Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais spent parts of 11 seasons and nearly 800 games behind home plate as a catcher with four franchises, mostly in the 1990s.

During that era B次元官网网址� one dominated by Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez B次元官网网址� the skills needed at backstop were clearly defined.

B次元官网网址淐ould you throw guys out, how did you do blocking the ball and could you hit with power?B次元官网网址� Servais said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 how the position was evaluated.B次元官网网址�

A generation later, those attributes have been joined by a more subtle but equally significant skill: pitch framing. During baseballB次元官网网址檚 data revolution, the fine art of making borderline pitches look like strikes was found to be a game-changing craft B次元官网网址� one that could be as impactful as PiazzaB次元官网网址檚 power or RodriguezB次元官网网址檚 arm.

The calculus, though, could be about to change, along with an equation thatB次元官网网址檚 included the human element for nearly 150 years.

While , and other debut this year at the major league level, the Automated Ball-Strike System will receive its biggest experiment yet at Triple-A. ABS will be used four days per week to call every pitch at baseballB次元官网网址檚 highest minor league level. On the other three days, umpires will traditionally call balls and strikes with a challenge system in place B次元官网网址� teams will be able to appeal a handful of calls to the so-called robo-zone each game.

To many, ABS has begun to feel inevitable. to allow it at the major league level when it is ready. Which means that within a season or two, everything around home plate could change.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to be here,B次元官网网址� Servais said.

Others think Major League Baseball, and specifically Commissioner Rob Manfred, donB次元官网网址檛 recognize how seismically such a shift could alter the sport.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 see it happening,B次元官网网址� said Yankees All-Star and distinguished pitch-framer Jose Trevino. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think Manfred has any idea whatB次元官网网址檚 going on whenever he talks about that kind of stuff. HeB次元官网网址檚 obviously never put the gear on, so he doesnB次元官网网址檛 know.B次元官网网址�

Manfred, who last summer told ESPN that ABS could reach the majors by 2024, has cautioned this spring that the robo-umps remain in B次元官网网址渢he evaluation phase.B次元官网网址� In order to be adopted in the big leagues, ABS would need to be approved by an 11-member competition committee that includes four players.

B次元官网网址淭here are issues that are still the topic of really considerable discussion within the ownership group and even more that are going to have to be resolved in the joint committee process with the players,B次元官网网址� Manfred said. B次元官网网址淭he framing issue is one of those. I mean itB次元官网网址檚 a legitimate concern on the part of at least a subset of players.B次元官网网址�

The subset includes some coaches, too, including New York Yankees director of catching Tanner Swanson B次元官网网址� a pioneer of sorts in teaching backstops to steal strikes.

An appreciation for pitch framing had been under way for nearly a decade when Swanson jumped from college coaching to join the Minnesota Twins organization before the start of the 2018 season.

Among his most impactful ideas: If catchers received pitches while down on one knee as opposed to a traditional squat, theyB次元官网网址檇 be better positioned to steal strikes near the bottom of the zone. Within just a couple seasons, the one-knee approach he coached with Minnesota was being used across the majors.

B次元官网网址淲hen I got into pro ball, I think it really kind of opened the curtain to like, B次元官网网址極K, now this is not only extremely valuable, but this is something that we should be prioritizing just in terms of the frequency in which it happens relative to all the other skills.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Swanson said.

Swanson preaches subtle movements with the glove on every borderline pitch B次元官网网址� just enough trickery to sway even the most well trained umpire. Even if it came at the expense of blocking pitches or throwing out runners, the data showed framing trumped all other skills.

Swanson has had several notable success, starting with Mitch Garver in Minnesota and most recently Trevino, who was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner last season. Trevino converted 53.8% of non-swinging strikes on the edges of the zone into strikes B次元官网网址� best in the majors, according to MLBB次元官网网址檚 Statcast.

The knee-down catching technique is already being taught to youth catchers on up, and thereB次元官网网址檚 now an entire generation of big league catchers trained to put pitch presentation first.

B次元官网网址淔ramingB次元官网网址檚 always been big,B次元官网网址� said Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, last yearB次元官网网址檚 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up. B次元官网网址淪ince probably my junior year in high school, itB次元官网网址檚 been a big point of emphasis. Got to college, same thing, and in the pros, same thing.B次元官网网址�

Robot umpires, of course, canB次元官网网址檛 be fooled. So what happens when framing falls out of focus?

One name comes to mind for Servais: Piazza.

B次元官网网址淢ike was actually a pretty good receiver. But he could bang it, he could really hit and he just changed the position in my era,B次元官网网址� Servais said. B次元官网网址淪o thereB次元官网网址檒l be more emphasis put on offense.

B次元官网网址淩eceiving wonB次元官网网址檛 matter at all. YouB次元官网网址檒l see guys set up with guys on base in throwing position, their bodies will be halfway turned because it wonB次元官网网址檛 matter. So youB次元官网网址檒l teach the position differently.B次元官网网址�

Unless, of course, receiving does still matter.

B次元官网网址淲hen you have two alternatives, some of those alternatives are better at addressing issues,B次元官网网址� Manfred said. B次元官网网址淥bviously, the challenge one reduces dramatically the framing issue for catchers in terms of the value placed on framing. So you know, more to follow on that one, but I think itB次元官网网址檚 a mistake to automatically assume that ABS is coming on any particular timeframe.B次元官网网址�

Regardless, Swanson believes one-knee down stances are likely here to stay because it takes stress off catchersB次元官网网址� bodies and puts them in better position to block pitches, with their body already centered lower to the ground.

But the valuations and evaluations will change if framingB次元官网网址檚 significance is lessened.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think itB次元官网网址檚 good for the game at all,B次元官网网址� Trevino said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 guys out here that are good defensive catchers for a real long time. Guys that are still in the game that are defensive catchers. I think that takes away from the art of the catcher.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擳im Booth, The Associated Press