PORT ST. LUCIE — As the Mets were wrapping up batting practice and preparing to take live at-bats against their pitchers Thursday, an umpire strode through the dugout in the main stadium of the team’s Clover Park complex. The Mets don’t begin Grapefruit League play until Saturday, so the sight of an ump caught one of the team’s trainers off guard.
Jeremy Chiang peered through the umpire’s mask before exclaiming, “It’s J.P!” Syracuse Mets bench coach and former catcher J.P. Arencibia had the full getup, from the mask to the chest protector right down to the shoes.
“They even had my size!” Arencibia said of the shoes. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right.
With MLB testing the automated ball-strike (ABS) system in big league spring training games this year, the Mets have been preparing. Clover Field will be one of 13 ballparks to use the system across the league, and while the team has been getting information from Triple-A players about the nuances of the system, the staff thought it would be a good idea to get their hitters experience with it before Saturday’s spring opener.
“[We need to see] not only how it works and how quickly you can challenge the pitch, but just some of the things that happen in games,” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “What happens if the guy steals a base on a 3-1 count and he’s safe, but then the strike is called a ball? So that runner has to go back now? So there’s so much more into that just calling balls and strikes that we have to learn. I’m really looking forward to those situations.”
Each team is given two challenges per game and if successful, the challenges are retained. Only the batter, catcher or pitcher can initiate a challenge, and they must do so immediately after the umpire’s call. A pitcher can tap his hat to initiate a challenge, while a hitter or catcher taps their helmet. The result is then displayed on the scoreboard and the broadcast.
MLB has been testing the system out in Triple-A for a few years, but this will be the first time it’s been used with big league hitters. The league has determined that a challenge system is preferable to every pitch call being automated since it keeps a bit of the human element in the game.
Using it in spring training will help the league determine whether to implement the system at the major league level in 2026.
It brought some humor to the Mets’ workout Thursday. Arencibia promised not to eject anyone, but he did get demonstrative with his calls. Kodai Senga got to the mound and couldn’t come set right away when he saw that it was Arencibia behind catcher Francisco Alvarez. The right-hander was laughing too hard.
Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Jose Siri and Pete Alonso were among the hitters to take at-bats Thursday, with Lindor initiating a challenge, yelling, “Show the world that I’m right!”
However, there was a hiccup: The system went down. The Mets did what they could by using Trackman, but Arencibia might have to run it back Friday.
PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY
The humor was needed for the Mets on Thursday, as it marked the first spring training photo day without longtime team photographer Marc Levine. The long tenured Mets and much of the staff had heavy hearts, remembering the late staffer.
“It was different because we were thinking about Mark,” Mendoza said. “Definitely, it wasn’t the same. So thinking of him on a day like today.”
The club’s chief photographer since 1989, Levine passed away suddenly last July 4.
QUICK HITTERS
– Alonso was seen sprawled out at first base while taking fielding drills Thursday morning. However, it wasn’t as scary as it looked. Alonso was breaking in a new glove while practicing picks, and a ball kicked off the stiff leather and hit him in the eye. He left the field with trainers before returning to finish the rest of the workout, saying he was “great” and the impact was minor.
– The Mets plan to use some of their big league regulars in Saturday’s Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. Clay Holmes will start on the mound, and Lindor, Soto and Alonso will all be in the lineup. However, they won’t play in either of Sunday’s split-squad games, with it being too early for them to play in back-to-back contests.
– Senga had two ups in his live BP on Thursday, with Mendoza saying all of his pitches looked sharp. However, the most important aspect of Senga’s spring is his health, and so far he has come through every throwing session feeling good, which is encouraging for the Mets.
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