All 30 Triple A ballparks plan to use an electric strike zone this season, per ESPN. However, the teams will use the Automatic Balls and Strikes (ABS) system differently. One half of Triple A teams will use an electronic strike zone for all calls, while the rest of the league will use an ABS challenge system that allots three challenges per game.
MLB has reportedly not decided whether or not it will implement the ABS system in the future, but they will likely use this season’s experiences in Triple A to help make that determination. If anything, the major leagues will look to use the challenge system first before using the full electronic strike zone system, per ESPN.
The ABS system has been used across the last several years at various minor league levels. Last season, it was introduced to Triple A action for the first time.
“I’m not totally against it,” Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant—who was part of a game with an automated zone while on a rehab assignment—said back in May, via Nick Groke of The Athletic. “Umpires want to get the calls right. They’re not out there trying to influence the game one way or the other. If they have a tool at their advantage to every call right, that’s great.”
Now the system has expanded to encompass the entirety of the highest level of the minor leagues, giving MLB a great look at the potential future of umpiring.
