Astros actively preparing for incoming Automated Ball-Strike system

The Houston Astros are not waiting for MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike system to catch them off guard. Instead, the team initiated a two-day intensive training session at CACTI Park to get ready for the ABS challenge system before its official 2026 implementation.

Under the new format, teams will receive two challenges per game and retain them if successful. The Astros view challenge efficiency as a potential competitive advantage, not a novelty. Manager Joe Espada has already established a clear internal hierarchy to determine who controls those decisions.

Houston conducted live simulations on the back fields, using large monitors to replicate the in-stadium video board experience. Animated strike-zone graphics mirrored what players will see during Grapefruit League play, creating game-like conditions before the system rolls out.

In an article for MLB.com, Brian McTaggart outlined how Espada and the Astros plan to manage challenges once ABS goes live.

“I highly encourage them not to do it,” the Astros manager stated. “In the heat of the moment if they do it, I’m hoping any time we challenge we get it right [because] you only get two.”

Espada’s approach discourages pitchers from initiating reviews. Instead, primary authority will rest with the catcher, who has the clearest view of the strike zone and a steadier perspective on borderline calls.

McTaggart also reported that Mickey Storey, former manager of Houston’s Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land, has emerged as the club’s in-house resource after overseeing the ABS system in the Minor Leagues.

“We’ve already gone over certain situations with challenges — runners in motion, how to play it out and where runners are placed,” Storey said. “There’s a number of oddities that pop up, but these guys will be plenty prepared. There’s things I didn’t see the first year that popped up the second the year and that will be similar in the big leagues.”

With the ABS challenge system debuting in spring play and expanding into the regular season in March, the Astros are treating it as a strategic tool rather than a reactive measure.

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