Pitchers and catchers report as spring training begins

Pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins in Arizona and Florida.

In what could be the last full season before a labor confrontation over a possible salary cap proposal, players are preparing for the Automated Ball-Strike system, giving teams a chance to appeal pitch calls by the plate umpire to so-called robot umps.

“I’m really excited about it. I’ve obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while,” said Washington’s Blake Butera, among eight new managers and at 33 the youngest in 54 years. 

ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026.

Each player will be measured for his strike zone, and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute.

Most teams appear reticent about allowing pitchers to challenge, preferring catchers and managers make the decisions.

“The first month will probably be the hardest month,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher. “Maybe spring will help a little bit. But in the spring, you can try and fail and it’s not that penal. We’ll have a running tab on who’s good at it and who is not. Because there might be some position players who get their optionality taken away from the challenged call.”

Tampa Bay will be preparing for a return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, repaired after hurricane damage caused the Rays to play home games last year at the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

There will be eight new managers on opening day, one shy of tying 2003 and 2020 for the most who weren’t the team’s skipper at the end of the prior season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Butera is joined by Craig Albernaz (Baltimore), Skip Schumaker (Texas), Derek Shelton (Minnesota), Craig Stammen (San Diego), Kurt Suzuki (Los Angeles Angels), Tony Vitello (San Francisco) and Walt Weiss (Atlanta). In addition, Warren Schaeffer was made Colorado’s permanent manager after getting the job on an interim basis last May 11.

All but Schumaker and Shelton are rookie big league managers. Butera is the youngest since Frank Quilici with the 1972 Twins. 

Japan will try for its fourth title and second straight when players leave their clubs for the sixth edition of the tournament, to be played from March 5-17 in Houston; Miami; San Juan; Puerto Rico; and Tokyo.

Rosters on the 20 national teams include 306 players under major league and minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars.

Shohei Ohtani, who struck out Mike Trout to end Japan’s 3-2 win in the 2023 final, will be limited to hitting.



(AP Photo Carolyn Kaster)