Posted on 02/19/2015 5:20:46 PM PST by Kaslin
Baseball, being the noblest sport, has many lessons to teach: the value of daily persistence, the inevitability of failure and the likelihood that luck will not override ineptitude (Looking at you, Cubs.). But, as a creation of humans, it is also prey to human imperfections, like the urge to suppress useful changes to spare those who resist adaptation.
Part of the game's appeal lies in what George Will calls its "soothing continuities." Discontinuity can be jarring. It wasn't long ago that the Cubs had to fight to install lights in an ancient stadium that had hosted only day games.
But ingenuity is not something to outlaw. So fans and anyone who admires the creative spirit should be alarmed that the new commissioner of Major League Baseball is open to penalizing the clever and protecting the obstinate.
The target Rob Manfred has in his sights is an increasingly popular defensive alignment that puts three infielders on the first-base side of the diamond to rob hits from batters insatiably prone to hitting in that direction.
The bane of left-handed "pull" hitters, it is alleged to be draining offense from the game like a vampire sucking blood. The poor lunks would prefer to be presented with spacious expanses of unoccupied grass that they may barrage without fear.
But it's not the task of the defense to get these hitters on base. It's the job of the hitters. If they fail, it's their fault.
Manfred pronounces himself eager to consider ways of "injecting additional offense into the game," including a ban on the shift. If inflating scores is the goal, why not give hitters four strikes or shorten the distance between bases? For that matter, why did baseball ban steroids?
The tactic is no recent invention. Back when Ted Williams was terrorizing pitchers, teams regularly employed it when he came to the plate. The tactic frustrated him, but the Red Sox slugger learned to go the other way often enough that opponents eventually stopped shifting.
For decades afterward, the shift was rare. In recent years, though, it's become a standard defense against left-handed pull hitters. It was used 13,296 times last season, five times more than in 2010.
But the impact on offense is tiny. The Wall Street Journal calculated last September that as of that date, without it, the overall major league batting average for the season would have been .254 instead of .252.
Outlawing the shift would not be a mere tweak of the rules. It would alter a basic rule of the game, which is: Batters can hit the ball wherever they want, and fielders can position themselves wherever they think it will land.
That's a venerable prerogative, and fielders make use of it on every at-bat -- shading left or right according to the predilections of the batter or the pitcher, moving up or back to cut off runs or prevent extra-base hits in crucial situations. To restrict these movements is to say the defense may not do the smart thing.
There is no doubt the shift makes life harder for hitters. But that's no reason to interfere. For every baseball action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Batters have some obvious remedies. One is to bunt to the third-base side, which can succeed with great ease when the shift is in operation. Last year, reports the website Inside Edge, there were 50 bunt attempts against the shift -- and 27 went for hits, a stunning .540 average. Bunting is a skill so simple that even feeble-hitting pitchers are expected to master it.
Hitters can also do what the legendary Willie Keeler (career average: .341) advised: "Hit 'em where they ain't." Left-handed sluggers like Adam Dunn (of the White Sox and Athletics, among others) and Matt Adams (of the Cardinals) -- who are large, slow afoot and very strong -- learned to use the other side of the field, forcing the defense to move back.
Dunn, who retired after last season, said he held to his "stupid, stubborn ways" until he tired of making outs and realized that with a runner on second, "there's a huge hole almost at shortstop" and "if you hit the ball over there, it's a run."
His example shows the way for other hitters to make the shift scarce by rendering it useless. If they are being outsmarted, the solution is for them to wise up, not the game to dumb down.
Tightening up the strike zone would help a lot more than that. But oh, yes, tomorrow for my team, the four sweetest words: “Pitchers and catchers report.” Hooyah!
Gee, now that the stat guys have warmed up with the Patriots’ anomalies, I’m waiting for the proof that Babe Ruth must have been cheating and that the Cubs couldn’t be so bad for so long without the league having it in for them.
Even though it's going down to -6 tonight, Spring Training is always my first Robin of the Spring. I can't wait for the season to start... Go Bucs!
As to the 'shift' let the batter deal with it. I can't believe they want to mess with it. If the batter is smart, he bunts to third or opens his stance and gets a double (or more) down the line.
