The introduction of the automated ball-strike system has brought a new layer of strategy to Major League Baseball, with teams learning the delicate art of the challenge. In the system’s inaugural full season, robot umpires ended up flipping 54% of the challenged calls, proving that knowing when to speak up is just as important as the play itself.
The Cincinnati Reds emerged as the masters of this new game, leading the league with a net gain of 16.8 runs based on the run value of successful overturns. They were followed closely by the Los Angeles Angels and the Athletics. On the flip side, several top-tier teams struggled to get the call right, with the Cleveland Guardians landing near the bottom of the pack, alongside playoff contenders like the Dodgers, Rays, and Yankees.
Catcher instincts proved to be a massive advantage. Catchers enjoyed a 59% success rate on their appeals, compared to 49% for batters and a meager 40% for pitchers, who rarely threw down the challenge flag. Milwaukee’s William Contreras set the standard for backstops, leading all catchers with 185 challenges and securing 105 victories. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto showed elite efficiency, pulling off an 81% success rate among catchers with a significant volume of challenges, including the first-ever game-ending ABS challenge in postseason history.
At the plate, Houston’s Jose Altuve led all batters with 5.6 projected runs gained through successful challenges, followed by Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Colorado’s Kyle Karros. However, some of the game’s biggest stars found themselves on the losing side of calls. The Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki lost the most projected runs (5.7) due to defensive challenges, just ahead of the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and the Cubs’ Ian Happ.
As the season wore on, players and managers got more comfortable with the technology. Challenges per game climbed from 3.76 in March to over 4.60 by August. Teams also learned to save their bullets for high-leverage moments, leading to a surge of appeals in the ninth inning, despite a lower success rate of 40%. The Pittsburgh Pirates struggled the most with the new system, managing only a 47% team success rate, while Kansas City excelled in manager-led challenges, overturning nearly 70% of their appeals.
Overall, the automated system has changed how players approach plate discipline and how managers manage their challenge tokens, turning a simple ball or strike into a high-stakes strategic chess match.
