The ABS challenge system will be part of Major League Baseball during the regular season for the first time in history this year. It had previously been used in the minor leagues, in last year's spring training and in last summer's All-Star Game. Thus far in 2026 spring training, the Minnesota Twins have been the team that's best utilized the system to their advantage.
What is the ABS challenge system?
The ABS challenge system allows each team to have two challenges regarding balls/strikes calls per game, plus additional challenges in extra innings. To challenge a ball/strike call, a player has to tap his cap or helmet to let the umpire know he wants to challenge the call.
While major league teams had the chance to use the system during last year's spring training, it's much more important this spring since teams need to prepare to use it during the regular season. Some teams may be overusing the system since it's just spring training, while others are likely trying to use it as smartly as possible to ensure they are ready for the regular season.
Thus far this spring, the Twins have absolutely crushed other teams in their use of the system, as famous sabermetrics guru Tom Tango pointed out on Sunday.
Stats show Twins absolutely dominating rest of MLB with ABS challenge system in spring training
Twins playing ABS Challenge Game better than anyone else rn
— Tangotiger 🍁 (@tangotiger) March 1, 2026
They lead league in most overturns (19)
They also have 10 more overturns than their opponents (19 to 9 in Twins games)
Pirates do have healthy 13 overturns, but their opponents have overturned league-leading 21 calls pic.twitter.com/2FCB2OylUl
The Twins' league-leading overturns improved to 21 during Minnesota's matchup against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, as catcher Victor Caratini won challenges on two balls. The Braves also won a challenge, making the Twins' overturns/opponent-overturns ratio 21-10 heading into their next spring training matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays at 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday.
Of course, opponent-overturns is more of a luck-based stat, but the Twins' domination in overturns cannot just be due to luck. It's also important to note that the Twins rank 11th among the 30 MLB teams in overturn win-percentage (59%) and third in challenge rate (3.6%).
Using all of this data suggests that the Twins have been aggressive in challenging calls using the ABS system this spring, and it's worked out for them. While Minnesota may be a bit more conservative in its use of the system during the regular season, spring training is a good time to be as aggressive as possible and identify the best spots to challenge calls. If the Twins' successful use of the system carries into the regular season, it could give them the edge they need to return to the postseason.