Guardians Catchers Embrace New ABS Challenge System as Strategic Weapon
CLEVELAND - As Major League Baseball takes another step into the future with the rollout of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System for the 2026 season, the Cleveland Guardians aren’t just preparing - they’re strategizing. And behind the scenes, catcher Austin Hedges is leading the charge.
Hedges, a veteran with more than a decade behind the plate, isn’t just adapting to the new system - he’s looking to master it. In his eyes, the teams that figure out how to leverage ABS most effectively won’t just be keeping up - they’ll be winning games because of it.
“The teams that are the best at it are going to have a competitive advantage that is going to result in wins and losses,” Hedges said during a recent Zoom call. And if you know Hedges, you know he’s not throwing that out lightly.
The ABS Challenge System, set to debut league-wide this season, keeps human umpires behind the plate but allows players to challenge ball and strike calls - a limited number per game - with the help of automated strike zone technology. Think of it as a hybrid: part old-school, part high-tech, and all about precision.
For catchers like Hedges, the shift is seismic. For years, framing - the subtle art of turning borderline pitches into called strikes - was a cornerstone of elite catching.
Hedges built his reputation on it. But now, with the ability to challenge calls based on objective data, the focus pivots from manipulating perception to knowing the zone cold.
“In the past, obviously you want every strike to be a strike, but you also wanted those balls to be strikes. I want to manipulate the umpire,” Hedges said. “Now it’s just about not ever losing strikes.”
That’s the key shift here. With ABS, it’s no longer about trying to steal strikes - it’s about making sure you don’t lose the ones you’ve earned. If a pitch is in the zone and it’s not called, the catcher has to be ready to challenge - quickly and decisively.
That’s where preparation comes in. And the Guardians are taking it seriously.
Hedges, along with fellow catchers Bo Naylor and David Fry, have been working behind the scenes this offseason, developing what Hedges described as “specialized training techniques.” He didn’t go into detail - for good reason.
“I don’t want to give away too many of the secrets because there’s definitely going to be a competitive advantage to training in a way that hopefully other teams aren’t at our level yet,” he said.
One tool the Guardians are using: the Trajekt machine, a cutting-edge pitching simulator that can replicate any pitcher’s delivery and release point. It’s helping both catchers and hitters sharpen their understanding of the strike zone’s exact dimensions - a crucial skill when you only get two challenges per game.
“The fact that it is only two, I like that it’s starting there because it really makes you have to be very convicted in your challenge,” Hedges said.
It’s a high-stakes game within the game. Use a challenge too early or too loosely, and you’re out of ammo when it counts.
Wait too long, and you might leave a critical strike unchallenged. Hedges likened the tension to tennis, where challenges are rare but can swing momentum.
“Fans are going to be excited to see the challenge thing on the scoreboard, but they don’t want to see it 32 times,” he added.
The Guardians’ offseason approach reflects a clear belief: this isn’t just a rule change - it’s a new frontier. And the teams that treat it that way will be the ones turning it into wins.
Multiple Guardians players have been training together at Progressive Field this winter, a sign of the team’s collective buy-in. It’s not just about catchers knowing the zone - it’s about pitchers trusting their battery mates, hitters understanding what’s challengeable, and the entire roster playing the ABS game with precision.
“There’s been a lot of guys coming into Cleveland for training this year, which has been really cool,” Hedges said. “I think we’re in a really good spot right now, and I’m really excited to get to spring training to get the whole group together and really start getting after it.”
The ABS Challenge System might be new, but the Guardians are treating it like a weapon - one they plan to wield with purpose. And if Hedges and company are right, it could be the kind of edge that makes a difference when October rolls around.