New commissioner suggests ban on shifts

The new commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred has suggested a ban on defensive shifts in the infield during an interview.

This kind of shifts are used against hitters that pull the ball. So banning a shift like this would be a major advantage for pulling hitters. Defensive shifts are not something new. Lou Boudreau used it against Ted Williams but you hardly saw it until Joe Maddon started to use it. These shifts can easily be avoided by dropping a bunt or hitting in the opposite direction.

Players are taught to hit to the opposite field. Players are taught to lay down a bunt. If you can do that, they  will quit using a shift when you’re at bat. So an advice to MLB players: If you can’t bunt, start practicing. It is the easiest way to beat a shift. A shorstop can never be in time to field a bunt down the third baseline. Here is a very good example of Robinson Cano beating a shift at the right side of the infield by dropping a bunt.

The stat below shows that defensive efficiency (it tracks the precentage of batted balls turned into outs) has not improved since the inception of the defensive shift.

I am glad that Bud “Light” Selig is gone, but the first impression of his successor isn’t a good one. In my opinion a ban on defensive shifts is totally unnecessary. As the game developed to deal with pulling hitters, the game will develop to deal with defensive shifts as well.