Rob Manfred wants automated ball-strike system in majors by 2026 as MLB will test ‘robot umps’ this spring

An automated ball-strike system (ABS), informally known as “robot umps,” will be tested during this coming spring training, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed again on Wednesday at the owners’ meetings. “I think we will have a spring training ABS test that will provide a meaningful opportunity for all major league players to see what the challenge system will look like,” Manfred said, via the Associated Press. “It won’t be in every single ballpark but we actually have a plan where every team will get meaningful exposure.”

Manfred in late October had previously indicated that this would be the case.  

Manfred added that the long-term goal is to attempt to have an ABS system in place before the 2026 MLB season. That, however, would necessitate reaching an agreement with the umpires’ union. The current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Umpires Association expires on Dec. 1, so the timing works from the league’s standpoint. 

The ABS system, which automates the calling of balls and strikes rather than relying on the human judgment of plate umpires, has been used for multiple seasons at various levels of the affiliated minor leagues, including Triple-A. In full-ABS games, all ball-strike calls are made by the Hawk-Eye system and relayed by the plate ump in the traditional manner. The ABS challenge system, however, still relies on the plate ump to make ball-strike decisions. The wrinkle is that teams can challenge specific ball or strike calls that they deem incorrect. Each team is given a limited number of “incorrect” challenges per game, which incentivizes judicious use of challenges. In the event of a challenge, the automated system is used to confirm or change the umpire’s call. 

Here’s a look at the challenge system in action: 

In some ways, the challenge system is a compromise between the traditional method of making ball-strike calls and the fully automated approach. That middle ground may make approval by the various stakeholders more likely to happen and may lay the foundation for full automation at some future point. For now, though, the ABS challenge system is the future of umpiring, at least behind the plate, for MLB.