With new ABS in place, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh plans to test it out

The electronic umpire's eye will receive a lot of scrutiny in 2025, and the Seattle Mariners star is keeping a close watch on it himself

Feb 12, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) works a drill at Seattle Mariners workouts in Peoria, Arizona. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

As Spring training opened up, the fans got to see MLB featuring a few changes, most notable the use of the Automated Balls & Strikes (ABS) System. This alternative umpire will monitor pitches in the same way the game's arbiters have for over 150 years, but in a futuristic, 'Space Odyssey' kind of way. This new-fangled technology has been beleaguered by many traditionalists, but it's being embraced by baseball's newer generation.

Fortunately, ABS isn't coming as a full implementation, where every pitch is instantly 'scanned'. Instead, it's being used in 2026 as a limited challenge system — which means the edgeof the strike zone still matters. That allows Major League Baseball to work out a lot of kinks, just in case they go with the electronic ump's eye on a more regular basis. That's something that they have said is likely coming eventually.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh issued his team's first challenge of Spring Training, just seven pitches into Game 1. While the umpire's call was quickly verified, it certainly won't be the last time Big Dumper calls it into question.

Raleigh has made it known that he is going to test how accurate ABS is on the edges - the two places where he lives, both at the plate and behind it. That should help him get an advantage on both offense and defense, provided he can 'crack the code.'

"Expect to see Cal Raleigh continue to be aggressive with ABS challenges behind the plate this spring," MLB.com analyst Daniel Kramer wrote this week. "Even if they aren't the closest calls, he says his key to learning the new system will be in volume."

Can Cal Raleigh provide an encore?

Aug 2, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh (29) reacts after striking out looking against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park. Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka (11) holds the ball while home plate umpire James Jean (61) signals the strikeout. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

While Raleigh is analyzing the ABS, Mariners fans are wondering what kind of numbers he will accumulate in the upcoming season. It will be hard to top his 2025 campaign, where he set the record for both most home runs by a catcher and by a switch-hitter in one season with 60. Raleigh finished second in the AL MVP voting to the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, and he received lots of achievements, awards, and adulation for his performance.

However, his biggest motivating factors in 2026 aren't his statistics. The sting of falling one game short of the World Series last year is still apparent, as Raleigh has vowed that he and his teammates will more than make up for it in the new year.

“We're all hurt from last year,” Raleigh discussed. “But you take that and use it as fuel... We want to be a perennial team where making the playoffs is just an afterthought in a way. We want to be there every year. We want to be competing for the World Series, winning the World Series, and that's the expectation we want to have.”

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