Spring Training and the Upcoming Season
As Major League Baseball (MLB) gears up for another season, players are once again taking to the field for spring training, commencing just 102 days post the thrilling World Series where the Los Angeles Dodgers secured their second consecutive championship, a rare feat not achieved in the past 25 years. On the agenda this spring is a new focus on the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system and preparations for the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Automated Ball-Strike System
This spring training could be pivotal as it may precede a potential labor confrontation regarding a proposed salary cap. Players will adapt to the ABS, which allows teams to contest pitch calls made by home plate umpires using technology commonly referred to as “robot umps.” Washington’s Blake Butera, the youngest manager in 54 years at age 33, shared his enthusiasm for the system, recalling its usage in Triple-A.
“I’m really excited about it. You always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It’s like: Hey, challenge it. Let’s see what you got,”
he said.
The ABS was piloted in 13 spring training facilities last year, with teams successfully appealing 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, typically resolved in about 14 seconds. The plan is for every player’s strike zone to be established on a rolling basis from 10 a.m. to noon throughout spring training, with data confirmed by the Southwest Research Institute. However, many teams are hesitant to allow pitchers to challenge calls directly, favoring decisions made by catchers and managers.
Detroit’s A.J. Hinch, a former catcher, articulated the challenges ahead, indicating,
“The first month will probably be the hardest month. It can be less punishing to experiment in spring compared to a regular-season opener.”
Player Movement and New Managers
On a related note, the Tampa Bay Rays are preparing to return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, after playing last season’s home games at the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field due to hurricane damage.
Player movement has been notable ahead of spring training, with many high-profile free agents finding new homes, such as Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz signing with the Dodgers and Alex Bregman joining the Chicago Cubs. Others are making quite the shift as well; Pete Alonso will be suiting up for the Baltimore Orioles, while Dylan Cease joins the Toronto Blue Jays, who were AL champions last season, and Bo Bichette moves to the New York Mets. Notably, right-hander Freddy Peralta was traded from Milwaukee to New York. Additionally, several Japanese talents, including Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, and Tatsuya Imai, are set to join the ranks of MLB.
This year also marks the return of the World Baseball Classic after its last edition in 2023. Japan, having previously won three titles, aims for a fourth as they prepare for the tournament scheduled from March 5 to 17 across Houston, Miami, San Juan, and Tokyo. Among the 20 national teams, 306 players with MLB or minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars, will compete. U.S. captain Aaron Judge expressed his eagerness to contribute, stating,
“I think this team is going to be on a mission.”
Shohei Ohtani, who secured the winning strike in the last final, will primarily participate as a hitter this time.
Looking Ahead
Dugouts will undergo substantial changes as eight teams will have new managers on the opening day, just shy of tying the record for the most changes since 2003 and 2020. Butera leads this new cohort of managers which includes Craig Albernaz, Skip Schumaker, Derek Shelton, Craig Stammen, Kurt Suzuki, Tony Vitello, and Walt Weiss. Most of these managers are first-time big league leaders, representing a younger generation taking the reins in the league.
Amid these changes, players and management are bracing for the expiration of the five-year collective bargaining agreement on December 1. The potential of a management lockout looms, reminiscent of the 2021 scenario that followed the last deal’s end. The urgency for a new agreement to safeguard the 162-game season remains high, given the looming discourse about a salary cap, instilling caution on both sides as they prepare for what may be the first in-season interruption since 1995.
