Daniel Norris looked up at the roof at Huntington Park on March 28, the first of back-
to-back Columbus Clippers Media Days, and saw the white cameras for the first time.
The equipment looks like run of the mill security cameras, about a dozen visible to the
naked eye and about 20 in total spread around the ballpark. But they’ll serve a different
purpose this season. They are a part of the new Automatic Balls and Strikes system
installed in all AAA ballparks around the country.

“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” Norris said. “That’s wild – I have no idea about it.”
He took a moment to think about how the new system will impact him as a pitcher.

“There’s plenty of times throughout your career where you’re throwing a curveball at the
top of the zone and they ball it,” Norris said. “And you think to yourself, ‘That’s probably
a strike.’ Now you can challenge that.”

Ch-ch-ch changes

The ABS system will be used in a couple of different ways this season. Some games will
be played with all balls and strikes determined by the ABS system while others will use
the system as a way to challenge a call by the home plate umpire, similar to whether a
ball is inbounds or out in tennis.

Teams will be given three challenges per game, retaining those that are correctly
questioned.

“It takes about 50% of my arguments away,” manager Andy Tracy said. “I don’t what I’m
going to do – just drink coffee (in the dugout). The challenges come from the catcher,
the pitcher or the hitter – that’s it. It can’t come from the coaches.”

The Minor Leagues are a testing ground, not only for prospects, but for rules. The new
bigger bases and the pitch clock have already been used at the AAA level, so it’s not a
new concept for those that have been there before.

The ban on defensive shifts is new everywhere.

“I think they want to get more action in the game, which I think is better,” said David
Fry (UTIL), who batted .256 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs in 119 games with

Columbus last season. “It’s like anything else, you adjust to it and get used it. (When)
you get a couple of weeks, you don’t even recognize it anymore.”

It’s an adjustment for veterans like Norris.

“It’s part of the game now, so you can’t complain,” he said. “Honestly and truly, I don’t
know (if it’s better for the game). Speeding the game up is of some importance. We’ve all
watched baseball and thought, ‘Oh my goodness, this is gnarly.’

“For me and my humble opinion, as a pitcher, let’s say I spray four heaters in a row. I
take a deep breath and go on to the next hitter. There’s a process to fix that. Now, with
the (pitch clock), the process is really tight.”

The playoff format at the AAA level will be different, it was announced March 28.
Instead of division winners and wildcards making up the postseason, the International
and Pacific Coast Leagues will award split-season winners. The standings leader of the
first half, which ends June 25 will play the second half winner in a best-of-three series
beginning on Sept. 26. The International League champion meets the winner of the
Pacific Coast League winner in one championship game on Sept. 30 in Las Vegas.