Baseball: spring training begins with focus on WBC and ABS

Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers were back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC. In what could be the last full season before a labor confrontation over a possible salary cap proposal, players are preparing for the Automated Ball-Strike system, giving teams a chance to appeal pitch calls by the plate umpire to so-called robot umps. "I'm really excited about it. I've obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while," said Washington's Blake Butera, among eight new managers and at 33 the youngest in 54 years. "You always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It's like: Hey, challenge it. Let's see what you got." ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2 percent of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball's 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026. Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity — and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute. Most teams appear reticent about allowing pitchers to challenge, preferring catchers and managers make the decisions. "The first month will probably be the hardest month," said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher. "Maybe spring will help a little bit. But in the spring, you can try and fail and it's not that penal. You do that in San Diego or Arizona or a home opener against St. Louis, and it's a little more costly. We'll have a running tab on who's good at it and who is not. Because there might be some position players who get their optionality taken away from the challenged call." Tampa Bay will be preparing for a return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, repaired after hurricane damage caused the Rays to play home games last year at the New York Yankees' Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Player turnover Most top free agents had signed ahead of spring training, and the biggest deals included Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz joining the Dodgers, Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs, Pete Alonso the Baltimore Orioles, Dylan Cease the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and Bo Bichette the New York Mets. Free agents who stayed put included Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber and the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger. Right-hander Freddy Peralta was acquired by the Mets from Milwaukee in the most notable trade. Among Japanese players joining MLB, infielder Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox, infielder Kazuma Okamoto the Blue Jays, and right-hander Tatsuya Imai the Houston Astros. World Baseball Classic returns for first time since 2023 Japan will try for its fourth title and second straight when players leave their clubs for the sixth edition of the tournament, to be played from March 5-17 in Houston; Miami; San Juan; Puerto Rico; and Tokyo. Rosters on the 20 national teams include 306 players under major league and minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars. "It was something I really wanted to be a part of," U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. "I think this team is going to be on a mission." Shohei Ohtani, who struck out Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 final, will be limited to hitting. Large dugout changeover There will be eight new managers on opening day, one shy of tying 2003 and 2020 for the most who weren't the team's skipper at the end of the prior season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Butera is joined by Craig Albernaz (Baltimore), Skip Schumaker (Texas), Derek Shelton (Minnesota), Craig Stammen (San Diego), Kurt Suzuki (Los Angeles Angels), Tony Vitello (San Francisco) and Walt Weiss (Atlanta). In addition, Warren Schaeffer was made Colorado's permanent manager after getting the job on an interim basis last May 11. All but Schumaker and Shelton are rookie big league managers. Butera is the youngest since Frank Quilici with the 1972 Twins. A generational change has seen Ron Washington (73) and Bruce Bochy and Brian Snitker (both 70) leave managing jobs. Vitello, who had been the University of Tennessee's coach, made the rare move directly from college coach to major league manager, following the path of Hall of Famers Hughie Jennings and Casey Stengel. "I think for that direct jump, I think college baseball had to become closer to what pro baseball is," Vitello said. "If you want to call it guinea pig or sacrificial lamb or it goes well or doesn't go well, who cares? I guess I should," Vitello said. "I wish there was somebody like with a shorter haircut and more reputable up here to say it's time for college baseball and Major League Baseball to be married a little closer for a lot of different reasons." Looming lockout Players and teams are preparing for a confrontation when the five-year collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 1. A management lockout is likely, just as when the previous deal expired in 2021. A deal to preserve the 162-game schedule was reached after a 99-day lockout on March 10, 2022 —- 10 days after MLB's initial deadline to keep a full season. Talk of a possible salary cap proposal has both sides preparing for the possibility of the first in-season stoppage since 1995.