NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In the game of baseball, there are time-honored traditions like ballpark eats, dramatic plays at the plate and that only one person on the diamond has unquestionable authority — the umpire.
"One step below God," joked Rick Sweet, Manager of the Nashville Sounds. "They’re always right and there’s no recourse. They always win."
That is until this year in Minor League Baseball. Triple A ball is testing out two new systems that are designed to remove errors made by the umps.
The ABS System
On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, the umpires are still making the calls but not the decisions.
"Basically, now there is no umpire. It’s all a machine," said Sweet. "He’s got an earpiece in and as soon as the pitch is thrown and it crosses home plate, he hears strike or ball so he makes the call."
It's a computer system called ABS, which stands for Automatic Balls and Strikes.
"It’s a set of cameras and stuff around the stadium that every pitch automatically calls a strike or a ball," said Sweet, who admits he hates it. "I’ll be perfectly honest, it’s boring. You can’t ask the umpire. You don’t get to yell at the umpire."
But that's not the opinion of the whole dugout. Relief Pitcher J.B. Bukauskas said he loves getting a cut-and-dry call.
"The ABS system has been good for the most part. I think it’s pretty fair," said Bukauskas. "Overall, people would be happy with the fact that the strike is a strike no matter what."
The Challenge System
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday night games, the umpires are back in charge unless there's a challenge.
"A pitcher, a catcher or a hitter can challenge the call," Sweet said.
Each team gets three challenges per game. A player can signal they want a challenge by tapping the top of their hat or helmet. Then the fans, players and the ump watch the scoreboard together to see the computer's decision.
Bukauskas likes this option even more because of the strategy it entails.
"If you use them too early, and you burn them and you’re wrong, by the end of the game you’ve put that umpire completely back in control," he said.
And for the most part, Sweet agrees, except for a few bugs still in the system.
"I think that one is workable," said the manager. "Every ballpark has a different strike zone and we think a lot of it is due to where the cameras are set up."
Are the Big Leagues next?
The question now becomes — could one of these systems eventually be heading up to the big leagues or will baseball stick with their time-honored traditions?
"If you look at it with an open mind, I think there are definitely certain spots where it makes the game better," said Bukauskas.
"You don’t get to talk and look ABS in the eye," said Sweet.
While there's no word if MLB will use one of the two next year, it's not without precedent. The Minor Leagues tested out pitch clocks before going up to the big leagues this year.
