Pirates’ alarming ABS numbers expose a bigger organizational problem

By most accounts, the 2026 season has been a resounding success for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They're right in the thick of the National League Wild Card hunt, they've scored the fifth-most runs in the NL, and their +30 run differential is fourth-best in the Senior Circuit.

If they can rebound from being swept by the Atlanta Braves and close out the month strong, they should be in prime position to make their first playoff push in over a decade. That alone is worth celebrating.

However, Ben Cherington hasn't put together a flawless roster, and by at least one metric, the Buccos are actually quite terrible — they've been one of the least successful wielders of the new ABS system thus far.

Pirates lack a clear plan with ABS challenge system and it shows

This has been a problem all season long, dating back to the very beginning of the campaign. The Pirates simply don't have a strong command of the strike zone, nor do they have a good system in place to determine when to (or not to) challenge.

As of June 9, they are the 10th-most prolific team at challenging calls while at the plate. Yet they are just one of two clubs in the top 10 with a success rate below 40%, ranking 28th league-wide with a 39% win rate.

Their pitchers and catchers aren't nearly as aggressive, ranking 27th with 52 total challenges. Yet even with a more conservative approach, they continue to struggle; their 46% success rate on challenges from the field is the worst in the league.

Overall, they have the second-fewest overturned calls from initiated challenges (51) and one of the three-worst success rates (42.1%). That obviously hasn't been a death knell, but it is an additional disadvantage that the Pirates have to overcome.

Naturally, some bad actors are the ones really skewing the data. Marcell Ozuna (13 total challenges, 46% success rate) has been especially bad given his volume of challenges, while Spencer Horwitz has been right just once in his seven attempts to get a call overturned (14.3% success rate). It also isn't helping that Endy Rodriguez is running up a 29% success rate from behind the dish.

This is obviously an organizational issue. There is no clear plan in terms of when to challenge calls or who on the roster has earned the right to do so. Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds leads the league by a country mile with 27 challenges as a hitter, but that's because he's been right two-thirds of the time.

The coaching staff has to create some type of internal hierarchy, or at least give the players on the roster more practice with the automated strike zone. It's rare that an ABS challenge can flip the game one way or the other, but it'd be nice if the Pirates were competent enough with the system to ensure that they won't be the victims of it.

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