GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona has advised his players to refrain from utilizing the newly developed Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) during their spring training sessions. Francona expressed to The Athletic that while he is receptive to younger players experimenting with challenging calls using the ABS, which has already been employed in the minor leagues, he believes it is not beneficial for seasoned veterans. This is primarily due to the fact that the ABS will not be implemented in the upcoming major league regular season.
“Why work on a strategy we’re not going to use?” Francona remarked. “It just muddies the waters.”
The ABS is undergoing testing this spring during exhibition games, after four years of trials at the minor league level. Last year, Major League Baseball (MLB) concentrated its efforts on a challenge format that allows human umpires to make the initial calls. The insights and data gathered from this spring training evaluation could influence modifications to the ABS, particularly for Triple-A games slated for this year.
Francona appears more focused on adequately preparing the Reds for the season ahead—his inaugural season as manager—than he is on contributing to the experimental data collection for the ABS.
“I don’t want to make a farce of anything, but we’re here getting ready for a season and that’s not helping us get ready,” he stated.
