Schneider, Kirk to lead the way for Blue Jays to challenge umpire calls at home plate

Davis Schneider and Alejandro Kirk will have the green light, George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. probably have a yellow.

Everyone else will sit on red, at least at first, as the Toronto Blue Jays get used to Major League Baseball's new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System in regular-season games.

Manager John Schneider said that, at least early in the pre-season, there is a firm hierarchy for who can and can't challenge umpire calls using the new instant-replay system.

His logic is that Davis Schneider and Kirk have proven that they have a firm sense of the strike zone and that Springer and Guerrero — when in the right frame of mind — do as well.

But the rest of the team will need to prove themselves.

"Right now, probably Schneid and Kirky have got the green light to challenge," said John Schneider when asked about it on Feb. 12. "I think it's really going to help a few guys, honestly, that we have on our team.

"George commands his zone really well. I've learned to know when and when not to believe Vladimir on a called strike or out/safe call."

ABS allows players to appeal the strike-zone judgments of home-plate umpires immediately after a call and without the assistance of the dugout or other players. Only three players are eligible to challenge an umpire's call: the batter, the pitcher, or the catcher.

Each team starts the game with two challenges (more are allotted in extra innings), and a successful challenge is retained. That's where the gamesmanship comes in.

"I think the biggest thing is, when you're using it, is it really a good time to do it?" asked John Schneider rhetorically. "What's the base state? What's the pitcher's pitch count? How high leverage is this spot right here? So those are things we've