Baseballs ABS (the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System)

[stevenash]

In a spring training game on Tuesday, five consecutive pitches were overturned.
I can see problems on opening day.

Major League Baseball Adds Three New Rules For 2026 Season

This is an interesting read as well.

The most interesting players on the new ABS challenge leaderboard

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Not saying that it's good OR bad. I will say that you're tinkering w/ something that's been a part of the game for a long time.

There was always a gray area on the strike-zone:
1) The high end of the strike zone was normally not given.
2) The 0-2 pitch had to be on a dime to get a called strike.
3) Umpire tendencies are documented. The BEST pitchers (like Greg Maddux) knew the umps. He knew he had two extra inches on each side of plate when wide-zone umps were calling the game.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

On this topic, one Question:
1) Did any MLB capper even make significant profits by tracking Home-Plate umps?
2) The O/U stats are out there. My opinion is that it got factored into the line.
3) Bettors knew the ump tendencies. Hard to beat that over time, after the adjustment has been baked into the #.

[stevenash]

Slippery slope.

[Ian]

I think the abs rule is good for the game. This will make it a lot harder for a crooked umpire to rig a game.