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In a matter of months, a tap on the head has become as commonplace in Major League Baseball as Take Me Out to the Ball Game, mascots and monstrous home runs.
The Automated Ball-Strike challenge system has afforded MLBs 30 clubs with a rare opportunity to turn a game on its head by challenging an umpires call with a literal tap on the head.
Advertisement At the midpoint of MLBs season, all 30 clubs had initiated at least 150 challenges.
However, not all challenges are created equal, and some clubs and by extension, some players have been better at it than others.
As anticipated, catchers lead the way in total challenges, but some hitters have been particularly aggressive with the system.
Using data gleaned from TaptoChallenge.com, along with conversations with MLB players, heres how teams, players and umpires have fared at the midpoint of the 2026 campaign.
All data through the end of play on July 12 unless otherwise noted.
Some teams are still reluctant to challenge Through the All-Star break, no team was more successful at ABS challenges than the Cincinnati Reds.
Remember back in February 2025, when Cincinnati manager Terry Francona brushed off its use in spring training? At the time, the system was still off on the horizon for MLB, and Francona was more focused on the present.
Its not a strategy for (the MLB teams), so why work on it? Francona said at the time.
I dont want to make a farce of anything, but were here getting ready for a season and thats not helping us get ready.
| Team | Wins | Attempts | Win percent | |---|---|---|---| 141 | 219 | 64.40 | | 102 | 164 | 62.20 | | 113 | 187 | 60.40 | | 130 | 226 | 57.50 | | 97 | 171 | 56.70 | | 152 | 270 | 56.30 | | 126 | 224 | 56.30 | | 102 | 182 | 56.0 | | 99 | 177 | 55.90 | | 102 | 184 | 55.40 | | 126 | 229 | 55.0 | | 134 | 245 | 54.70 | | 128 | 228 | 54.40 | | 105 | 194 | 54.10 | | 91 | 172 | 52.90 | | 102 | 194 | 52.60 | | 91 | 174 | 52.30 | | 97 | 189 | 51.30 | | 113 | 221 | 51.10 | | 97 | 190 | 51.10 | | 115 | 226 | 50.90 | | 91 | 180 | 50.60 | | 96 | 190 | 50.50 | | 108 | 215 | 50.20 | | 88 | 182 | 48.40 | | 90 | 191 | 47.10 | | 109 | 232 | 47.0 | | 90 | 206 | 43.70 | | 75 | 183 | 41.0 | Though the Reds lead in win percentage, theyre far from MLBs most aggressive team.
That title belongs to the Minnesota Twins, who challenged 270 pitches, 25 more than the next-closest team, the Colorado Rockies.
By number of attempts, the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks are the only clubs that had not hit the 175-or-more challenge threshold.
San Diegos reluctance to challenge is intriguing, if only because on April 25, the clubs 50 challenges ranked middle of the pack in MLB.
In the 83 days since, the Padres added just 124 more.
At The Athletics check-in back in April, the Red Sox ranked last in number of challenges.
They entered the break third from last.
In spite of its reluctance to challenge, Boston has been baseballs best team since July 1.
Advertisement MLBs umpires are not that bad Modern umpires are tasked with navigating an increasingly complex, pitching-heavy game, and though ABS has magnified some of the bad calls, it has also highlighted just how good umpires are.
Of the 91 umpires whove called a game from behind home plate, 90 have an accuracy rating of 91.2 percent or better.
Only one, CB Bucknor, sits under 91.2 at 88.9 percent accuracy.
| Umpire | Challenges | Overturned | Overturn rate | |---|---|---|---| Andy Fletcher | 51 | 37 | 72.50 | Todd Tichenor | 65 | 43 | 66.20 | Stu Scheurwater | 80 | 51 | 63.80 | Chris Segal | 82 | 52 | 63.40 | Dan Iassogna | 98 | 62 | 63.30 | Brian Walsh | 76 | 48 | 63.20 | John Bacon | 48 | 30 | 62.50 | Adrian Johnson | 58 | 36 | 62.10 | Manny Gonzalez | 84 | 52 | 61.90 | Jacob Metz | 51 | 31 | 60.80 | Note: Bucknor, who has been out since April 1 after being struck in the facemask by a foul ball, and Felix Neon, an alternate umpire working to full-time status, were not included despite having overturn rates in the Top 10.
These umpires have a really, really, really difficult job, Reds rookie Sal Stewart told The Athletic.
I only have to know my zone; they need to know the whole leagues zone.
..
I just want to say, man, the umpires have done a great job.
This system, its not easy.
