Paul Skenes comes out against robo-umps in Major League Baseball
As technology becomes more influential in the game of baseball, we could see some massive changes to how the game is officiated.
Some of those changes have already been adopted in the minor leagues as a test, with Triple-A teams now using an Automatic Ball-Strike system, otherwise known by fans as “robo-umps.” As things currently stand, the first three games of Triple-A series are played with a full ABS system, while the final three games allow empires to call balls and strikes but also allow players to challenge calls using ABS.
The move away from judgment calls by umpires has been controversial, and Paul Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft who is currently pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians, is not a fan.
Skenes, who was previously a two-way player at Air Force and primarily played catcher, said his main opposition is the fact that it takes the skill of catch framing out of the equation.
“For me, I hope that the ABS never gets to the Major Leagues,” Skenes said in a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, per On3. “To be honest, I just don’t like — because I was a catcher too. And if you can receive pitches, that’s job security for catchers. For the longest time, I was hoping that I was going to be a major leaguer behind the plate. That’s a job back there too.”
It seems unlikely we’re going to put the cork back in the bottle when it comes to ABS systems, but it’s clear that not all players are on board with the way things are going.
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