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After years of fans clamoring for it, Major League Baseball is finally implementing an Automated Ball-Strike system for the 2026 season. But it’s not without its flaws.
In fact, according to Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Sal Frelick, who hit .288 last season and won a gold glove the year prior, MLB’s new system has a glaring flaw that nobody is even talking about.
While Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale recently claimed that he’ll never even use the ABS system, Frelick says that the system isn’t even entirely accurate due to the way it’s calibrated.
Sal Frelick says several players are under the impression that their ABS zone measurements aren’t being applied to crouched batting stances.
“If you’re a guy who likes to get really low in his stance, they still take the frame from when you were just standing upright.” pic.twitter.com/6OTrSY5DoU
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 23, 2026
MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike System Doesn’t Account For Different Batting Stances
According to Baseball America Editor-in-Chief JJ Cooper, Major League Baseball calculates the strike zone for each hitter as a percentage of their height.
Why is that a problem?
Well, it’s simple: because a number of players crouch down significantly in their batting stances, which lowers the level of their letters.
In theory, that should also lower/shrink the strike zone for the purposes of the automated-ball strike system. But that’s not how it works.
“We’re under the impression right now that wherever you get measured at doesn’t come into play if you then crouch in your batting stance,” Frelick said. “So, if you’re a guy who gets really low in his batting stance, they still take the frame from when you were just standing upright.
“Again, this is just what I’m hearing. We’re talking about it. So, if guys are like really crouched down in their batting stance, they’re like, ‘I don’t want to get measured standing straight up because my zone is gonna be higher.’ So, yeah, guys are talking about it.”
According to Cooper, MLB “experimented” with measuring stances in the past using the Florida State League, but ultimately decided to use a height-related percentage.
So the first time you see a pitch well above the letters called a ball only to be challenged and overturned to a strike, now you know why.
Hopefully, it’s not a major issue. But it’s easy to see how it could become one.