The Angels’ 100-loss season left plenty of room for frustration, but they carved out an unlikely bright spot in one of baseball’s newest wrinkles: the ABS challenge system.
Los Angeles finished second in MLB in estimated runs gained through automated ball-strike challenges in the system’s first season, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Angels were credited with 14 runs in estimated value from overturned calls, trailing only the Cincinnati Reds at 16.8. The Athletics came in third at 12.3, and the Minnesota Twins were next at 10.1.
That number stands out all the more because the Angels went 62-100 and recorded the first 100-loss season in franchise history. By comparison, the Los Angeles Dodgers won 100 games but ranked 26th with a minus-8.5 run value from ABS challenges.
Los Angeles challenged 369 ball-strike calls in the regular season, 11th-most in baseball, and won 53.7% of those reviews. That was just about in line with the MLB average of roughly 54%, but the Angels turned those wins into more estimated run value than most clubs.
The 14-run figure does not mean the Angels scored 14 actual runs. It measures the estimated effect of those overturned calls on run expectancy.
A few players drove the team’s success. Mike Trout came out aggressive with the system, challenging four calls in the Angels’ first five games and winning three of them.
He eventually became more selective, adding 10 more challenges the rest of the way. Trout finished 9-for-14, a 64% success rate.
Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel were also busy using the new tool. Both ranked among MLB’s top 10 in total challenges and finished at 56% success, a touch better than the league average.
Manager Kurt Suzuki’s early-season message helped set that tone. He said he didn’t want to put hard limits on players who felt an umpire had missed a pitch.
"If you feel 100% strongly that it's a ball," Suzuki told The Athletic earlier this season, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, "go ahead and challenge it."
MLB introduced the ABS challenge system in 2026. Teams start each game with two challenges and keep them when an overturned call goes their way. Only the batter, pitcher or catcher can ask for a review, which is triggered by tapping a helmet or cap right after the pitch.
Across the league, players challenged 10,557 calls during the regular season and got 5,686 overturned, according to the Associated Press. Catchers had the best success rate at 59%, while hitters checked in at 49% and pitchers at 40%.
For the Angels, it was one of the few encouraging numbers in a season defined by losses and uncertainty. But in this one slice of the modern game, they were better than almost everyone else.
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