Smoltz Backs 2-Challenge ABS but Warns Full-Time Automation Will Make Baseball Suffer
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
Smoltz Backs 2-Challenge ABS but Warns Full-Time Automation Will Make Baseball Suffer
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
Summary
John Smoltz called MLB’s ABS challenge system a “big success” one month into the season, but said baseball would “suffer” if every pitch were ruled by automation.
Two challenges per team is the right limit, Smoltz said, arguing a full-time automated zone would make hitting “impossible” and change the sport too drastically.
Fangraphs data already show a shift in play: hitters are swinging at 46.9% of pitches this season versus 47.5% last year, while walk rate has risen to 9.2% from 8.4%.
Smoltz tied that change partly to pitchers losing borderline calls they once got, saying hitters, catchers and teams are adjusting quickly to the challenge-based system.