How will the Braves employ ABS this season?

"As you may know, MLB will use an automated ball-strike system in nearly all games this season. Teams only get two of these in the first nine innings of a game, which isn't nearly enough. If an umpire misses less than five ball-strike calls in a game, it's a very good effort. So they probably have a strategy for using their challenges. They will need one to use it effectively."

"I feel that emotion and it may play into what the Braves want to do. He's going to (A) let the catcher to decide on a close call and (B) bank those calls for later in the game. What I think you want to avoid from a pitching standpoint is having a third strike being called a ball and having it immediately hurt you. Did the Braves benefit from this situation last year? Yes, twice it happened where the Braves hit a home run. This is Drake Baldwin on the Fourth of July."

"The Braves had 88 third strikes called a ball. They yielded two home runs. If you think you have the hitter struck out, that would be a good time to ask. 88 times over the course of a year would be 27% of your challenges. But that's if you spot every error. In reality, your odds of overturning may be closer to a coin flip. So that's over half your challenges."

MLB will use an automated ball-strike system in nearly all games, and teams receive only two challenges in the first nine innings. Umpires often miss a few calls, so teams must develop challenge strategies. The Braves plan to let catchers decide on close calls and bank challenges for later in games to avoid immediate damage from an overturned third strike. The Braves experienced two home runs after missed called third strikes last year and recorded 88 such instances. Overturn odds may be near fifty percent, making challenge allocation crucial depending on game context and leverage.

Read at Battery Power