Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher goes in depth how ABS system will improve offense, how arms have to adjust

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The 2026 MLB season is officially here, but not without one of the most major changes in the history of the sport.

After a century-and-a-half of complete human element behind home plate, batters, catchers and pitchers will now have the ability to challenge balls and strikes. The challenge must be almost immediate, and each team gets two and retains correct challenges.

Baseball Hall of Famer CC Sabathia once predicted that somebody would hit .400 if there were a fully automated strike zone. While baseball isn't there just yet, the 250-game winner does believe a boost of offense will come.

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The scoreboard displays a Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge sponsored by T-Mobile during the spring training game between the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 16, 2026, in Lakeland, Florida. (Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

"If you just watch the games, you see how much that these guys know the strike zone, and pitchers actually have to throw the ball over the plate," the New York Yankees legend said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "I think it will increase offense. Just watching these games in spring training and seeing how close these guys actually know the strike zone. I think it can only help with offense, and honestly, just get all the calls right."

With the system, though, the art of pitching is being adjusted. For starters, pitches, well, need to be strikes, and breaking balls off the plate may not go the pitcher's way.

But several pitchers have taken advantage of throwing some curveballs at the top