Terry Francona & Craig Counsell “Thumbing Their Nose at the League,” Claims Insider

MLB is rolling out yet another experiment this spring training. They are giving teams the power to challenge two ball and strike calls per game with ABS. AKA- the automatic ball strike system. On paper, it sounds fantastic because players and even fans have been fed up with some calls by umpires over the years.

So now there is a system to call out the worst misses in real time. What is better, right?

But as they say, one cannot make everyone happy! Enter Terry Francona and Craig Counsell, two managers who are not on board with this new change or era in baseball yet. Instead of embracing this new trial run, they are treating this system like a speed breaker in their spring training time.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona didn’t mince his words about ABS. He told his players and the veterans to not bother even using the ABS during the spring training. “Why work on a strategy we’re not going to use? It just muddies the waters.” And sure, the system isn’t right now scheduled to be used in the majors this season. But still, it’s a trial run.

And he isn’t alone to disagree; even Craig Counsell, the Chicago Cubs manager, is in the same boat. The message is clear—not everyone wants to be part of an experiment that’s not yet a part of the game. Their decision to sidestep this has not gone unnoticed, and insiders Jesse Rogers and Buster Olney pointed it out in their podcast.

Rogers and Olney pointed out that failure to agree on ABS is basically like pushing back on the league’s wishes. “You’re doing a favor to the league. The league wants them to test this thing out. I guess they are thumbing their nose at the league a little bit.” It’s a fair point because MLB has spent years tweaking the rulebooks. From pitch clocks to shift restrictions to DHs, the same way there is this ABS now.

So why are some teams pushing back on it? Rogers and Olney believe that they don’t want to stir the pot with umpires. And it might irk them a bit, no doubt; it did when instant replay was introduced too. But just like with any change, everyone gets used to it sooner or later. Like it or not, it seems like the system is here to stay.

And the results are already making it worth a while!

ABS is already shaking things up in MLB

The ABS is already shaking things up. Sure didn’t take long to prove why MLB is giving it a shot. The perfect example presented itself in Saturday’s Yankees-Blue Jays match. Everson Pereira was close to walking back into the dugout after a full count strikeout. But wait—he challenged it. And take a guess?

The MLB’s ABS ruled in his favor. So ball four not strike three. And instead of inning ending, Pereira went on to take his base, Spencer Jones then crushed a two run and Ismael Munguia added an RBI triple. Three runs just because one call was corrected. The Blue Jays still did win 6-4 but Yankees manager Aaron Boone is all in for this system. “The timing to challenge a close pitch was there, and obviously, he was right and convicted on it,” Boone told MLB.com. Translation: The ABS system simply works. And this isn’t the only sole instance.

During the Sunday Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres game, it was the same story but different innings; Dodgers rookie Andy Pages had gotten rung up with the bases loaded on a pitch that was out of the zone. He then, without any hiccups, challenged it. And ABS worked again! Strike three turned into ball three, and LA had another chance to do some damage.

Yes, umpires probably do hate this. But no more shrugging off the missed calls anymore. Every mistake gets called out. Make things fair and square, doesn’t it? What do you think about it?