Locked On MLB - Daily Podcast On Major League Baseball IN THE ZONE - Will the ABS System Give A New Thrill To MLB Games?
Feb 28, 2026
Discussion of MLB’s new automated balls-and-strikes system and how it could change calls in real time. Early spring training and minor-league takes on the system’s smoothness are reviewed. A case is made for using the televised strike box as the official zone. Conversation also recalls an umpire’s legacy and examines a 2018 grievance to argue for a payroll floor.
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ABS Can Fix Blown Balls And Strikes
- Paul Francis Sullivan supports using technology to make more correct balls-and-strikes calls rather than tolerating blown calls that alter games.
- He recounts seeing the ABS system at a Sacramento Rivercats game and says it worked without ruining the flow of play, proving feasibility.
Sully Predicted An Automated Strike Zone 11 Years Ago
- Paul Francis Sullivan describes making a video 11 years ago advocating an automatic, uniform strike zone for all hitters regardless of height.
- He notes broadcasters already show a strike box and that technology has improved to indicate exact corners in real time.
Use The Broadcast Box As The Official Strike Zone
- Do adopt a single, uniform electronic strike zone displayed in real time for every game instead of a pitch-by-pitch challenge system.
- Paul Francis Sullivan argues the broadcast box (used since 2010) already shows the zone live and could simply be declared the official strike zone.