Major League Baseball (MLB) has declared plans to test robot umpires during spring training at 13 stadiums hosting 19 teams, with the potential for permanent implementation in the regular season by 2026 if the testing goes well.
Having robot umpires in Major League Baseball involves the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). Minor League Baseball (MiLB) has been able to use this technology since 2019. ABS uses high-speed cameras and complex algorithms to determine whether a pitch is a ball or a strike. The system is still improving the strike zone shape, however.
For Automated Ball-Strike technology to be used in Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, whose collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, would have to enter an agreement.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said: “I would be interested in having it in 2026. We do have a collective bargaining obligation there. That's obviously a term and condition of employment. We're going to have to work through that issue as well.”
When discussing the spring testing experiment, Manfred said: “There are two sides to that test. It’s what the clubs think about it and also what the players think about it. We’re going to have to sort through both of those.”
Triple-A, the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the U.S., ballparks used ABS this year for the second consecutive season. However, it seems few players want to adhere strictly to the strike zone, causing revisions to be tested by MLB in the Minor League.
Currently, the ABS calls strikes based entirely on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, 8.5 inches from the front and back. This year, the top of the strike zone was increased to 53.5% of the batter's height, up from 51%, while the bottom remained at 27%.
Manfred voiced: “I think we will have a spring training ABS test that will provide a meaningful opportunity for all Major League players to see what the challenge system will look like. It won't be in every single ballpark, but we actually have a plan where every team will get meaningful exposure.”
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