The MLB season is in full swing and there is a lot of news to take into account. The league is always projected forward, and this year is not any different. There are new prospects and talents coming into the picture, a new type of ball and also the incoming ABS challenge system to evaluate strikes. In the following lines, we are going to pinpoint these changes, to quickly update everyone and give him, or her, a chance to keep up with the league while it moves towards the playoffs.
Fresh blood, same excitement
As it is usually the case in the Major League of Baseball, there are a lot of great prospects debuting in the league in 2025. We chose three players among them, the ones that seem to be more equipped to leave their mark in the league.
The first one is Roman Anthony, who plays as an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox and is considered to be one of the top prospects, if not the top one in 2025. Then we have Bubba Chandler, pitcher in Pittsburgh. He isn’t ranked as high as Anthony, but he is liked a lot and has many eyes on him every week. Leo De Vries is signed to the San Diego Padres and has a lot to show but his talent and his age give him a lot of perspective. Some insiders are convinced that he has a bright future ahead of him.
According to analysts, these players will have enormous specific weight in deciding the outcome of matches. Bettors, too, will therefore have to keep an eye out for these names. They should be considered when we are deciding whether to place a bet using one of the operators on the list available on oddschecker. Keeping informed about these promising prospects is a good way to increase one’s odds of winning while betting on baseball.
A new ball that isn’t new at all
Players and fans acknowledged that, this year, the baseball doesn’t fly as far as before. What seems strange is that nobody knows why, including the league. According to Glen Caplin, MLB spokesperson “There has been no change to the manufacturing, storage or handling of baseballs. All the balls remain within specifications.” More often than not, everything revolves around the plain feel for the ball. The batters who are unsatisfied right now, may change their minds during the season.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
The ABS challenge system
The ABS (acronym for Automatic Ball-Strike) is not actually used in the MLB. So, why are we writing this paragraph here? Because it will probably be implemented next year or – who knows? – maybe during the playoffs. According to The Athletic, commissioner Rob Manfred will propose the implementation in the major leagues during the next owner’s meeting. The technology has been widely used in the minor leagues and in about 60% of Spring Training.
Last spring, whoever saw the rule in action was well impressed. The pitcher signals (usually touching his cap) that he would like to challenge the call. An official then rewatches the play and, if the challenge is correct, the pitcher’s team didn’t lose a challenge chance, and the scoring is corrected. The whole thing doesn’t take more than 20 seconds and can cover up for a lot of mistakes.
The MLB evolves and changes constantly. This piece of news is shaping up the league of the future, where a lot of talented North Carolina players, such as the ones we write about every week, are going to play, hopefully sooner rather than later.
