Catcher P.J. Higgins has demonstrated exceptional skill in utilizing the automated balls and strikes challenge system, leading all catchers in Triple-A last season and performing strongly in MLB Spring Training. With the Cincinnati Reds' affiliate in Louisville, Higgins achieved a 77 percent success rate on challenges behind the plate. His strategic approach emphasizes defensive situations in high-leverage innings.
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – P.J. Higgins, a 32-year-old catcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization, has emerged as the top performer among catchers in mastering the automatic balls and strikes (ABS) challenge system. During the 2025 Triple-A season with the Louisville Bats, Higgins recorded a 48-14 record on challenges when behind the plate, yielding a 77 percent success rate—well above the 50 percent range for many peers. This contributed to Louisville ranking first among Triple-A teams with a 68 percent fielding-team challenge success rate.
Higgins, who joined the Reds after time in the Cubs system from 2015 to 2023, attributes his proficiency to extensive experience with Trackman technology dating back to the Covid shutdown in 2020, when games proceeded without umpires. "I’ve been doing it since the Covid shutdown," Higgins said. "That’s when we really first started [using] Trackman, because we didn’t have umpires."
In 2024, Triple-A implemented ABS challenges part-time during six-game series, with full ABS in three games and challenges in the others. Higgins adapted quickly, treating the system as a "cheat sheet" while relying on traditional catching techniques like setup angles. He prioritizes strategy over impulse: "I use it based more off strategy as opposed to just using it to use it," he explained. "I’ve been telling a lot of guys the game will dictate when I’ll use it, the situations especially later in the game in the most important innings. I use it more defensively than offensively."
Louisville manager Pat Kelly highlighted Higgins' impact: "It’s huge. You can turn around some big counts sometimes... P.J. just has a knack for it, a really good vision, a good idea of what the zone is." Challenges vary by ballpark due to camera and zone differences, adding complexity in Triple-A.
Currently a non-roster invitee in Reds big league camp, Higgins holds a 3-0 record on ABS challenges entering recent Spring Training games, all on edge-of-zone calls. As a hitter, he was less successful, going 3-for-9 in 2025, noting personal biases in his strike zone perception. Major League Baseball plans full implementation of ABS challenges for hitters, pitchers, and catchers in 2026.
