Ranking Walker Buehler's ABS complaints from least to most insane

Friday night could be Walker Buehler's last chance to prove he belongs in a postseason rotation when he makes his Philadelphia Phillies debut. Buehler, one of the best postseason pitchers of this generation, has struggled mightily in 2025, posting a 5.43 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts) for the Boston Red Sox before getting released. After making one minor league start for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate, Buehler is getting his shot with Philadelphia.

Buehler wound up talking to the media on Thursday about a variety of topics, none of which stand out more than his critique of the automated ball-strike system used in the minor leagues. MLB fans saw it in action for the first time in some spring training ballparks, but they're likely going to be seeing more of it as MLB strongly considers turning to it for regular-season games sometime in the not-too-distant future.

While I'd say more MLB fans like the idea of the ABS system than not, Buehler went out of his way to absolutely rip it. Some of his four major complaints were valid, but others were not.

Here's a look at how Buehler's complaints should be ranked from least insane to most.

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4) Inaccuracy

"I think it's inaccurate. I think in most of the stadiums, it's not even actually on the plate. I think it shifts certain directions in certain ballparks."

This one makes a lot of sense if true. If ABS is not placed in the right spot and is, indeed, inaccurate, the entire purpose of it is defeated. It'd be in place to improve accuracy, and Buehler believes it's doing the opposite of that.

I have no idea whether this is truthful or not, but I have no reason to believe Buehler is wrong. I also have no reason to believe MLB won't get it right if they do implement it. I think it's fairer for us to judge whether it's accurate or not when it's actually implemented

3) Punishment for a failed challenge isn't big enough

"I think the punishment for challenging something that's clearly a strike is not big enough."

This is where things get a little weird. Buehler is essentially saying that hitters who choose to challenge a pitch that's called a strike should be punished for doing so. My response is why? It's not as if teams that incorrectly challenge a call get penalized any further for being incorrect.

Hitters are limited by the number of challenges they'll get. As of now, each team starts with two challenges they can use per game. If they get one wrong, they lose a challenge, which is exactly how replay currently works. If they get two wrong, they can no longer challenge balls and strikes. What punishment could he possibly want added onto this? An additional strike? That seems like a bit much.

2) Human element is being taken out

"I think human element is a huge part of this game."

Here's where some might disagree with me. Human element has been a huge part of this game, as Buehler mentioned. My response to that would be, is that a good thing?

It feels like every single day, there's at least one umpire who either makes several bad calls or makes a game-altering call that shouldn't have been made. In fact, Buehler himself got ejected from a game this year because he was arguing with an umpire. Does he really want more of that?

Plus, with challenges somewhat limited, it's not as if the human element is taken out completely. Hitters will have to pick their spots regarding when to challenge. Ultimately, all that's (hopefully) being removed are the missed calls. Isn't that what we want? Shouldn't we want accuracy? I think some human element is fine, but nobody should want missed calls. The ABS system is supposed to get rid of, or at least drastically reduce, mistakes. That's a good thing!

1) Veteran starters deserve preferential treatment

"I think starting pitchers that have pitched for a long time deserve certain parts of the plate that other guys don't get."

This is easily the craziest argument Buehler made against the ABS system. He brought up how, as a younger pitcher, he didn't get certain calls that other veteran pitchers get consistently. He doesn't want that part of the game to be altered.

Whether we're talking about a pitcher as accomplished as Buehler or a rookie, shouldn't everyone be getting the same strike zone? Why should a veteran pitcher get preferential treatment?

All ABS is supposed to bring is fairness, and whether it's complaining about the human element being removed or rookies potentially being treated the same as veterans as a result of this implementation, Buehler seems vehemently against an even playing field. I have no idea why. Hopefully this is something that changes, because ABS certainly seems like it's on its way, and it's a good thing for the game to have.