Here's What Nationals Fans Should Pay Attention to When it Comes to ABS System

What Washington Nationals fans should monitor in regards to the ABS challenge system.

Dark blue Washington Nationals hat | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One thing the Washington Nationals will have to adjust to this season -- like all teams across Major League Baseball -- is the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system that has been implemented.

Manager Blake Butera discussed how the team practiced using ABS during camp, but their usage of the new tool hasn't been applied much through the early part of the spring training schedule. When looking at how this challenge system will affect the Nationals, there is optimism they will be greatly impacted.

Since 2021, only three other teams across the MLB have had more calls negatively go against their pitchers and batters than Washington; the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles. This will be something to keep an eye on in 2026, but what should Nationals fans actually pay attention to when it comes to missed calls that ABS could fix?

High Fastballs Up and In Should Yield More Strike Calls

Washington Nationals prospect Riley Cornelio | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The Athletic (subscription required) took a look at where the most missed calls came from during the 2025 season. And one that stood out was the high fastball that was up and in, especially when it was right-handed pitchers facing off against right-handed batters.

"When you look at the top of the zone, it immediately comes into focus that there's a battle forming up there. Especially on fastballs. ... The movement on the high fastballs might also have something to do with it. Many of the pitchers at the top of this list have two fastballs and pepper the top of the zone with different shapes. That's designed to be hard on the hitter, but it can also be hard on the umpire," they noted.

While no Nationals pitcher made The Athletic's list when it came to the most missed calls on pitches up in the zone, that's something to pay attention to during the season when it comes to monitoring how ABS affects this pitching staff.

Sharper Strike Zone Is Coming to Major League Baseball

MLB logo | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

For decades, the strike zone has largely been up to the discretion of the umpire. While there is an established zone, the lack of technology to enforce things on a consistent basis allowed for there to be some wiggle room.

Theoretically, that is no longer going to be the case in 2026 and beyond. That should bring back a "sharper" strike zone compared to what had been in place where umpires rounded off the square zone instead of calling strikes that landed on the corners.

Because of that, pitchers with accuracy should be rewarded more often. That could help Washington even further since a lot of their staff doesn't have overwhelming stuff and they have to rely on their location to succeed.

Using ABS to Their Advantage

Washington Nationals logo | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

This will be the first year of ABS at the major league level, so there will be a learning curve in place. That's why it's important for the Nationals to figure things out during the early part of the season so they can best use things to their advantage.

Will they target more up and in pitches knowing they can challenge balls and strikes calls up there or will they use ABS more in the batter's box to give their hitters more favorable counts instead of focusing on their pitching staff? Will they change how they plan to approach things pregame or will this just be something they keep in their back pocket to be used sporadically?

While all of that is unclear right now, the good news is Washington has a regime in place that embraces technology and analytics. And with this massive change coming to the sport, the fanbase should be confident they'll figure out what works best for the Nationals this year and beyond.