MLB has announced that beginning next season, the ABS (automatic ball-strike) Challenge System is going to be implemented for all games. This could be bad news for SF Giants catcher Patrick Bailey who is the best pitch framer in baseball.
According to advanced statistics, Bailey is far and away the best pitch framer in baseball. No one is better at making a borderline pitch look like a strike and that value could be taken away, or at least limited, since now batters will be able to challenge strike calls.
BREAKING: Major League Baseball will use the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) during the entire 2026 season
ABS CHALLENGE RULES:
- Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they're successful
- Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or… pic.