It could be argued that the Automated Ball-Strike system has been the MVP of Major League Baseball through the season's first 2 1/2 weeks, creating a game-within-the-game that's producing winners, losers and some dramatic moments.
There appears to be at least one tradeoff.
The robot umpires could be one of the factors making games a little longer this spring, with the time of a nine-inning game creeping upward to 2 hours, 42 minutes through Saturday,
according to baseball-reference.com. That's up from 2:38 last season and 2:36 in 2024.
The slightly longer games make sense. Even though an ABS challenge usually takes less than 15 seconds, the mini delays in the game can add up if several pitches are contested.
One of MLB's big wins over the past decade is a rules package that debuted in 2023, which included a pitch clock that dramatically shortened games by roughly 25 minutes. Though there were scattered complaints about the changes, they've been widely viewed as a success.
The ABS system might be making a small dent in that progress, but game times are still considerable shorter than they were in the pre-pitch clock era. A nine-inning game lasted an average of 3:10 in 2021 — an all-time high.
Two-time All-Star Corbin Carroll is off to a good start again this season with a .327 batting average and 1.067 OPS, and the young star has developed a signature play that's increasingly rare in today's game.
The triple.
The 25-year-old speedster leads the majors with three triples in just 14 games. He's paced the big leagues in triples over the past two seasons with 17 of in 2025 and 14 in 2024.
The D-backs' home of Chase Field has a been a perfect fit for Carroll, featuring a deep power alley in right-center that forces outfielders to cover a lot of ground while he motors around the bases.
Carroll is already sixth among active MLB players with 46 triples.
Manager Rob Thomson realizes how fortunate the Philadelphia Phillies are to already have their bullpen lining up so smoothly in April, with depth and matchups and shutdown pitching, too.
That includes reliable closer Jhoan Duran handling ninth-inning duties. He already has five saves and a 1.35 ERA
The Philadelphia relievers surrendered only one earned run during the club’s recent six-game trip, spanning 18 innings by the bullpen for a 0.50 ERA and .129 opponent batting average (8 for 62).
Rookie top prospect Andrew Painter appreciates all of the relievers backing him. Painter gave up four runs in four innings in a game last week against the Giants, but the bullpen pitched five scoreless innings that gave the Phillies time to rally for a 6-4 win.
“They stepped up, to go out there and throw up five more zeros after that,” Painter said. “Offense stepped up, I’m super happy that everyone could pick me up.”
Carroll is sixth among active MLB players in triples. Who are the top five?
After a disappointing 2025 season, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is showing why he's considered one of the game's top young players. The 23-year-old has already hit seven homers this season, including six over the past eight games.
Walker is batting .327 with a 1.138 OPS through 15 games, leading a Cardinals team that's off to a solid 8-7 start.
Mike Trout 55, Starling Marte 55, Andrew McCutchen 50, Trea Turner 48, Amed Rosario 47.
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AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
