While most players get to enjoy a little down time during Major League Baseball’s All-Star break, coaches and front office execs are hard at work looking to see how they can improve their team’s second-half fortunes. One factor they should study carefully is how their players have fared under the new ABS rules.
The Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System is being used by MLB this season for the first time. Each team starts with two challenges per game on offense and defense, which are retained on successful appeals. The only people who can call for a challenge are the batter on offense and the catcher on defense.
It’s a new wrinkle of the game that managers need to stay on top of. For starters, they need to make sure players don’t waste challenges too early in games. It’s just like timeouts in football: You don’t want them to go unused, but you also want to save them for crucial moments late in games.
And managers might look at the individual statistics and decide one of his players simply isn’t allowed to use a challenge. James Wood of the Washington Nationals, for instance, has won just four of his 17 challenges this season, a success rate of 24%. You don’t want him wasting your challenges.
The most egregious use of a team’s ABS challenges occurred just a few days ago, courtest of Seattle Mariners slugger Randy Arozarena:
MLB’s Statcast has advanced data for every team and every player who’s made a challenge. Here are a few takeaways:
Eleven teams have made at least 100 challenges, led by the Minnesota Twins with 123. Of those 11 teams, only four have a success rate of at least 50%.
TEAM |
CHALLENGES |
SUCCESS % |
Minnesota Twins |
123 |
49% |
New York Mets |
120 |
49& |
Houston Astros |
114 |
61% |
Cincinnati Reds |
111 |
56% |
Philadelphia Phillies |
110 |
48% |
Colorado Rockies |
110 |
44% |
New York Yankees |
109 |
41% |
Cleveland Guardians |
105 |
39% |
Los Angeles Angels |
105 |
42% |
Baltimore Orioles |
103 |
50% |
Pittsburgh Pirates |
100 |
42% |
The only two teams with a success rate below 40% would both be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The Atlanta Braves (35%) are in first place in the NL East; the Cleveland Guardians (39%) are tied for first in the AL Central.
Catchers are much better than hitters at recognizing missed calls. While Astros batters have the best success rate at 61%, 12 teams’ catchers have a success rate of 60% or better. The top two are the Cincinnati Reds (73%) and Colorado Rockies (70%). Only four teams’ catchers are wrong more than 50% of the time; the Pittsburgh Pirates (40%) are at the bottom.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart leads all of MLB with 38 challenges, and he also leads in challenges won with 23 (61% success rate).
Stewart is one of 11 batters with at least 20 challenges. Among those 11 players, Houston Astros star Jose Altuve has the best success rate (71%).
New York Yankees shortstop Max Schuemann is a perfect 6-for-6 on challenges. That’s the most challenges for a player who has yet to lose. It’s also the most challenges for a player who has yet to win: Troy Johnston of the Rockies is 0-for-6.
Only five players with at least 10 challenges have a success rate of 75% or higher:
PLAYER, TEAM |
CHALLENGES |
SUCCESS % |
Isaac Paredes, Astros |
12 |
92% |
CJ Abrams, Nationals |
10 |
90% |
Bryce Eldridge, Giants |
11 |
82% |
Nick Kurtz, Athletics |
11 |
82% |
Davis Schneider, Blue Jays |
14 |
79% |
Among players with at least 10 challenges, Braves slugger Matt Olson and Home Run Derby champion Jordan Walker have the lowest success rate (20%).
As for catchers, Willson Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers has by far the most challenges on defense with 112 — he’s the only catcher with more than 100 challenges, and his success rate is 52%. Tyler Stephenson of the Reds has the second-most challenges with 85, and his success rate is 73% — which is the best rate for any catcher with at least 45 challenges.
There are 19 catchers with at least 50 challenges. The worst success rate in that group belongs to Washington’s Drew Millas (44%).
