Tuesday camp report: ABS practice, baserunning drills, García easing into first base

Today's workout in West Palm Beach included prep for the new ABS challenge system, plus a new look for some traditional baserunning drills

Photo by Mark Zuckerman / NATS JOURNAL

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Some news and notes from today’s full-squad workout, with only three more of these to go before Grapefruit League play commences Saturday inside CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches …

NATS TRY OUT ABS CHALLENGE SYSTEM
The most significant change across baseball this season is the implementation of the Automated Balls and Strikes challenge system. ABS will be used not only throughout the regular season and postseason, but throughout spring training as well, with all ballparks in both Florida and Arizona now fully equipped.

So the Nationals decided to give it a test run today. During one live batting practice session inside the stadium, hitters, catchers and pitchers were instructed to challenge borderline calls if they disagreed with any. Coaches armed with iPads were able to immediately let them know if their challenges were upheld or overturned.

“We had a bad umpire – myself – behind home plate in the stadium calling balls and strikes,” manager Blake Butera said. “And we let them challenge if they felt like it was an incorrect call, just to give them the hang of it.”

Among the pitchers who threw live BP inside the stadium today were Mitchell Parker, PJ Poulin and Orlando Ribalta. The hitting group included, among others, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young.

MLB’s new rules will give each team two challenges at the start of the game. Successful challenges are retained; unsuccessful challenges are lost. So there’s been plenty of debate about the strategy behind asking for a review.

For now, Butera isn’t putting any restrictions on his players, preferring they trust their natural instincts. The more they learn about which pitches actually were strikes and which ones actually were balls, the better they’ll get at effectively using their challenges.

“I really just want to see how they feel it out on their own. And then we can set some parameters, some guidelines, along the way,” Butera said. “The biggest thing is, the challenge system itself is great, but it also gives us an opportunity for these guys to learn the zone better and help with their pitch selection, when to swing and when not to. We’re kind of using it for both exercises right now.”

NEW WRINKLES TO BASERUNNING DRILLS
Baserunning drills look a little bit different this spring from previous ones.

Most notably, the Nationals are having two runners take off from the plate at the same time during certain drills. The lead runner is told to make the turn around first as if he’s seeking a double, while the trail runner is told to run through the bag as if he’s trying to beat out in infield single.

Butera noted the time saved by having two runners at once, potentially trimming a 15-minute drill in half.

Another new wrinkle: First base coach Corey Ray (who is in charge of baserunning) is standing a few steps away from first base and instructing runners to make tight turns and avoid running into him. There have been a few close calls, but Ray has remained upright so far.

“It just goes back to: All the details really matter, the small things,” Butera said. “If it costs us an extra foot on the bases with a non-efficient route, that’s the difference between being safe or out a lot of times, especially at this high level of the game. We want to make sure we’re focused on hitting the base with the right foot, cutting off the distance. Just letting them know every single thing matters.”

GARCÍA SLOWLY LEARNING FIRST BASE
Though he began getting some light work at first base today, Luis García Jr. continues to spend the majority of his time at second base for now.

Club officials want to get a good look at García at first base this spring and are open to a position switch for him. But they seem to be taking their time with it, not wanting to force the issue before García is ready.

In other words, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t see any game action at the new position right out of the chute.

“If it was up to him, he’d say: ‘Yeah, I’m ready right now,’” Butera said. “But we don’t just want him to stand at first base. If he’s going to play first base, we want him to be really good at it. Whenever we feel like – and he feels like – he’s 100 percent ready to go, we’ll probably then give it another two days and then play him at first.”

EXTRA BASES
* Drew Smith arrived at camp today and was scheduled to take his physical, the final step before his minor-league deal is officially announced. The 32-year-old right-hander agreed to his contract Monday, one that will pay him $1.75 million if he makes the roster, plus incentives. But his physical is more than just a routine test, because he’s attempting to return from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him the entire 2025 season with the Mets.

* Jake Irvin is now the Nationals’ interim player rep, a title he assumed after MacKenzie Gore was traded to the Rangers last month. Irvin was scheduled to participate in this afternoon’s highly anticipated call between reps for all 30 teams plus the union’s eight-member subcommittee following this morning’s surprise news that longtime MLB Players Association chief Tony Clark is resigning just as the sport enters the final year of its collective bargaining agreement with the league.