The Minnesota Twins made a habit of turning borderline calls into real production in 2026, and no club did it better. In the first regular season with Major League Baseball’s automated ball-strike challenge system, Minnesota finished with 246 successful challenges, the most in the league, and used the new setup to create advantages both at the plate and behind it.
The most striking part of the Twins’ numbers came on offense. Their successful batter challenges were worth a league-best 3.8 runs above average, according to Statcast.
Those wins didn’t just look good on paper, either. Minnesota hitters overturned calls that would have counted as 20 strikeouts and earned an MLB-leading 22 walks.
That’s the kind of edge that changes plate appearances in real time.
Luke Keaschall and Austin Martin were two of the biggest reasons for that boost. Keaschall went 18-15 on his challenges overall, but the more telling part was what happened in the biggest moments.
He erased a league-high eight strikeouts and picked up five walks through successful challenges, which also led MLB. Martin finished 11-9 on his challenges and often made his bids in high-leverage spots, where one overturned call can swing an inning.
Minnesota got even more value from its catchers. Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini were among the league’s most effective challengers when it came to ball-strike decisions. The Twins ranked second in MLB with 4.8 runs above average on catcher-initiated challenges, and those calls flipped into 52 extra strikeouts for Minnesota pitchers while taking 21 walks away from opposing hitters.
Jeffers posted a 61% success rate on 108 challenges. Among MLB catchers, he ranked sixth in turning 23 at-bats that might have continued into strikeouts, and he tied for second by wiping out 10 walks.
Caratini was even more active, challenging 127 pitches and succeeding at a 59% clip. He also turned 23 at-bats into strikeouts and removed seven walks from the opposing side.
That’s where Minnesota’s edge really showed up: the Twins were quick, aggressive, and productive in reading which calls were worth attacking. Catchers had to spot the pitch, weigh the moment, and fire off the challenge before the chance was gone. Jeffers and Caratini handled that load well enough to make the system matter for Minnesota.
The one wrinkle was that the catchers’ success behind the plate didn’t carry over when they challenged as hitters. Jeffers finished 8-for-13 at the plate with his challenges, worth -0.5 runs above average.
Caratini went 3-for-7 and finished at -0.4 runs above average. So while both were excellent from behind the dish, neither found the same value when they were in the box.
That split matched the broader picture around the league. In ABS’s first season, 54% of challenges were overturned successfully.
Batters won 49% of their challenges, while fielders, mostly catchers, came out ahead 58% of the time. The numbers suggest catchers had the early read on which calls to fight, even as hitters gained a new way to challenge pitches that once would have stood.
For Minnesota, the first year of ABS couldn’t have gone much better. The Twins led baseball in overturned calls, finished first in runs above average from batter challenges, and were second in runs above average from catcher challenges. With Keaschall and Martin working the batter side and Jeffers and Caratini thriving behind the plate, Minnesota turned the rule change into one more place to win.
In Other News...
Twins Just Sent A Clear Message With This Pitching Staff Move
The Twins have begun reshaping their pitching infrastructure with a pair of staff moves, turning to Brian Reith as their new pitching coach and promoting Ben Myers to assistant athletic trainer. Reith arrives after spending the past five seasons with the Triple-A Durham Bulls in the Rays organization, and Minnesota is clearly looking for fresh perspective on the mound after Pete Makis departure.
Reiths background is the part that stands out most here. He comes from a system known for developing pitchers and stressing efficiency, and his Durham staffs were especially strong at limiting walks while turning in top-tier run prevention. For a Twins team that has been searching for more stability on the pitching side, the hire suggests a deliberate bet on structure and development rather than a quick fix. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Ryan Jeffers Decision That Could Get Uncomfortable
Ryan Jeffers future is one of the more delicate decisions facing the Twins this offseason after Minnesota held onto him at the deadline and now has to navigate what comes next. The catcher is set to reach free agency, and the Twins are weighing whether to try to keep a player who has become a familiar part of their roster while also knowing they have catching prospects moving through the system.
The market may not make the choice simple. The Yankees have been linked to Jeffers, but they also have reasons to be cautious about signing him, which leaves open the possibility that he could either take a short-term path back to Minnesota or look for a longer deal elsewhere. Even with the Twins internal options, this is the kind of decision that can get uncomfortable fast because it asks the club to balance immediate stability against the desire to keep building for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Face A Tough Winter Call On Yasser Mercedes
Yasser Mercedes spent 2026 giving the Twins a reminder of why his name still carries real intrigue in the system. The 21-year-old outfielder showed a rare blend of power and speed while moving between Single-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids, the kind of tool package that keeps an organization interested even when the development path is still clearly unfinished.
Now Minnesota is staring at one of those winter roster decisions that can shape the back end of a farm system. Mercedes is heading toward Rule 5 draft eligibility after five professional seasons, and the Twins have to weigh whether a spot on the 40-man roster is worth using to keep him in the fold or whether the risk of exposing him is part of the cost of a crowded roster. The upside is obvious, but so is the challenge of finding room for a player who still needs more time against advanced pitching. [Read more 🡒]