MLB great John Smoltz says full-time ABS system would be bad for baseball

World Series champion John Smoltz said he likes the ABS challenge system but hopes that the system never becomes full-time, where all pitches are automated.

Smoltz, 59, said that it has changed the game and he likes the system as is, where teams get two challenges.

“I like it. It has definitely changed the game and we’re going to have to have some kind of correct system. Meaning, I like it with two challenges only,” Smoltz told Fox News 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, N.Y., on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)

“I like the fact that it’s only a challenge system. I’m begging and pleading that it never goes to a full-time system. Baseball will suffer and not be the same and it’ll be impossible to hit.”

Teams have two challenges per game, but if they win their challenge, they retain it. While Smoltz considered the ABS challenge system a “big success” for Major League Baseball, he did point out 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, Nev., on Nov. 14, 2025. (Lucas Peltier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“The swing rate has gone down, the walk rates gone through the roof. That’s a problem, but that’s a byproduct of pitchers also not being able to command the baseball. They’ve gotten away with being able to chuck it in the zone. And now the hitters are becoming more aware and the catchers and all the nuance 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 are swinging at 46.9% of pitches and are walking 9.2% of the time, according to Fangraphs. Smoltz, a Baseball Hall of Famer, would have used the ABS system to his benefit.

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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, Fla., on Jan. 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The eight-time All-Star spent 21 seasons in the big leagues, 20 of those with the Braves. He spent his last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.

Smoltz has a career record of 213-155, an ERA of 3.33, 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 takes place July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The tournament is will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

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