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Automated strike zone equipment will be mounted but not used in Grapefruit League

JUPITER, Fla. — A camera peeks out from the center-field scoreboard at Roger Dean Stadium here. Another is high behind the home-plate area, and there are other cameras mounted on the first- and third-base sides.

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Big Brother may not be watching but you can be sure ABS (Automated Balls and Strikes) is.

A Major League Baseball source confirmed that nine spring training facilities that also serve as stadia for Florida State League games will be using the ABS this spring. It will be in test mode only for the major-league games. Umpires will not be wearing earpieces as they continue to judge balls and strikes the old-fashioned way, and Grapefruit League fans really won’t notice anything unusual except for the presence of more cameras.