing here? We know there are going to be strikes that are changed to balls, and balls that are changed to strikes..
“So we’re going to basically be even. So are we actually going to improve the game? Are the umpires really that bad? I don’t think so.”
In a highly entertaining back-and-forth with The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, who was attempting to explain to Scherzer the technology behind ABS, the three-time CY Young Award winner became increasingly frustrated with the system before uttering what will go down as one of his all-time best quotes.
“Can we just play baseball?” Scherzer asked. “We’re humans. Can we just be judged by humans? Do we really need to disrupt the game? I think humans are defined by humans.”
Of course, the move to experiment with ABS, which has been tested in the minor leagues in some capacity since 2021, was made in part due to complaints from fans and players about ball and strike calls, or in Scherzer’s words, judgements by humans.
MLB has even utilized full ABS, or a system with robot umpires who call every ball and strike, though such a change would render the game nearly unrecognizable, removing every human element. The ABS challenge system is seen as a sort of compromise between the two extremes.
Scherzer acknowledged that he “gets what we’re trying to do” but expressed a healthy amount of skepticism about the league’s desired results. So far, reviews from other players have been mixed.
After challenges during a live batting practice resulted in multiple strikes being overturned to balls, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, through his interpreter, became one of the first players to express his distaste for the system. On the flip side, fellow starting pitcher Corbin Burnes said he thought it was “great.”
Some of the differences in opinion are reflective of different generations and age groups, as well as position groups. It will be interesting to see how the league reacts to the feedback it gets from the utilization of the system this spring.
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