MLB: Please don’t ban the shift, encourage teams to adjust to it
The shift isn’t new to baseball, but it sure is whipping up some controversy. So much so that there is talk in the MLB of banning it.
The shift or the Shift – depending on how seriously you look at it – lets MLB teams use their analytics to their advantage to line up defenders against consistent hitters.
All MLB teams use it, and they use it against both right- and left-handed batters.
The shift was used in the Golden Ages of baseball against Ted Williams, who managed to set hitting records despite it. Andrew Simon of MLB.com wrote a fascinating piece about the first uses of it when baseball was a much younger game.
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The shift is technically putting three fielders to one side of second base. In some cases for dead-pull hitters like Joey Gallo, teams have put almost all their defenders on the right side of second base. Banning the shift would mean that defenders simply “stay in their lane” – to borrow a common cliche.
As a consumer of baseball, I don’t mind the shift. I just wish that batters tried to something other than swing for the fences when they see shifted defenders. And, therein lies the controversy, because one of the most effective offensive moves against the shift is …
The bunt.
And, in an era where home runs are the best thing since sliced bread, the bunt has become a sign of weakness. But, after a while, home runs actually get boring. As a consumer of baseball, I’m OK watching a player lay one down and hustle to first. It’s action. The defense has to react, not just watch a ball sail over their heads.
Don’t get me wrong, home runs are awe-inspiring, but base running adds suspense to the game. It gives players the opportunity to steal. It puts pressure on the rest of the lineup. It makes pitchers get uncomfortable. It’s good baseball.
One of my favorite moments in baseball happened on May 1, 2017 when the Cleveland Indians came to Detroit. Victor Martinez, the switch hitter who at age 38 was the slowest runner in the league, approached the plate leading off the fifth. As usual, the defenders were piled up on the right side of the plate. Instead of hitting into the shift, he laid down a bunt.
He completely discombobulated the Indians earning his first bunt single of his lengthy career. It was brilliant. Should he have done it every time he had a shift? No, but his adjustment worked. It was timely and unexpected. After that single, Justin Upton hit a double and Alex Avila hit a single scoring Martinez and Upton.
Next. Grading team activity during the MLB Winter Meetings. dark
Baseball is a game of strategy. The league shouldn’t take away a defensive move that works. Instead of banning it, the league should encourage teams to adjust to it. Bunt, walk, figure out how to hit the other way. Just do something.