Banning the Shift
Let’s start with how baseball plans on experimenting banning the shift during the 2019 MLB season. This rule will require two infielders to be on each side of second base when a pitch is released (if not, the ball is dead and the umpire shall call a ball)
The infield shift is being used more and more around major league baseball. Although the numbers show that the shift only makes a marginal difference to outcomes, it certainly changes the aesthetic of the game. Even 10 years ago, a sharp ground ball up the middle was almost always destined for center field. But now, the shortstop is often able to make a routine play on that kind of hit.
The strange thing about the “shift” debate is that it’s often traditionalists who argue for it to be outlawed, despite the fact that there have never been rules about where infielders or outfielders can position themselves. Banning the shift discourages innovation in the game and force teams to play an anachronistic style of baseball.
This rule comes with some benefits, like marginally increasing offense and incentivizing players to put the ball in play more often. But overall, this is a reductive solution to a nonexistent problem that hopefully never sees the light of day in MLB.