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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 was a game-changer and he liked the system as is, where teams face two challenges.
“I like it. It’s definitely been a game changer and we’re going to have to have some sort of system right. That means I like it with just two challenges,” Smoltz told PK Press Club 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, NY on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)
“I like the fact that it’s just a challenge system. I beg and beg that this will never be moved to a full-time system. Baseball will suffer and not be the same and it will be impossible to hit.”
Teams have two challenges per match, but if they win their challenge, they keep it. While Smoltz considered the ABS challenge system a “big success” for Major League Baseball, he pointed out a few 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 rates have gone down, walk rates have gone through the roof. That’s a problem, but it’s a byproduct of pitchers also not being able to control the baseball. They were able to throw it in the zone. And now hitters are more and more aware, catchers and all the nuances that that comes 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, reportedly 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 big leagues, including 20 with the Braves. He spent his final season with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.
Smoltz has a career record of 213-155, a 3.33 ERA and 154 saves, as he converted to a reliever for a few seasons after his Tommy John surgery. He is competing in the American Century Championship, which will be played July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
