Brian McCann and Going Against the Shift

Second time today Brian McCann has gone the other way. Two base hits, each one a single to left field.

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) March 7, 2016

The shift is here to stay in Major League Baseball. Too many teams have found out how effective it is and the league is not going to ban it, how could they anyway? Some hitters have adopted this and started to try and beat the shift while others have simply seen their batting averages dip 60-70 points in lieu of extra power. The latter is referring to the Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira but the former may finally be referring to the Yankees catcher Brian McCann.

At times we raged at the fact that Teixeira absolutely refused to beat the shift and would rather hit for doubles and home runs instead (Too Many Damn Home Runs!) while McCann at least tried to beat the shift. If was visible in some at bats for McCann and he even attempted a bunt or two in order to beat the shift but he never truly looked comfortable doing it. Now I haven’t seen much spring training baseball this season as most of the games are played while I am at work but I have noticed a trend thus far with McCann, he’s trying to beat the shift again.

It seems like every at bat I’ve seen either live or via Sportscenter, MLB Network etc. has showcased McCann trying to go the other way. The power will be there for McCann when he needs it and he’s no longer trying to knock it over the short porch for the Yankees, it looks like he is making a legitimate choice to go the other way and turn what used to be a ground out into a single or a double. Even Chad Jennings of LoHud has mentioned it on Twitter as McCann went the other way in a Grapefruit League game not once but twice for singles so it’s not just me pulling something out of thin air.

If McCann can go the other way and not only have his 25 home runs and 90+ RBI power but if he can add even a .265 average to go with it we may be talking MVP considerations for the Yankees catcher. He won’t win the award with those stats but the Yankees could potentially win a whole lot more games as they get away from too many damn home runs and get back to seeing the ball, and hitting the ball… the other way.

Hit it where they ain’t McCann!

Shifting in Baseball Still Prevalent in 2015

Major League Baseball has seen teams shift more and more over the past few seasons and the 2015 season was no exception to that. When all the shifts were tallied and all the games were played MLB teams combined for a whopping 17,733 defensive shifts on balls in play this season. That whopping number is a 33% increase from the 2014 total of 13.298.

In 2011 Major League Baseball saw just 2,357 shifts while the numbers jumped to 4,577 in 2012 and 8,180 in 2013. The stats don’t lie on the effectiveness of shifts. Sure they giveth and they taketh away from game to game and situation to situation but over the course of a 162 game schedule the shift giveth much more than it could ever think of taking away.

Colorado has the biggest increase in shifting this season as they finally adopted the strategy shifting 897 more times in 2015, up from just 114 times in 2014. Tampa Bay, the team that likely began the shifting strategy we see in the game today, led Major League Baseball in shifting this season with 1,462 shifts, a rise of 638 shifts from 2014, while the Houston Astros were second with 1,416.

The Atlanta Braves (211) and the Washington Nationals (216) have still yet to adopt the shifting strategy yet and were the two teams with the fewest shifts in 2015. The New York Yankees are known for their shifting and continued to showcase it often in 2015 taking some of the pressure off their starting pitchers and when the Yankees are doing it you know it’s time to change. They still won’t allow beards for crying out loud!

Shift is Still Prevalent in MLB

The defensive shift in Major League Baseball is here, it’s been here and it’s here to stay apparently as the shift has been just as prevalent in 2015 as it has the last three or four seasons. Across the league through roughly 35 games teams have shifted on 3,395 balls in play this season which factors out to 17,666 times over a 162-game MLB season.

The Colorado Rockies have joined the shift campaign shifting 141 times already this season which puts the team on pace for 816 shifts in 2015. For a team that has had four consecutive losing seasons and a 10 game losing streak this season the team seems desperate to do anything they can to get an extra out here or there to help the team win. Colorado is currently on pace to shift seven times more than the entire team total in 2014 and is by far the highest percentage increase from 2014 to 2015 this season. The Diamondbacks are also joining the shift parade and are on pace for 659 shifts this season which is a 2.6 times larger number then it was in 2014.

The Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Red and San Diego Padres seem to be joining the new trend as well and are on pace for 532, 502 and 491 shifts this season respectively. The highest shifted against players in the league this season have been Lucas Duda (106 times), David Ortiz (100), Chris Davis (90), Adrian Gonzalez (89) and Ryan Howard at 81 times. The New York Yankees are considered to be the most vulnerable team to be shifted against according to many but none of their players appeared on this list surprisingly, not even Brian McCann or Mark Teixeira.

Shifts are here to stay ladies and gentleman and Rob Manfred is not going to ban them so teams and players are going to have to start either beating them or employing them more because they aren’t going anywhere. The sluggers are likely going to be shifted against until they retire but the players like Chase Headley and others need to either go the other way more or drop a bunt down occasionally to counteract the shift. It has to be done or we’re going to see more perennial .300 hitters falling into the sub-.250’s due to the overwhelming shifts across Major League Baseball,

Batters Still Refuse to Beat the Shift

"Bro, just hit home runs. It's simple."