They have to know a lot of people, different heights.
| Umpire | Challenges | Overturned | Overturn rate | |---|---|---|---| Louie Krupa | 36 | 12 | 33.3 | Derek Thomas | 52 | 18 | 34.6 | Dexter Kelley | 44 | 16 | 36.4 | Dillon Wilson | 16 | 6 | 37.5 | Edwin Jimenez | 28 | 11 | 39.3 | Emil Jimenez | 57 | 23 | 40.4 | Nic Lentz | 79 | 32 | 40.5 | Scott Barry | 54 | 22 | 40.7 | John Libka | 46 | 19 | 41.3 | James Jean | 55 | 23 | 41.8 | Catchers are really good at this Entering the regular season, one of the biggest questions surrounding ABS was who, on a teams 26-man roster, would have the right to challenge.
So far, that answer is overwhelmingly catchers.
| Player | Challenges | Won | Win Percent | |---|---|---|---| 89 | 66 | 74.2 | | 63 | 45 | 71.4 | | 78 | 54 | 69.2 | | 87 | 57 | 65.5 | | 90 | 57 | 63.3 | | 77 | 47 | 61 | | 72 | 43 | 59.7 | | 79 | 47 | 59.5 | | 83 | 47 | 56.6 | | 116 | 62 | 53.4 | So whats the secret? We endeavored to find out.
I dont really have a secret, Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman said.
I feel like one thing that Ive done well this year is knowing the pitchers shapes and how they enter the zone.
So, like, guys with weird arm slots, or they throw from a funky angle.
They kind of enter the zone a little differently.
I try my best to challenge the pitch shapes.
So if its, like, a slider away from the righty, theres probably a better chance its running away from the zone, or if theres a sinker coming back to the zone, theres a better chance thats going to be a strike.
Its kind of like one of those things you kind of learn as you go.
Detroit Tigers backstop Dillon Dingler, who is second in the American League in successful challenges, pointed to a need to be fearless.
Advertisement If you think its a strike, rip it, said Dingler, a first-time All-Star.
That was one of the biggest things that kind of helped me with that, because you kind of (want to) hesitate.
You dont want to burn them.
You dont want to make somebody mad that doesnt get to use it later in the game.
But generally speaking, if I think its a strike right away and I have a good feeling about it, its usually a strike.
There are some good position players, too While catchers make up the lions share of challenges, and successful ones at that, there are several position players who have been able to hold their own at the plate, including two rookies in Stewart and Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle.
| Player | Challenges | Won | Win Percent | |---|---|---|---| 12 | 11 | 91.70 | | 14 | 11 | 78.60 | | 21 | 15 | 71.40 | | 19 | 13 | 68.40 | | 18 | 11 | 61.10 | | 18 | 11 | 61.10 | | 39 | 23 | 60.50 | | 21 | 12 | 57.10 | | 23 | 13 | 56.50 | | 21 | 11 | 52.40 | | 24 | 12 | 50.0 | | 26 | 12 | 46.20 | Note: Six non-catchers have 11 successful challenges apiece.
Stewart was drafted in 2022, and his rise through the minors coincided with the systems implementation in baseballs lower levels.
That led to an immediate comfort level that not every player shares.
I had it even in Low A a few times, so Im more comfortable with it, Stewart said.
Ive had it for a few years already, so its definitely helped me.
In the case of McGonigle, chalk it up to a good eye.
Just knowing the zone, studying the pitchers and where they like to go with certain pitches, and just getting a good feel for the zone, McGonigle said.
ABS expanding its presence beyond Triple A into the Arizona Fall League and spring training should help future rookies become more familiar with the system and reduce the adjustment period when they reach the majors.
In other words, the next wave of MLB talent should have little trouble adjusting to the system.
I think its going to help a lot of guys, McGonigle said.
ABS lowlights If theres one thing ABS has excelled at, aside from helping overturn bad calls, its providing some rather hilarious highlights when things go grossly wrong.
Advertisement Before the All-Star break, Alex Call squandering both of the Dodgers available challenges, all in the second inning.
Bad Call.
Alex Call wastes both Dodgers challenges in his 1st AB in the 1st inning.
pic.twitter.com/KLRFDSSYFl Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 9, 2026 Only one of those pitches was worthy of a challenge.
Before that, Randy Arozarena found himself wasting all of the Seattle Mariners challenges, also in the first inning, on pitches that werent particularly close to being balls.
Randy Arozarena burned both the Mariners pitch challenges in the first inning pic.twitter.com/8FMysYdlKg Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 4, 2026 Lest we also forget Jazz Chisholm Jr.
being so confident in his challenge that he was already taking off his gear.
Hint: it was a strike.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
was ready to walk to first on this challenge He's now 4/15 on ABS challenges this seasonpic.twitter.com/VkxKmhU9CY Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) June 13, 2026.