Rob Manfred Talks Robot Umpires, Players' Reaction and Potential MLB Debut
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is pleased with how the automated ball-strike system experiment went during spring training.
Speaking to Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times, Manfred called the use of ABS this spring "really successful" with the hope it can be implemented in the regular season starting in 2026:
"I think the owners made a good choice by going with the challenge system first, and I hope that we bring it to the big leagues in short order. It won’t be in 2025. It’d be in 2026. Here’s why I’m uncertain: We could go to the MLBPA and say we want to go in 2026. Given that’s a bargaining year, it would not be shocking for them to say: 'Let’s deal with this in bargaining. Let’s wait.'"
Manfred explained there's some uncertainty about getting the players onboard for a fully automated system that would essentially relay a ball or strike call to an umpire in real time because players "prefer" the challenge system since it's a smaller change to how things currently operate and it doesn't dramatically impact the value of catchers who add value with pitch-framing:
"They prefer the challenge system because it’s a smaller change and they generally prefer smaller changes. And there is an argument about how it affects the kind of players in the game. The argument that they make is if you have an automated strike zone, the framing catcher, he goes away. It’s like a lost art. It’s not necessary anymore. That ripples through the game in a way that changes who has what job, so framing isn’t important anymore, and maybe you get a more offensive-minded catcher as opposed to the framing guy, and the framing guy loses his job."
The ABS system wasn't used for every spring training game because some ballparks aren't equipped with the technology, but it was available in 13 of the 19 dfferent stadiums.
It proved to be a simple operation, with the pitcher, catcher or hitter signaling to the umpire they want to challenge a call by tapping their helmet. The strike zone is determined by the width of home plate (17.5 inches), with the top and bottom of the zone based on the player's height.
Per MLB's tracking data, a total 52.2 percent of challenges were successful. Only 2.6 percent of all pitches thrown resulted in a challenge, with each challenge adding around 13.8 seconds of time to the game.
The ABS system has been used at the Triple-A level since the 2023 season, but MLB initially split how it was enforced.
Since series in the minor leagues are six games long, they would use the full ABS system—aka robo umps—for the first three games. The final three games would use the challenge system.
The challenge system was adopted on a full-time basis at Triple-A midway through last season.
Manfred did note MLB umpires are "more receptive" to the robot-style system if it were to be adopted, but the next round of collective bargaining negotiations with the players will likely determine which system gets put in use at the big-league level.
