How the Cubs will be affected by automatic ball-strike system this spring

Some Cactus League games will look different for the Cubs in 2025.
Major League Baseball will test the automated ball-strike system (ABS) this Spring Training across major league contests, the Athletic reported.
Human umpires will still make calls, but teams will have two challenges to use a game, which they can issue to an umpire. The umpire would then use BS to review the pitch. Teams retain their challenges if they are successful.
The ABS system will be featured in 60% of spring games. But, while many teams will be able to see the system in place quite frequently, the Cubs will use it the fewest of any team in baseball. Just seven Cubs games will have the automated strike zone, the fewest of any major league team.
The Athletic reported that half of the 10 ballparks in Arizona will have the ABS system. The average Cactus League team will play 21 games with the automated zone, the Diamondbacks will play the most with 29 games featuring ABS.
Each strike zone will be consistent, regardless of the count. League data stated that the human strike zone varies — in a 3-0 count, the zone is around 550 square inches, while in an 0-2 count, it shrinks to 412 square interest. The ABS zone will be 443 square inches, will be tailored to a player’s height and every player will have their height measured next month by a third party to have an accurate zone, the report added.
The ABS system has been used in Triple-A and a research of fans showed that, on average, there were four challenges or fewer per game.
If the testing is successful this spring, the system could be introduced as early as 2026, the Athletic reports. An 11-person competition committee controls rule changes for ML and the league has a majority of votes on the process.