Robot Umpires at Triple-A Ballparks in 2023
All 30 Triple-A ballparks will use robot umpires to call balls and strikes for the 2023 season, according to a report from ESPN.
The Triple-A affiliate for the Texas Rangers is the Round Rock Express, which plays at Dell Diamond.
The technology, called the Automatic Balls and Strikes system, or ABS, has been used progressively at different levels of baseball’s minor-league systems since 2019. But this is the first time the system will be deployed at one level of the minors and used in all games.
The system will reportedly be used two different ways. Half of the games will be played with all calls determined by an electronic strike zone, with the other half played with an ABS challenge system that allows teams to challenge up three calls per game, with teams retaining challenges if they’re successful.
Per the report, there is no timeline to use the technology at the MLB level and the data collected in 2023 will inform “future choices.” But using the technology at the highest level of minor-league baseball may imply that MLB is considering its use sooner rather than later.
MLB has adopted several new rules changes for the 2023 season, many of which are designed to speed up the pace of the game, including a pitch clock and limiting the number of times a pitcher can throw to a base in an effort to pick off baserunners. The bases are also larger this year.
And, the defensive shift will no longer be allowed, which is music to the ears of some pull hitters like the Rangers shortstop Corey Seager.
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