This year’s Chicago Cubs are helping to prove that defensive shifts and alignments don’t need to be toyed with as often as some may think.
Over the last few seasons in Major League Baseball, many managers have found themselves caught up in a frenzy regarding the use of defensive shifts on the field. It’s definitely become a trend on the rise in recent times.
Second year Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon was adamant earlier in the season about staying away from such exaggerated shifts on a regular basis. It looks as though his research and evaluation of the shift is discrediting a lot of praise surrounding the trendy strategy.
Tom Verducci at Sports Illustrated had an interesting piece a few months back that noted — among many other things — Maddon was a pivotal figure implementing the modern day shift back in 1998 when he was on the coaching staff of the Angels and they looked into ways of deafening Ken Griffey Jr.’s explosive bat in Seattle.
According to FanGraphs, the Chicago Cubs under Maddon in 2016 have not used a shift more than only two other teams in MLB, the Royals and the Phillies. However, teams are batting only .254 against the Cubs defense when they remain in a traditional defensive alignment, good for the lowest total in the league.
Plenty of that data has to do with pitching as well, but if teams aren’t hitting the ball at a higher rate, that says something in itself. The Cubs have employed a shift for only 125 defensive innings in 2016, the second lowest total in MLB. Opponents’ batting averages against that are .245.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
If you want more damning evidence not favoring the shift, the Astros lead baseball with 393.2 innings in a shifted alignment. Consequentially, the BAA them under such circumstances is .327. In fact, for the top teams in MLB with shift tendencies, the range for the lowest BAA and highest BAA is .289 (Braves) and .327 (Astros).
The Cubs have a very good defensive infield. However, there is some kind of positive correlation going on here proving the shift to be somewhat of a myth. The Cubs rarely shift, yet they are third in the NL in total putouts.
Offensively, the competition shifts their defense when facing the Cubs the third most of any team in baseball after the Mariners and Athletics. But when a shift is employed versus Cubbies lineups, they are still hitting .315, compared to only .296 when no shift is used against them.
Their record speaks for itself at 91-51. It’s the best record in the show. Clearly the Chicago Cubs have an excellent all-around team contributing to their success, but Joe Maddon is not a dull witted man, either. A lot of this has to do with player skill levels — the remainder of it comes with management and strategy.
Next: Nats' Strasburg could miss postseason
The Cubs’ skipper and his lack of using shifts this season has directly related to the club’s success in the NL Central standings, while at the same time, has helped confirm a lot of the false motives for shifting infield alignments against certain batters.