About Time: Major League Baseball Approves 'Robot Umps' for 2026 Season
Bring on The Machines, Man
Major League Baseball caused some massive waves this week when it officially approved its Automated Ball and Strike System (ABS) for the 2026 season. The program had been gestating for a few years, first being tested in the minor leagues and in 2025’s All-Star Game. Purists are in an uproar, but I, for one however (as always) am all for the machines.
In advance of this post, I finally broke down and asked ChatGPT to generate an image to correspond with the news. Look at this little guy:
Even if you’ve never seen a baseball game in your life, you know umpires are one of the least-liked guys (and gals) on the diamond. They never seem to get things right, and they always seem to screw over your favorite team and your favorite team alone. And so, the MLB came up with the ABS system. If there’s a pitch that is questionable, the catcher, pitcher, or batter can tap the top of their helmet, triggering a review. The pitch is simulated over a virtual strike zone. Observe:
And true to brand, Major League Baseball has found a way to monetize it, with T-Mobile getting the honors of being the first. Dropped calls and T-Mobile are a match in heaven.
But old school baseball fans are up in arms. There’s a whole school of thought that says, “Both teams trust the ump, so you at home should too.” And while I guess I understand not liking seeing the game you love change all the time. (Don’t get me started on the ghost runner rule.) But this? Skynet telling me whether or not a ball is worthy or not to be swung at? I’m in, man! Forget having umpires with “wide” and “narrow” strike zones. Keeping things vague is the best way to confuse and shun new fans. And when the technology improves, the whole thing could end up looking like a video game, and kids LOVE video games.
However, the most important reason for a digital check and balance is one that’s a bit shadier. Sports betting is EVERYWHERE. And when there are people out there spending thousands on real sporting events, there’s going to have to be some confirmation system in place. The Premier League in the UK has the VAR system. Sure, it’s supposed to make things fair, but it’s REALLY to tell that guy who gambled away his rent WHY that was a dumb move.
It’s actually going to end up protecting players. It’s bad enough that some fans slide in athlete DMs to complain about parlays, but at least in some instances, a baseball player can be like, “Not my fault, it was the Robot Umps.”
The game has to evolve to survive. And yes, I remember the old lazy Sundays that featured four-hour ballgames and loads of organ playing, but it just isn’t sustainable. Baseball itself has to shake off the perception of being seen as “boring” for a whole new generation, and simplifying the execution of its rules is a part of that. There’s also doing the wild stuff the Savannah Bananas are doing, but that’s another discussion for another time.
A whole ‘nother time indeed.