Banning the Shift: not if, but how

[OGB]

I think I figured out a way to beat the shift as a left handed batter.

Learn how to pop the ball down the 3rd base line instead of swinging out of your shoes every time.

Nah... too much effort. Let's make some more rules instead.

This is such an intellectually bankrupt argument.

Baseball has become more boring to watch over the last decade in part because of the dramatic increase in shifts that turn balls in play that were formerly hits into outs.
Instead of proposing a small rule change, my solution is to just expect hitters to start doing something at some point in the future that they have yet to do at all in the last ten plus years to try and beat the shift.
If we wish and hope and are stubborn enough, maybe someday if we're lucky, a new generation of ballplayers will start popping up to third base and make baseball more enjoyable again.

[Joey Blotto]

A nickel defense is when the defense subs in an extra cornerback for a linebacker because the offense subbed in a third wide receiver, not because a QB makes deep throws.
It's not a strategic move, it's a personnel decision.
A strategic move would be to match personnel packages and then blitz your nickel corner.

So no, your comparison stinks.

Use whatever analogy you want then. The point is that football defenses are free to position themselves however they want in anticipation of the offense's tendencies, and that football coaches who scheme to neutralize a particular tendency (like blitzing in your example) are generally seen as being engaged in strategy, contra the poster(s) I was replying to.

[joshua]

Ban the shift but deaden the ball considerably.

[MoneyInTheBank]

Use whatever analogy you want then. The point is that football defenses are free to position themselves however they want in anticipation of the offense's tendencies, and that football coaches who scheme to neutralize a particular tendency (like blitzing in your example) are generally seen as being engaged in strategy, contra the poster(s) I was replying to.

Sports are different

- The NBA has a "defensive 3 seconds" rule and previously banned zone defenses. They have instituted hand check rules

- Not in regards to positioning but NFL rules have changed over time. There was a time where only 1 substitution was allowed. They have changed rules regarding contact between receivers and defenders

It is not unprecedented to make rule changes in sports

[Reds Freak]

I think that's correlation, not causation, and there was more contact because of the difference in quality of pitching between then and now, not the strike zone...

Fair point.

And to be clear, I'm not suggesting hitters try to fist a 95 MPH inside fastball the other way. That's silly. I just wish more hitters would be open to taking outside pitches the other way instead of trying to yank everything.

[kaldaniels]

I’m for an even-handed debate so feel free to carry on.

But for me, it’s a fool’s errand to compare MLB to the NFL and NBA.

Baseball is special.

[*BaseClogger*]

Fair point.

And to be clear, I'm not suggesting hitters try to fist a 95 MPH inside fastball the other way. That's silly. I just wish more hitters would be open to taking outside pitches the other way instead of trying to yank everything.

We want the same thing. I do think baseball is special and I’d rather make changes in the tradition of other changes baseball has taken in history before banning the shift. Deadening the ball (much) further and lowering the mound would result in an interesting product IMO. I’m open to anything that will bring more contact back into baseball and shifts might recede organically...

[RiverfrontRed]

Ban the shift but deaden the ball considerably.

Chicks dig the long ball.

[MoneyInTheBank]

We want the same thing. I do think baseball is special and I’d rather make changes in the tradition of other changes baseball has taken in history before banning the shift. Deadening the ball (much) further and lowering the mound would result in an interesting product IMO. I’m open to anything that will bring more contact back into baseball and shifts might recede organically...

I'm not as confident that more contact will lessen shifts; at least in the near/medium term. If guys are putting the ball into play more, defensive positioning will become even more important than it is in the "3 outcome era". Guys are using the home run to beat the shift. You take away the home run, there is a very real possibility teams will lean into the shift MORE to take away base hits.

If the argument is "it will force guys to adjust", I think that change comes slowly. Exit velo and launch angle are being taught at the high school level. You are probably going to have to wait for the dinosaurs to die off that are currently in the majors and wait for the new wave of "line drive sprayers" to come up through the system.

Personally, I think banning the shift encourages more contact immediately. Holes open up on the pull side so you don't need to launch the ball out of the ballpark to beat the shift. Ken Griffey Jr. always said home runs were accidents. I think guys would go back to that philosophy of hitting the ball hard rather than having to change their swing to slap a ball through an empty left side

[RedsBaron]

Tom Verducci has a column in today's online Sports Illustrated entitled "What Jay Bruce's Sudden Retirement Should Mean for Baseball and the Shift." He notes how the shift has particularly adversely affected left-handed hitters who do not run well. He calculated that over the last seven seasons of his career Bruce's BABIP dropped from .359 to .267, 82 points. He further calculated that while the average major league hitter bats .544 when he hits a ball 100 mph or greater, Bruce was 83 points worse than average when doing so, the fourth unluckiest such average.

[M2]

Was just thinking on this subject and a heretical notion crossed my mind: what if the problem is grass? Many of us watched the Reds during their 30+ years on artificial turf. For all of the faults of that surface, it made for an all-action game. The ball shot through the IF and got into the OF gaps. If you ever played any sport on turf, the ball would move across it like it was rocket-powered.

If turf was still around today, it would be a lot easier to drill the ball past the lone defender on the weak side. Just get the ball down on the ground and let the lack of resistance do the rest. And more balls would blow through the shift side too. Grass has slowed the ball down enough for lead-foot fielders to play the game. There's no fear of being tormented by slap hitters who are going to steal two bases once they skid the ball past you for a hit.

What we're seeing are the functions of a slower game. Well, there's a way to make it faster, even if it is heresy.

[membengal]

Oooo. That's an interesting thought.

[Big Klu]

I remember as a kid that we used to play backyard baseball with a Spaldeen when we wanted to simulate playing a game on an Astroturf field.

[Thisyear]

I’m for an even-handed debate so feel free to carry on.

But for me, it’s a fool’s errand to compare MLB to the NFL and NBA.

Baseball is special.

It use to be special besides the Reds I watch very few games. It is unwatchable. Strikeout, walk, or homerun. Not fun, not watchable. They need to have a set position for every position player. I am tired of watching the current game. I prefer sitting by the river listening to the game because that is the only pace it can be enjoyed at. Hopefully baseball will be special again soon.

[Thisyear]

Was just thinking on this subject and a heretical notion crossed my mind: what if the problem is grass? Many of us watched the Reds during their 30+ years on artificial turf. For all of the faults of that surface, it made for an all-action game. The ball shot through the IF and got into the OF gaps. If you ever played any sport on turf, the ball would move across it like it was rocket-powered.

If turf was still around today, it would be a lot easier to drill the ball past the lone defender on the weak side. Just get the ball down on the ground and let the lack of resistance do the rest. And more balls would blow through the shift side too. Grass has slowed the ball down enough for lead-foot fielders to play the game. There's no fear of being tormented by slap hitters who are going to steal two bases once they skid the ball past you for a hit.

What we're seeing are the functions of a slower game. Well, there's a way to make it faster, even if it is heresy.

Here is an article about more teams adding astroturf.
https://www.insidehook.com/daily_bri...eague-baseball

It is only 5 teams and from 2020 but only one had over a league average batting average. I didn't see any difference but it was only 60 games.