Yesterday we discussed how I personally am growing up in an era that many people love to hate, the era of shifting in baseball and sabermetrics. We covered the fact that teams shifted just 2,357 times in 2011 and that numbers has steadily climbed up to 13,296 in 2014 and is expected to rise in 2015, so why do batters still refuse to beat the shift?

Mark Teixeira has already announced and unwillingness to beat the shift this season and instead will focus more on home runs and doubles. Teixeira is paid to hit in the middle of the order and hit home runs and doubles anyway so basically in a nutshell what he is saying is that we should expect another season long flirt session with the Mendoza Line from the Yankee first baseman. The numbers don’t lie Teixeira but when you decide to blame it on your wrist and lack of upper body strength please read this first.

David Ortiz’s batting average against the shift in 2014 was .201 while Ryan Howard hit .167 and Chris Davis hit .121 with three infielders on the right side of the infield. All three of these men look to hit home runs and doubles and all three of these men refuse to hit against the shift. The one thing that separates these current and former All Star’s is that their upper body strength was up to par and their wrists were healthy. Why do you think you will be more successful than them Mr. Teixeira?

Speaking of Yankees Brian McCann was the fifth most shifted against player in 2014 and saw his number of pulled ground ball singles drop down to just three last season. THREE. Drop a bunt, at least show a bunt but you have to do something to beat the shift. The shift is here to stay and the simple notion of walking more and hitting home runs, something you were already doing anyway when the issue arose, is not going to cut it.

Rob Manfred, you want more offense in the game? Tell your players to beat the shift. 

I Come from the Era Everyone Loves to Hate

For better or worse I am realizing more and more that I come from the era in baseball that everyone seemingly loves to hate. I grew up a Yankees fans after being born in the Bronx and after moving just outside the city in 1985 and really got into baseball around the 1994 season. I didn’t grow up watching the terrible Yankees teams of the 80’s, all I knew was the dynasty years and the World Series victories and Derek Jeter. Many call me spoiled, and I was, but now it’s a whole new generation and fan base that is being attacked, the sabermetrics community.

I grew up in the era where a teenage kid could sit in front of a computer and scout every pitch every player ever threw in every game ever. The same can be said for every bat that ever made contact with every pitch, fair or foul, and somehow quantify it into meaning something. I am a fan of sabermetrics, I believe the defensive shift does more good than it does harm, I’m all about pitch framing and I truly believe a strikeout is no worse than a ground or fly ball. I watched and read Moneyball, I idolized Billy Beane there for a minute and I thoroughly enjoyed Joe Girardi’s binder when he actually used it and the more you look around the internet, twitter etc. the more you will see that I am more so in the minority than I thought.

How can you argue it though? Batting average across the league is at its lowest level since 1971 since the shift has been employed and coaches are having to find new and inventive ways to teach their players. Shifts are changing the game, for better or worse, and not just regular season games either. Remember the 2014 World Series Game 7 when Juan Perez was almost huddling the left field line against Nori Aoki? Off the bat it looked like Aoki had a game tying fifth inning double that could have drastically changed the outcome of the game but instead Madison Bumgarner continued to shut down the Royals when the ball was played perfectly and caught and the rest became history.

In 2011 teams shifted 2,357 times which doubled to 4,577 in 2012, increased to 8,180 in 2013 and ended with 13,296 in 2014. The first defensive shift can be linked back to the June 25, 1870 game between the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Cincinnati Red Stockings and has caught fire more and more ever since and the fans that agree with the notion have had to defend themselves and their thinking more and more ever since as well. I am growing up in unprecedented times and swimming in unchartered waters and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Mark Teixeira Still Doesn't Get It

Mark Teixeira said he won’t give in and become a slap hitter to beat the shift. His plan for success — more doubles, homers & walks.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 25, 2015

Mark Teixeira still doesn't get it, does he? Mark Teixeira was quoted as saying that he still basically refuses to go the other way and beat the shift which could mean another long season for the Yankees first baseman. How many times does he have to hit under .250 for him to realize that what he is doing is absolutely not working?

Teixeira has started a new no-gluten diet and bulked up adding 13 pounds of muscle while trimming 5% of body fat. Teix does say he feels stronger this season and feels confident but honestly that makes one of us. Prove me wrong Teix.

Teixeira/McCann’s Reaction to Rob Manfred & the Shift

I think the gif above explains the direction that this quick hit of a post is going. Rob Manfred, the new and official Commissioner of Major League Baseball, announced among other things that he is at least considering eliminating defensive shifting in the game. His reasoning behind this is to increase offense in the game, and honestly I think that would help even if it was marginally, and the news would especially help a couple member of the Yankees if this came to fruition.

Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann easily, just going off an eye test estimate, lost 20 or more hits (probably more in McCann’s case) to the shift last year after showing an unwillingness to go the other way or at least fake a bunt the other way. The Yankees offense needs all the help they can get and all the bounce back that they can get and if Manfred eliminates the shift I think we see a totally different middle of the Yankees lineup in 2015.