One of the running storylines through spring training was that J.T. Realmuto was going to be good at challenges with the ABS system coming into place for the 2026 MLB season. Saturday, he was two for two in the final frames.
Yesterday’s game wasn’t the only one that made some news with the ABS system. The Reds and Red Sox had the pleasure of having their game umpired by the enigmatic CB Bucknor, who made his presence felt. Thankfully, the eye in the sky had other ideas with Bucknor’s strike zone.
There haven’t been many examples like this so far in the young season, but based on this and others during spring training, what are your impressions of the ABS system? I’m still an old school-ish fan that kind of wishes we had the human element of the umpires behind the plate, but where it is at now, with teams limited on the number of challenges they can have, it feels like the best kind of balance that the game can have.
Let’s just agree that Bucknor should not be a playoff umpire at all.
