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Bernie Miklasz believes the Cards should deploy the shift more often and asks Bill DeWitt, Jr. to address this. The only person quoted is Mo, who says they provide the data, but don’t force it to be used. The article takes exception to Mike Matheny letting the pitchers decide whether to shift or not. It dances around the apparent fact that Jose Oquendo is the one setting the infield defense.
I am not sure why when the Cards have allowed the third-fewest runs in MLB that this is an issue on the table, anyway. What do others think?
https://theathletic.com/350363/2018/05/10/miklasz-why-dont-the-cardinals-make-their-pitchers-shift-their-way-of-thinking/ (The Athletic article)
I think replacing Carpenter with Gyorko and Fowler with Bader will have a more positive impact on run prevention
So this doesn’t pertain to the Cardinals per say but how do you not bunt against this?
Joey Gallo grounded out to the Houston Astros Right Side Monster. pic.twitter.com/x8u3heRUtj
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 12, 2018
Don’t give me the B.S. that hitting for power is more important than a single. This is a clear case of should be bunting.
As these shifts become more common, hitters will learn to adopt the inside-out swing, and get their hands out first. If I see a shift like that, I take the first pitch I get that is on the outer half of the plate to the opposite field.
But to the point on the Cardinals, as 2016 says, using your best lineup will have a greater impact than employing radical shifts.
Jayson Stark was on MLB Network yesterday or Thursday and was talking about shifting. He said teams don’t preach hitting to the opposite field. They preach hitting to your strength and most exit velocity, and most players that is going to be pulling the ball. He also said teams are countering shifts by telling players to hit it “over the shift”, leading to a fascination of “launch angle” which has lead to more pitchers throwing up in the zone to counter the new swings and leading to all the K’s and less action in the game. His suggestion was baseball needs to say defensively a team must have 2 players on the IF on the left and right side of second base and eliminate the over shift. His belief is this would get players back to hitting more line drives and putting more balls in play, less K’s, and more action.
Baseball is a game of adjustments. I do not like the shift, especially to extremes, but if hitters don’t adjust why change their defensive shift.
If hitters are too stupid to use the entire left side of the field to get a hit (and most likely a double considering how far players would need to run to get the ball) then its their own stupid fault.
I really, really dislike the shift. But what I dislike more, is hitters approach to a defense that is very beatable. Bunting is the best way. But just keep the hands ahead of the bat and roll the ball to the opposite field. Doing that will make the defense adjust. No one wants to be a team player any more.
BlackHillsCard
If hitters are too stupid to use the entire left side of the field to get a hit (and most likely a double considering how far players would need to run to get the ball) then its their own stupid fault.
Completely agree.
hitting the ball to the opposite field has always been an art form IMO. It’s becoming more and more of a lost art.
Bunting on the other hand is a lost fundamental. IT’s just not being taught anymore. I don’t think half the league could put down a bunt to save their collective asses. It’s sad!
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