On July 15, 2025, during the Major League Baseball (MLB) all star game, MLB debuted the use of robot umpires. The Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) system uses high-speed cameras to provide instant, accurate rulings on balls and strikes. The MLB will implement the robot umpire during the full 2026 baseball season, sparking debate among baseball fans who are concerned about the use of ABS in the sport.
ABS will be implemented so that each team will have two challenges against the home plate umpires, who will remain in place. If they choose to challenge, ABS will be used in order to review the play. If they succeed in their challenge and the robot umpire overrules the home plate umpire, the challenging team will keep their challenge. If the players’ challenge fails and the ruling stands, the team will lose its challenge. Some Woodside students don’t see the robot umpires as a unique issue. They see the umpires as another step towards automated refereeing.
“I’m not a die-hard baseball fan, but I do watch football,” senior Luke Peary said. “They have a system where you can challenge the refs and have them review the call via video review, so I don’t think implementing them into Baseball is a bad thing.”
On the contrary, other Woodside students, more into the baseball scene, don’t appreciate robots stealing umpires’ jobs. Some believe human umpires are integral to baseball, and removing the human element from the sport takes away some of the charm.
Some casual fans struggle to understand why devout fans are resistant to the use of robots in baseball. Some even see the robot umpires as the future of sports, just like how they came to dominate football.
“They’re just mad it’s using robots,” Peary said. “People are scared of a robot uprising, but this is exactly what robots should be used for to make sports fair and to not rely on human umpires, who are proven to be unreliable.”
The robot umpires have divided the casual baseball viewers from the more serious ones. Those who watch baseball more casually, like Peary, don’t seem to be bothered by the robot umpires’ inclusion of video referees. Meanwhile, senior Ray Malafaia and other die-hards seem opposed to their inclusion.
“People who care too much will always make a fuss,” Magnery said. “The baseball superfans don’t want to see their sport change, whether it’s for the better or not.”
