{"id":262872,"date":"2026-04-23T15:28:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T15:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/262872\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T15:28:33","slug":"players-say-mlbs-robot-umpires-are-shrinking-the-strike-zone-as-walks-reach-historic-highs-chicago-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/262872\/","title":{"rendered":"Players say MLB\u2019s robot umpires are shrinking the strike zone as walks reach historic highs \u2013 Chicago Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald knows that \u2014 in theory \u2014 Major League Baseball\u2019s new Automated Ball-Strike system<\/a> shouldn\u2019t favor batters or pitchers.<\/p>\n

In practice, he thinks one side has gained an advantage.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not the guys throwing the baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what (MLB) wanted \u2014 people on base,\u201d Sewald said. \u201cTough time to be a pitcher. Balls flying everywhere, you\u2019ve got a smaller strike zone. But you just go out there and do the best you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs getting acquainted with Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, which debuts in MLB this year<\/a><\/p>\n

So \u2026 is Sewald right? It depends on which numbers you want to use, but it sure seems like the strike zone has shrunk.<\/p>\n

Walks have skyrocketed to near historic highs through the season\u2019s first month. There\u2019s no direct evidence ABS is the reason for the increase, but as D-backs catcher James McCann said: \u201cOf course it is. What other rules have changed?\u201d<\/p>\n

MLB players have drawn a walk in 9.8% of plate appearances this season through Wednesday\u2019s games, which would be the highest rate since 1950. The rate is likely to come down as the season progresses \u2014 pitchers usually have more trouble finding the zone during widespread chilly conditions in northern cities during March and April.<\/p>\n

But even adjusted for the time of year, walks have made a massive jump from last season.<\/p>\n

Everyone knew the strike zone would change. MLB had to re-write its definition of the zone to accommodate the shift to robot umpires. The Official Baseball Rules long described a zone stretching from the midpoint of the hitter\u2019s torso down to the \u201chollow beneath the kneecap.\u201d The new zone is more precise. It starts at 27% of a batter\u2019s standing height and stretches to 53.5%. The ABS zone is 17 inches wide, matching the width of home plate. All pitches are measured at the midpoint of the plate.<\/p>\n

The spike in walks doesn\u2019t tell the whole story about who is benefiting during the ABS era. MLB\u2019s league-wide batting average is down slightly to .240 through Wednesday, a few ticks below the .242 rate through last year\u2019s games in March and April. That pokes a hole in Sewald\u2019s claim that there are \u201cballs flying everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

The difference in opinion is fascinating as MLB players digest the new rules and new data.<\/p>\n

New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger isn\u2019t putting too much stock in the early numbers. He said hitters and pitchers are always playing a cat-and-mouse game, and there will eventually be equilibrium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s always an adjustment to something new,\u201d the 2019 National League MVP said. \u201cIt\u2019s also such a short sample size. It\u2019s (20-25) games into the season, so numbers skyrocket both ways early on.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCann\u2019s not so sure. The veteran catcher said a smaller strike zone will inevitably lead to more walks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s tighter in general,\u201d McCann said. \u201cUmpires are getting instant feedback on what\u2019s a strike or a ball and everything\u2019s becoming much more uniform. That\u2019s what the guys who had used it in the minor leagues told me was going to happen before the season started, and they were exactly right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs star infielder Nico Hoerner had a slightly different take \u2014 arguing that hitters might be benefiting in the short-term by laying off pitches at the top of the strike zone \u2014 but that all adjustments have an expiration date.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting on base has been emphasized for a long time,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cWalking is incredibly valuable as a hitter. A lot of pitchers \u2014 their approach is to avoid slug at all cost. Sometimes that involves throwing less strikes. But I\u2019m sure there will be a back and forth, just like every trend in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

If recent history is any indication, MLB rule changes can cause a lasting effect. There was a nearly 50% increase in stolen bases from 2022 to 2023 after a rules package introduced a pitch clock and limits on how many times a pitcher could make pickoff throws.<\/p>\n

Stolen bases have remained high in the subsequent years \u2014 even after teams adjusted to the new rules.<\/p>\n

And when MLB lowered the mound in 1969, the walk rate jumped from 7.6% to 9.1%. It dipped slightly after that but didn\u2019t return below 8% again until 2013.<\/p>\n

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough believes the ABS issue is a different animal. He\u2019s watching the trends and doesn\u2019t believe the higher walk rate is here to stay.<\/p>\n

Who knows? The next five months will tell the tale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we\u2019ll get to a point where it gets close and stabilizes to what it\u2019s been, where relievers are walking around 10%. Starters are going to be more around 8%,\u201d McCullough said. \u201cMy hypothesis sitting here now early in the year is that by the time the season ends, (walk rates) will look very much like they have, say the last several seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen, AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames and AP freelancer Larry Fleshier contributed to this story<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX \u2014 Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald knows that \u2014 in theory \u2014 Major League Baseball\u2019s new Automated…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151,32457,63227,3607,7677,154],"class_list":["post-262872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-latest-headlines","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}