Major League Baseball has heard pleas from fans for years to move away from their reliance on umpires calling balls and strikes behind the plate and using modern technology for an automated strike zone. It appears the electronic ball-strike system being implemented is now just around the corner.
MLB has been toying with the idea of an automated ball-strike system for years. It tested out the technology in the Arizona Fall League and began using different versions of the ABS system in the lower levels of the minor leagues in 2019.
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Last year, all Triple-A parks adopted the electronic strike zone and tweaks were made before the 2024 season. As detailed by Baseball America, the automated strike zone at the Triple-A level this season is 17 inches wide – the width of home plate – with a two-dimensional rectangle at the midpoint of home plate. The bottom and top of the strike zones are set at 53.5% and 27% of the batter’s height.
However, the major leagues have yet to adopt the automated strike zone. While it has taken many years to gather significant support for a move to an electronic system there does now seem to be the necessary backing for it with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred shedding light on the backing for it inside baseball.
“There’s a growing consensus in large part based on what we’re hearing from players that the challenge form should be the form of ABS if and when we bring it to the big leagues, at least as a starting point. I think that’s a good decision.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on the future implemenation of an electronic strike zone (H/T ABC News)
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As for the timeline of when the system will be introduced at the major league level, Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed that the likely timeline for its introduction is 2026.
“While MLB is tabling the automated ball-strike system next season, MLB officials privately expect it to be formally introduced in 2026 with a challenge system.”
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale on when MLB will introduced an automatic strike zone
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Obviously, umpires will still be behind home plate when the electronic stroke zone is implemented but the decisions on balls and strikes will all be determined by the electronic box that is calibrated for each hitter. Its first year of implementation certainly won’t be smooth, as plenty of minor-league teams and players have taken issue with the electronic zone.
However, it is a step forward for baseball in terms of innovation. The introduction of the pitch clock has helped speed up games and using an electronic strike zone is the next step in modernizing the game. While it will also take fans some getting used to, getting rid of unmistakably bad calls will be great for the game.