If you can tell the defense where they have to play, can you tell the batter where he has to hit the ball?
I agree with you. They don’t try it twice on a batter who shows he has enough bat control to pooch it out of the infield. Play BALL!
Ditto that Bill. I'm ready for baseball!
Manfred said he would consider it as an example of being open to changing stuff. It would be ridiculous to actually do it that way but MLB is desperate to do something that will appeal to the lowest common denominator fan. To do that, they need more runs. That’s what NBA and NFL did in recent years. But due to the nature of baseball more scoring will also make the games longer and slower, something the are also trying to fix as it also doesn’t appeal to the lowest common denominator fan. Games are longer than they have ever been, and pretty much every fan doesn’t dig that. It’s hard to get with baseball, more action over a shorter period of time.
As far as defensive shifts, the problem isn’t shifting, BABIP (batting average on balls in play) has supposedly remained the same. What is killing it are the hitter’s approaches, especially with two strikes. The strike outs are WAAAAAAAAY up. Also the average pitch velocity is way up and bullpens are used more and just generally better than they have ever been.
My solution: Actually enforce rule 8.04
“When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.
The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire.”
Then have some time of similar rule for the batter in the batters box.
But that would probably depress runs even more, even if it would vastly shorten games. I’d love it if they actually called the strike zone the way it is described, but then we would see a lot of 1-0 13 inning games in 2 hours for for sure.
I bet they adjust the strike zone.
What are other Freepers suggestions?
Freegards
Baseball news, A-roid is very very sowwry.
No rules changes needed. Teams will adjust their schemes on both offense and defense as needed.
This reminds me of the Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver, “Bullet” Bob Hayes. He won the Olympic gold medal in the 100 and was frequently called the fastest man in the world.
Back in the 1960s, the defensive backs played receivers one-on-one. QB Don Meredith would call a play to just send Hayes on a speed route and Hayes would outrun the defense by many yards to catch TD passes.
Teams in the NFL altered their defenses to combat the speed by going to the ‘zone’ defense and abandoning the single coverage when facing a dangerous receiver.
Yes...poor baby, he just wants a hug.
52 years ago today Willie Mays signed a then record $100k/year contract. ARoid will make $135k per game this season.
What drives me crazy are the batters who step out of the box after each pitch and adjust their batting gloves.
That adds a lot of time to the game. Umps don’t have to call time and allow that, but they generally do. ...Instead, if a batter has done it twice and tries a third time, the ump should just call a strike.
Similarly, the catcher calling for time and going to the mound to talk to the pitcher should be only allowed once per inning. If trying a second time, the ump should call a ball.
I think they are at least going to make the batter keep one foot in the box between pitches. I completely agree on the batting glove adjustments. The problem with speeding the batter up though is that is definitely going to favour the pitcher, until the adjustment is made. It is only going to depress runs even more, at least in the short term.
Pitching changes are a huge time sink. I think they are going to eventually speed up the pitchers coming in. There are some who propose limiting pitching changes. But then what do you do about injury? I don’t think I like that one.
Freegards
MLB just released what they have on the slate for increased pace of play and shortening games for the 2015 season:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2371382-mlb-announces-rule-changes-to-increase-pace-of-play
FReegards
The shift goes back to the 1920s at least, when it was frequently used on St. Louis Browns OF Ken Williams.
"Except for the pitcher and catcher, any fielder may station himself anywhere in fair territory."
Next they’ll outlaw pulling the infield in to combat the bunt. If anyone remembers how to bunt, that is.
Try calling the rule book strike zone, instead of getting creative about it.
Striking out used to carry a stigma, although Mickey Mantle,who played 18 seasons, once said he spent 7 years striking out. The leaders in striking out are sluggers such as Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, and Mantle.
But it happens a lot more these days, and we need to restore the stigma. At least hit the ball and make a productive out.
As Yogi says, “If you see it, hit it. If you don’t see it, don’t hit it.”
“When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.
I agree. When the pitcher holds the ball too long, call a ball (or if there are men on base, a balk.)
I don't know if this will change the numbers offensively, but it will help speed up games.
But then, a study was done a few years ago of "action" in baseball and football. "Action" was defined as when the ball is in motion. According to the study, in three hours of baseball, there is more action than in three hours of football.
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