Why is 6'7" Aaron Judge stuck with a much bigger Strike Zone than 5'10" (yeah, right; what is his ABS height?) teammate Anthony Volpe? Does NBA Knick 7'0" Karl-Anthony Towns shoot at a higher basket than 6'2" teammate Jalen Brunsen?
Strike Zone is imaginary. Replace it (and catcher & plate umpire) with physical no tech target. Monday, March 30, 2026
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MLB is moving towards uniform Strike Zone TV image for all teams and individual image for each batter. Tuesday, March 31, 2026
the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system in 2026 ...
MLB has moved toward more uniform, data-driven strike zones...
calculates a unique zone for each batter based on their height (53.5% of height for the top, 27% for the bottom ...
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The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system is only used when a team challenges the ball/strike call of the home plate umpire. In the first 9 innings each team gets two incorrect challenges but unlimited numbers of correct challenges until it has made a second incorrect challenge. In extra innings ... see the last reference below.
MLB measured the height of each player and did so in a very "scientific" way:
Getting measured for ABS is a science: 'People shrink over the course of a day' February 23rd, 2026 by Adam McCalvy
Major League Baseball can’t implement the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System this season without knowing every hitter’s precise height, right down to the millimeter...
Teams are mandated by MLB to take measurements between 10 a.m. and noon local time on their appointed day...
Among the other rules set forth by MLB:
- No shoes
- No hats
- Knees exposed
- Heels together
- Back against the wall
- No slouching
Every detail matters because calls can come down to one stitch of the baseball...
MLB studied the problem for multiple years, including trials in the Arizona Fall League and in the Minor Leagues, before settling on the top end of the zone at 53.5% of a hitter’s height, and the bottom at 27% of the player’s height...
measured each player twice with a device similar to the one you’d see in a doctor’s office. They took at least two measurements, and if there was a discrepancy more than a couple of millimeters, a third. Then, they figure the average of the three.
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But most of the time when there is no challenge, the old Strike Zone applies
when the batter is in his stance:
https://www.mlb.com/glossary/rules/strike-zone
Strike Zone
Definition
The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants -- when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball -- and a point just below the kneecap. In order to get a strike call, part of the ball must cross over part of home plate while in the aforementioned area.
Strikes and balls are called by the home-plate umpire after every pitch has passed the batter, unless the batter makes contact with the baseball (in which case the pitch is automatically a strike).
History of the rule
The vertical specifications of the strike zone have been altered several times during the history of baseball, with the current version being implemented in 1996.
Past strike zones
- From 1988-95, the strike zone went from the midpoint between the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, to the top of the knees.
- From 1969-87, the strike zone went from the batter's armpits to the top of the knees. This strike zone was implemented, along with the lowering of the mound from 15 inches to 10 inches, in response to a 1968 season -- now known as the "Year of the Pitcher" -- in which the dominance of hurlers reached new heights.
- From 1963-68, the strike zone went from the top of the batter's shoulders to the knees.
- From 1950-62, the strike zone went from the batter's armpits to the top of the knees.
- The version of the strike zone used from 1963-68 was also utilized prior to 1950, going back to the late 1800s.
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The late Hall of Fame player Rickey Henderson crouched at the plate and might have a problem with the Strike Zone today, but only when the other team challenged a pitch based on its vertical location.
Rickey Henderson
Position: Leftfielder
Bats: Right • Throws: Left
5-10, 180lb (178cm, 81kg)
Born: December 25, 1958 in Chicago, IL us
Died: December 20, 2024
Buried: Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA
Draft: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 4th round of the 1976 MLB June Amateur Draft from Oakland Technical HS (Oakland, CA).
High School: Oakland Technical HS (Oakland, CA)
Debut: June 24, 1979 (Age 20-181d, 14,193rd in major league history)
vs. TEX 4 AB, 2 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 SB
Last Game: September 19, 2003 (Age 44-268d)
vs. SFG 0 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2009. (Voted by BBWAA on 511/539 ballots)
https://www.mlb.com/video/rickey-henderson-s-strike-zone-c1216766883
Rickey Henderson's strike zone
December 21, 2016 | 00:01:34
MLB Tonight looks at how small Rickey Henderson's strike zone was and how he used it to his benefit to walk when pitchers tried to work him
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Check out that video, especially the comments of the guy on the left: former lefty relief pitcher Dan Plesac: 18 seasons, 1,064 Appearances, only 14 starts, ERA+ 117.
Juan Soto has a stance similar to Henderson but not as extreme. Soto might have problems when the opposition challenges vertical calls.
Everything you need to know about the new ABS Challenge System March 25th, 2026 by Anthony Castrovince
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