The Twins Have Learned A New Kind Of Pitch Framing

Major League Baseball’s new automatic ball-strikes (ABS) system has turned the art of framing pitches from a physical catching specialty to a nuanced part of the game that has become more cerebral. While it may have added a couple of minutes to the game, it is a new technology that has fans and players alike urgently looking at the scoreboard whenever someone challenges a pitch.

So, what is the system? Is it going to make the art of framing pitches obsolete? And where do the Minnesota Twins rank in the early going?

What is ABS?

Anyone who has watched the Twins this year has noticed the ABS.

ABS calculates each batter's specific strike zone and allows the batters, pictures, and catchers to challenge the umpires' calls during the at-bat.

Players only get a few seconds after a pitch to initiate a challenge. If they challenge, everyone's attention turns to the stadium's video board for the call. If you're watching at home, the call will appear on the broadcast. During the challenges, teams connect with the fans as everyone waits for what could be an important ruling.

Each team gets only two unsuccessful challenges. However, they can challenge as many times as they want, as long as they are correct. If there’s a second unofficial challenge, that team can no longer initiate an ABS challenge for the rest of the game; they can still use the coach’s challenge.

So, has this new technology changed how catchers frame pictures?

Is the art of framing pitches obsolete?

In the past, the way the catcher framed pitches ultimately decided every call of a game. While ABS doesn't eliminate the framing, it has created a new wrinkle.

The way a catcher frames a pitch not only dictates the original call, but becomes even more crucial if the batting team no longer has challenges.

A catcher can use his dexterity and quickness to frame pitches, baiting batters into losing their challenges. That creates a new mental aspect, where catchers can be strategic when challenging a pitch.

Catchers played a very important role before the league used ABS. One could argue that their role just became that much more important.

When it comes to the challenges, how have the Twins been?

The Twins and ABS

In the early going, the Twins have embraced the ABS in its entirety.

They are currently 10 challenges above the second-place team in the league, the Miami Marlins, and have won 58% of their challenges. While over half the league has had at least one pitcher initiate a challenge, no Twins pitcher has challenged the ABS as of this writing.

Instead, the team has relied on catchers Victor Caratini and Ryan Jeffers to initiate defensive ABS challenges.

Jeffers has arguably used the system the best in the league. He has flipped 8 would-be balls into strikeouts, three more than Brett Sullivan, who’s in second place, some getting the team out of jams and out of the inning.

He’s also fifth in win percentage of catchers that have initiated 15 or more challenges, while challenging a league-leading 18 times, winning 11. Will Smith and Agustin Ramirez are the only players with more won challenges.

Minnesota’s batters have also had some success, albeit at a lower rate. But they do lead the league in challenges that have turned strikes into walks with five, the next closest is the Los Angeles Angels with three.

But not all Twins players have seen success.

Matt Wallner has seemed to struggle with the system. Since the first challenge he won, he has gone over three, and a few were not even close, seeming more like rage challenges. The loss of these challenges, in turn, causes more stress and more thought to go into the final challenge, especially if the first one is lost early in the game.

While the new ABS is starting to find its place in the MLB, the Minnesota Twins have embraced it. ABS doesn’t eliminate pitch framing for catchers; it makes the game inside the game a little more interesting.

As this continues to grow and more data is collected on how it is used, it will be up to each team to decide how to use it. The Twins have made it an integral part of their game. While some players seem to struggle with it, others are flourishing.

I enjoy the ABS and look forward to seeing where it goes from here. It has made the game much more enjoyable to watch and added more thrills throughout. While MLB hasn’t completely removed the human element from the game, it has made the game more interesting to watch.