ABS Challenge System coming in 26

[Ozziesfan41]

The downside is they should have gone to 100% robot umpire for balls and strikes. Instead each team gets 2 challenges per game.

They institute a long list of goofy ideas but resist the most needed one.

It would seem this is the first stage in converting to 100% robotic. With tech today, there are no needs for an umpire crew...possibly one umpire to review all plays with stationary cameras and drones. I know it hurts when a profession is eliminated, but I think it could make both hitters and pitchers thrive.

Keep the home plate umpire for foul tips and hit by pitch. Zero need for umpire to call balls and strikes.

And plays at home plate

[LewisL]

I'm for it, but baseball would be a bit more boring without disputes with umpires, lol.

[ScotchMIrish]

The downside is they should have gone to 100% robot umpire for balls and strikes. Instead each team gets 2 challenges per game.

They institute a long list of goofy ideas but resist the most needed one.

It would seem this is the first stage in converting to 100% robotic. With tech today, there are no needs for an umpire crew...possibly one umpire to review all plays with stationary cameras and drones. I know it hurts when a profession is eliminated, but I think it could make both hitters and pitchers thrive.

Keep the home plate umpire for foul tips and hit by pitch. Zero need for umpire to call balls and strikes.

And plays at home plate

True. No need to get rid of umpires. Just stop them from calling balls/strikes.

[Bob39]

The only thing is I wish they would have gotten more challenges. Like way more. Like one per team per half inning. They don't take more than a couple of seconds.

I think the funny thing that will happen is that we will discover that umps are a lot better at this than players are.

[ramfandan]

Since the most exciting innings in a game are often the final one, moving forward I would like to see the rule ammended that each team
automatically gets a challenge in the 9th inning . (Under 2026, if you have no challenges left going into extra innings , you will get one in the 10th and any inning after that )

So I think for 2027 , you get two challenges thru 8 innings and everyone gets an extra challenge in the 9th ,if needed.

That way when the bases loaded , 2 outs, 3-2 on the batter the game does not end on a bogus strike 3 call outside the zone if you had exhasuted your 2 challenges earlier.
that would be my tweak .

[rockondlouie]

No downside

Two challenges won't slow down the game.

[TXCardsFanX]

The downside is they should have gone to 100% robot umpire for balls and strikes. Instead each team gets 2 challenges per game.

They institute a long list of goofy ideas but resist the most needed one.

Agreed!

If the ABS system is gospel, so to speak, on challenges, why not just get it right on every pitch?

"goofy"!!!