Here's Why I Am Opposed To The Automatic Ball-Strike Challenge System

[Andy Johnson]

Major League Baseball is implementing the challenge system in 2026. Many fans are happy, believing their team will no longer be screwed by bad umpires making horrible calls. It’s true that there have been bad umpires in the MLB, notably Angel Hernandez, who was known for having one of the largest strike zones. It’s true that a computer, or robo-ump, would probably do a better job calling an objective strike zone. 

However, the challenge system is a bad idea. Here’s why. 

First, the challenge system will muddy the waters further between what the strike zone actually is. There really should not be a universal strike zone. That’s because it depends on the height of the batter. Aaron Judge (6-foot, 7-inches) and Jose Altuve (5-foot, 6-inches) should not have the same strike zone. A strike at the upper end of the zone to Judge would be a ball to Altuve. A strike at the lower end of the zone to Altuve would be a ball to Judge. 

The robo-umps do account for the height difference, but it’s judged by a computer. The top of the zone is 53.3% of a player’s height, and the bottom is 27% of a player's height. 

That doesn’t just mean the zone would be different for Judge and Altuve. It means that Judge’s strike zone is significantly larger than Altuve’s. Judge stands 13 inches above Altuve, nearly 20% taller. That means, effectively, Judge’s strike zone would be 20% larger than Aluve’s. Does this really make sense? 

Even if the computer’s strike zone is perfect, it’s a bad idea. 

Catcher framing is a significant part of the sport. Catchers spend years trying to perfect the art of framing pitches in the zone to help their starters get more called strikes. Implementing the ABS system makes catcher framing a lost art and removes a significant part of what catchers do from their skill set. 

While the ABS system currently only allows teams to challenge calls, it has begun the more concerning slippery slope to full robotic umpires. 

In 2026, the batter or pitcher must challenge the umpire’s call if they believe it to be incorrect. If it is incorrect, the call is overturned, and the team keeps their challenge. If the call stands, the team loses their challenge, and if they lose two challenges, they can no longer challenge any more pitches in the game. 

That makes some sense, though it could lead teams to save their challenges for late-inning, crucial moments. This allows for human umpires to remain a part of the game, even if their most crucial calls can now be overturned. In this way, you could say it’s no different from the challenge system on scoring plays or steals, which allows teams to challenge if a runner is safe when the umpire calls him out. 

However, this is a slippery slope the league is engaging in. Already, in Triple-A, the full ABS system was used three days a week last week. How much longer until the full ABS system is also implemented in the MLB, and the need for human umpires all but vanishes? The MLB says it prefers the challenge system, but if that’s the case, why test the full ABS implementation in the minor leagues? 

It feels like it is only a matter of time before every pitch is being called by robo-umps. It will be a sad day for the game of baseball when it comes to fruition. Umpires have always been a part of a sport. It keeps a human element of the game intact and adds strategy when planning for a game, as certain umpires have individually unique strike zones. 

In the same way that every stadium is slightly different, every umpire is slightly different in the way he calls balls and strikes. That’s not a bad thing. Baseball is not the NFL, where every field is exactly the same, every play reviewed by a committee in New York. There’s something unique about the way every baseball game is a little different. Robo-umps would take away that individual, human element of the game, and make it boring. 

Plus, there would be nobody for fans to yell at and blame when their team is losing. There’s nothing that unites a fanbase better than an umpire who they believe is hurting their team. It’s a common fan experience to collectively yell at the home plate umpire after a player strikes out looking. Who are they going to yell at now? The computer? 

I say keep the game pure,  and don’t mess around with robo-umps

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