Should the Automated Ball and Strike System be fully implemented? While there are arguments against and for the ABS, the Reds skipper Terry Francona’s bold suggestion is catching all the eyeballs. He asked his players from the major league not to use the ABS in the spring training. Why so? Because ABS is not getting used in the major league this year, why get into something that will not be used for now? So, what advantage can the Reds have from not following it? What’s the future of ABS with the MLB?

With ABS, two calls will be contested by each team in each game. The pitch and strike zone graphic will appear on the scoreboard and broadcast feed, and a challenge must be made within two seconds. The revised count is then announced by the umpire. While this system sounds good for Francona, this year will not see its implementation in the major league. That’s why Francona is not willing to get his players to focus on a subject that will not be in use now. It seems like Francona is keeping things simple and clear for his players. 

“Why work on a strategy we’re not going to use?” Francona said. “It just muddies the waters.” Well, younger athletes contesting calls using the ABS, which has been used with minors, is acceptable to him. He, however, seems more focused on getting the Reds ready for the upcoming season, which will be his first as manager. This strategy seems effective for the team, considering their poor performance last year. The Reds had a disappointing 2024 season, finishing with a 77-85 record and missing the playoffs. Hence, focusing on their on-field performance is important than learning ABS. 

ABS is the future, despite Francona’s radical take

Although the ABS will not be in use this year, the future of the MLB lies with it. Something that Terry Francona would also accept. Why doesn’t the MLB adopt newer technologies to improve overall efficiency like other sports? For instance, VAR technology in soccer has improved judgment and altered the status quo. The Automated Ball-Strike System for MLB could support home plate umpires for better. For the unversed, in 2018, 34,294 inaccurate ball and strike calls were made by MLB umpires, averaging 14 per game or 1.6 per inning, according to a Boston University survey. 

MLB as a sport could enter the next level with better efficiency and accuracy that would make the audience better engaged. This is the time MLB embraces the future and offers a better product to the audience, albeit at the cost of nostalgia. Why? Well, purists may not prefer to alter the classic feel of a human-controlled game. “We’re humans. Can we just be judged by humans?” said the Blue Jays veteran Max Scherzer. Hence, enough debates and discussions are left before full-fledged implementation of ABS. Terry Francona got smart enough to not focus on this now but rather on the team’s on-field performance.

The application of ABS is inevitable in MLB and for good. Considering its application is still not finalized, Francona’s focus on on-field performance might help the Reds to go bigger this year.

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