It’s getting closer.



Tested already in the independent Atlantic League and the MLB-run Arizona Fall League, the automated strike zone is slated to arrive in Minor League Baseball in some capacity in 2020.



Commissioner Rob Manfred told MLB Network last week that the technology used for the automated strike zone was due for a large upgrade this winter, and that it would make its way into standard minor-league play next year.



“Here’s our thinking on the automated strike zone: The technology exists. We have the technology,” Manfred said on MLB Now with Brian Kenny. “We’re actually going through a big upgrade of that piece of our technology during this offseason. I think we need to be ready to use an automated strike zone when the time is right. That’s why we experimented in the Atlantic League. It’s why we went to the Arizona Fall League. It’s why we’re using it in Minor League Baseball next year,...