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World Series champion John Smoltz said he likes the ABS challenge system, but hopes the system never becomes full-time, where all pitches are automated.
Smoltz, 59, said it has changed the game and he likes the system the way it is, where teams have two challenges.
“I like it. It’s definitely changed the game and we’re going to have to have some kind of system right. I mean, I like it with only two challenges,” Smoltz told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
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Hall of Famer John Smoltz is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Image Images)
“I like the fact that it’s just a challenge system. I pray and plead that it never goes to a full-time system. Baseball will suffer and it won’t be the same and it will be impossible to hit.”
Teams have two challenges per game, but if they win their challenge, they keep it. While Smoltz called the ABS challenge system a “huge success” for Major League Baseball, he noted a couple of changes to the game that are byproducts of the system.
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John Smoltz tees off during the Capital One MLB Open at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 14, 2025. (Lucas Peltier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“Swing rate is down, walk rates are up. That’s a problem, but it’s a byproduct of pitchers also not being able to control the ball. They’ve gotten away with being able to throw it in the zone. And now hitters are becoming more aware and catchers and all the nuances that come into play,” Smoltz said.
Last season, hitters swung at 47.5% of pitches and walked 8.4% of the time, while this season hitters swung at 46.9% of pitches and walked 9.2% of the time, according to Fangraphs. Smoltz, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, would have used the ABS system to his advantage.
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John Smoltz watches his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The eight-time All-Star spent 21 seasons in the Major Leagues, 20 of them with the Braves. He spent his final season with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.
Smoltz has a career record of 213-155, a 3.33 ERA and 154 saves as he became a reliever for a few seasons after his Tommy John surgery. He is competing in the American Century Championship, which will be held July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The tournament will air on NBC and Peacock.
