Major League Baseball appears to be benefiting from the ABS challenge system implemented this season. Fans at the ballpark enjoy having incorrect ball and strike calls reviewed on the scoreboard and for all to see.
Yet some MLB players are struggling with determining which calls should be challenged. New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the worst. He’s 1-for-7 after challenging a called strike on Sunday that was upheld after ABS determined that a cutter from Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was completely inside the strike zone.
At least that pitch was on the outside part of the strike zone. In Friday’s 12-4 win over the Astros, Chisholm challenged a fastball from Houston’s Bryan Abreu that was called for a third strike. ABS showed that the pitch was fully in the lower middle of the zone.
Chisholm acted surprised by the ABS ruling, but his misjudgment seemed particularly egregious on a pitch that was clearly in the strike zone. With the Yankees winning by eight runs, he could make light of the bad challenge after the game and laugh at himself.
The seven-year MLB veteran punctuated his poor strike zone perception by saying he would fine himself $1,000 to appease his teammates. The Yankees already had a self-imposed policy among the players that fined them $500 for poor challenges. Chisholm held himself accountable by doubling the fine on himself.
“If it’s a whole ball in the zone, you should know it’s a strike,” reserve catcher J.C. Escarra told the New York Daily News’ Gary Phillips. (Escarra is 3-for-4 on successful challenges as a catcher, by the way.)
While Chisholm appears to be the clubhouse leader in fines paid for bad ABS challenges, shortstop José Caballero might be competing with him for the top spot. Caballero has lost five of his 10 challenges, according to Baseball Savant. He’s shown enough poor judgment with ABS that Yankees manager Aaron Boone has had “firm” conversations with him about it.
Boone also acknowledged the possibility that players who were especially bad with ABS challenges might lose the privilege of disputing calls. But no one has gotten to that point yet.
Poor challenges could hurt a team during a game. MLB allows clubs to have only two challenges per game. They can be retained with a successful review. But if the challenge is wrong, a team loses that opportunity.
Among individual players, Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Athletics’ Nick Kurtz have been the best at ABS challenges thus far, each going 4-for-4. Besides Chisholm, the Baltimore Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson and James Wood of the Washington Nationals have been the worst, losing five of six challenges.
The Washington Nationals (39%) and Cleveland Guardians (42%) have been the worst at challenges as a team — counting batters, pitchers and catchers — thus far. The best have been the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, both at 63%, according to ESPN.
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