2026 was supposed to be the year. The year in which Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens, confronted with the realities of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS) debuting in Major League Baseball, turned the leaf towards stronger offensive production and away from the defensive-centered skillset that had defined the position over the last decade. And yet, the pair’s strong framing marks in...
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Antonio Jimenez is one of a kind. The Mets had never drafted a player from the University of Central Florida before the fifth round. That changed in 2025 when the opportunity to add Jimenez to their organization came along. The club poached the draft-eligible sophomore with their third-round pick, 102nd overall, in the 2025 MLB Draft, inking him to a bonus worth $564,000. Jimenez joined UCF...
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Long live the robots. The robots are here to stay. After trial runs in both Triple-A and spring training, the Automated Ball Strike Challenge System [ABS] has made its way to the big leagues in 2026. Starting on Opening Day 2026, players have been able to turn to ABS to issue a final judgment on close ball/strike calls. ABS is the first system to take away unilateral ball/strike decision-making...
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I come from Italian heritage, so it’s sacrilege that I haven’t incorporated food into my baseball analysis. That changes here. I’ve begun to think of an-bat as one of my favorite pastimes: cooking a homegrown meal. The similarities are plentiful. Pasta, seasonings, and a choice of meat are exchanged for fastballs, curveballs, and sweepers. The aroma of sauce rolling through the kitchen is...
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After 150 years of baseball, a simple question still remains: what pitch should come next? It’s a really difficult question to answer. Simply put, a pitch is not defined by a singular characteristic. What good is a 102 mph fastball if it consistently hits the backstop? 102 mph can be a telling datapoint in a vacuum, but it clearly doesn’t tell the entire story. Take a moment to think about Mets’...
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