Player responses are beginning to surface as MLB tries the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system during spring training. Max Scherzer, who lost both of his challenge attempts, made his position on the ABS system quite apparent after making his Toronto Blue Jays spring debut on Tuesday.
“I have some doubts about this. Although I understand our goal, I believe major league umpires are excellent. They are excellent. What exactly are we changing here, then? Scherzer said. “We are aware that some strikes will be converted to balls and that some balls will be converted to strikes. Thus, we will essentially be equal. Will we, in fact, make the game better? Is the quality of the umpires really poor? Not in my opinion.
He had only just begun. Scherzer had a lot more to say when asked if a 50/50 split on challenges would render the system useless.
“I am keeping an eye on it. My intuition tells me that it will be 50/50 and that there won’t be much of a net gain. I’m waiting, though. We shall see. However, the newest Blue Jays player went on, “I just think the umpires are really good.”
The three-time Cy Young champion became more irritated before uttering one of his most famous lines during a heated discussion with Jayson Stark of The Athletic, who attempted to dissect the technology underlying ABS.