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World Series champion John Smoltz said he likes the ABS challenge system, but hopes the system never becomes full-time, with all seats automated.
Smoltz, 59, said it has changed the game and he likes the system as it is, where teams get two challenges.
“I like it. It’s definitely changed the game and we’re going to have to have some kind of proper system. That means I like it with only two challenges,” Smoltz told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
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Hall of Famer John Smoltz will be inducted during the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, NY on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)
“I like that it’s just a challenge system. I beg and plead that it never goes to a full-time system. Baseball will suffer and not be the same, and it will be impossible to hit.”
Teams have two challenges per game, but if they win their challenge, they keep it. While Smoltz considered the ABS challenge system a “huge success” for Major League Baseball, he pointed out a few changes to the game that are byproducts of the system.
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John Smoltz tees off at 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)
“Swing rates have gone down, walk rates have gone through the roof. It’s a problem, but it’s a byproduct of pitchers not being able to command the baseball either. They’ve gotten away with being able to throw it in the zone. And now hitters are becoming more aware and catchers and all the nuance that comes into play,” Smoltz.
Last season, batters swung at 47.5% of the pitches and walked 8.4% of the time, while this season batters are swinging at 46.9% of the pitches and walking 9.2% of the time, according to Fangraphs. Smoltz, a Baseball Hall of Famer, would have used the ABS system to his advantage.
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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 them with the Braves. He spent his final season with St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.
Smoltz has a career record of 213-155, a 3.33 ERA and 154 saves as he converted to a reliever for a few seasons after his Tommy John surgery. He competes in the American Century Championship, which takes place 10-12. July at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
