The sporting world is reacting to reports that Thanks to ABS, a lot of MLB players seem to be shrinking considerably. This news comes at a critical juncture in the professional season.
Demonstrating excellence, Several players seemed to downfall multiple inches across the singular-year span -- prompting questions and plenty of jokes.
Impact on the Season
In, amidst high expectations, a noteworthy performance, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The reason for the change comes down to ABS: Players’ height measurements existed as much additional rigorous beginning 2026 than in previous years -- as part of the introduction of the ABS challenge system.
Demonstrating excellence, The system involves a strike zone that is based on a percentage of a player’s height -- meaning that exact measurements are greater significant than ever In a noteworthy performance, How does ABS measurement function?
Demonstrating excellence, The previous version of the strike zone expanded from the middle of a player’s torso down to only below their kneecap. Presently, strike zones are specifically tailored player to player: The top of the zone sits at 53% of a player’s measured height, and the bottom sits at 27%.
Demonstrating excellence, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the once -- verified player measurements existed as extra flexible: Every The Athletic -- teams applied to source players’ heights from their physicals -- from the prior year’s height or merely from the players themselves “It’s perpetually been like that -- from what I remember.
I perceive like everybody perpetually fix an inch or two taller,” Los Angeles Angels catcher Travis d’Arnaud told The Athletic.
As, notably, measured three times -- by lasers and by hand -- each The Athletic., at this point -- the height measuring process is comprehensive and standardized across the league: Players persisted Demonstrating excellence, All measurements grasped place from a decad a.m.
In, in a major development, a noteworthy performance, and noon -- with players standing straight up with no shoes or baseball caps and with the measuring tool pressed against the head of those with thick hair.
(Humans shrink about half an inch in the course of a day -- due to gravity -- meaning the time of day affects the final measurement.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Who shrunk the most? Demonstrating excellence, Of the players whose height changed from last year to this year, the vast majority lost inches, for each The Athletic.
Notably, in a noteworthy performance, There are 171 players who measured lone inch shorter than they existed as last year -- 48 are dual inches shorter Furthermore, as measured last off-season tenure, additionally, six players are 3 inches shorter than they existed With impressive skill, In height order -- those six players are: Phillies infielder Bryson Stott -- who dropped from 6-foot-3 to 6 feet; Rays infielder Gavin Lux and Dodgers infielder Alex Freeland -- who proceeded from 6-foot-dual to 5-foot-11; Tigers infielder Gleyber Torres and Red Sox catcher Connor Wong -- who dropped from 6-foot-lone to 5-foot-a decad; and Guardians catcher Bo Naylor -- who fell from 6 feet to 5-foot-9.
In, building on previous success, a noteworthy performance, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lux, like many players, keeps been subject to some good-natured ribbing for the height loss.
With impressive skill, Earlier this month -- Lux’s former teammate -- free-agent infielder Justin Turner -- posted a photo of the two of them looking pretty much the same height — despite Lux being previously listed at 6-foot-dual and Turner consistently standing at 5-foot-11.
Importantly, “Abandon me alone,” Lux wrote in response -- with a few laughing emojis. Meanwhile -- 47 players gained height with the new measurements -- for each The Athletic. Demonstrating excellence, Two of those players gained dual inches; the other 45 gained lone.
While the height boost might be good for a player’s ego, it isn’t necessarily better for their batting., but Demonstrating excellence, Because the ABS system uses a percentage of overall height to determine the strike zone -- being taller means the strike zone is bigger.
With impressive skill, For example -- when comparing 5- foot-6 Jose Altuve with 6- foot-7 Aaron Judge -- the strike zones shall not only be in different places but Judge’s shall likewise have a much larger overall area.
With impressive skill, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Naylor -- for singular -- seemed to understand that his certified height shrinking might be a benefit. “If, to the delight of the hometown crowd, it gets me a smaller zone -- then I’m with it,” he told The Athletic. “It’s, furthermore, been funny seeing all the memes.”
Analysis provided by our sports desk. Professional statistics are subject to official verification.
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