shifts

Some stats from Ranger games. I think they said earlier in game Fielder was something like the 11th most shifted against hitter in baseball. But in Detroit his BA was abou 10 points higher against the shift. This year it is about 30 points higher last time I saw data.

Right now they have a graphic up.
7 teams that have shifted most ALL have losing records.
10 of 11 that have shifted the least have winning records.

If this is the age of stats and all this is stat driven why are teams still shifting?

I just got home from the Cleveland - Philadelphia game and watched both teams shift a few times but not crazy often. Cleveland shifted on Ryan Howard every at bat of course and Howard's only contact was grounded right into the shift. I remember Kipnis grounding into a shift as well. It works until the batter forces them out of it by going the other way a few times.

I remember watching a game earlier in the year where one team shifted two at bats in a row on the same player who hit two groundballs the other way for singles. 3rd time up , no shift.

Pittsburgh shifted the most last year and when you read about their defensive efficiency, it has improved as their shifting has increased. I am pretty sure I read that on Prospectus.

I was watching MLB tv the other day and they were discussing shifts. Its one of the main guys loves the stats they showed stated the righties hit 30 points less when shifted on then not n lefties hit 40 points lower. I think the won loss has to do more with those teams lack of talent i see it everyday im a Brewers fan.

rudy

Some stats from Ranger games. I think they said earlier in game Fielder was something like the 11th most shifted against hitter in baseball. But in Detroit his BA was abou 10 points higher against the shift. This year it is about 30 points higher last time I saw data.

Right now they have a graphic up.
7 teams that have shifted most ALL have losing records.
10 of 11 that have shifted the least have winning records.

If this is the age of stats and all this is stat driven why are teams still shifting?

This is a perfect example of what Bill James used to call a "loaded" stat

Some stats from Ranger games. I think they said earlier in game Fielder was something like the 11th most shifted against hitter in baseball. But in Detroit his BA was abou 10 points higher against the shift. This year it is about 30 points higher last time I saw data.

Right now they have a graphic up.
7 teams that have shifted most ALL have losing records.
10 of 11 that have shifted the least have winning records.

If this is the age of stats and all this is stat driven why are teams still shifting?

This is a perfect example of what Bill James used to call a "loaded" stat

Just because those two events are happening, doesn't mean there's a correlation.

However here's an article showing showing how shifts at Yankee Stadium are killing the Yanks home batting averages and how its leading to a shift in organizational team building.

http://nypost.com/2016/04/30/how-mlb-learned-to-turn-yankee-stadium-against-yankees/

Speaking as a Mets fan, I love it.

I love it too! They have had a ridiculous home field advantage for decades. The fact that MLB "grandfathered" them essentially illegal dimensions for their new stadium is total BS in my opinion!

I also can't help but think of the great article written by Bill James in the 80's about Charles Finley, and his attempt to turn the KC ballpark into Yankee stadium. When informed he could not do that, Finley had a chalk line drawn if RF at what would be the wall in Yankee. Then he instructed his broadcasters to announce, every time a ball was hit over the chalk line, "Ladies and gentlemen , that would have been a home run in Yankee stadium". This story is not only funny, but shows just how ridiculous and disturbed Finley was.

I long maintained that when hitters took advantage of the shift teams would quit it. But watching Fielder last year and this year he has repeatedly went the other way, especially with men on base to drive in runs and yet teams continue to shift on him. What perplexes me most though is some teams shift against every LH hitter whether he is a power pull hitter or not.

No dobut some teams base their shifting on stats and spray charts for individual hitters. But I also think there are some teams who are routinely shifting even when the stats show it is not working.

I remember watching a game earlier in the year where one team shifted two at bats in a row on the same player who hit two groundballs the other way for singles. 3rd time up , no shift.

What I would really like to see is a follow up when those teams meet again. Will they remember that hitter was willing to take advantage of the shift and play straight or will they shift as a reflex? If you remember the team and player and remember to watch love to hear the report.

What I would really like to see is spray charts and stats for various hitters when shifted on and not shifted on.

Which hitters show the greatest difference indicating they are taking advantage of the shift?

Which hitters numbers are being reduced the most because they continue to hit in to heart of that shift?

I long maintained that when hitters took advantage of the shift teams would quit it. But watching Fielder last year and this year he has repeatedly went the other way, especially with men on base to drive in runs and yet teams continue to shift on him. What perplexes me most though is some teams shift against every LH hitter whether he is a power pull hitter or not.

No dobut some teams base their shifting on stats and spray charts for individual hitters. But I also think there are some teams who are routinely shifting even when the stats show it is not working.

I remember watching a game earlier in the year where one team shifted two at bats in a row on the same player who hit two groundballs the other way for singles. 3rd time up , no shift.

What I would really like to see is a follow up when those teams meet again. Will they remember that hitter was willing to take advantage of the shift and play straight or will they shift as a reflex? If you remember the team and player and remember to watch love to hear the report.

Not really on point but I use to play in a Beer League Slow Pitch League long time ago. I batted lefty and when I came up they shifted heavy to right field. I would pull the first pitch way foul of right field. The next pitch would be a punch down the left field line for a double. I was 5 foot 8 and a buck 30. Never understood why everyone thought a lefty only pulled the ball and for power?

I used to play a lot of slow-pitch as well and as a righty hitter would take frequent shots at the RF line depending on how the defense lined up. And while I got my share of doubles and triples that way, even in slow-pitch it's not as easy as it looks and a lot of guys couldn't go the other way very well ... thus the shift was usually a higher percentage defense.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to hit the other way against major league pitching, especially if it's not something you are used to doing. I think a lot of guys, especially the big power hitters, figure it isn't worth screwing up their swing by trying to hit the other way unless maybe the game is on the line. Just isn't that easy to do.

Best I ever saw handling the bat was Rod Carew. There have been other good ones, too, but he was one of my favorites to watch hit. When he was in a groove, he seemingly could hit a baseball anywhere he wanted - much like an accomplished slow-pitch hitter.