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!

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.

Yankees Won't Shift Behind Kuroda Anymore

The New York Yankees have the second most shifts in all of baseball this season behind the Houston Astros but will no longer shift behind pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda was apparently not comfortable with the shift behind him. This is not unprecedented, the Tampa Bay Rays kind of started the massive shifting that we see today and they don't shift behind David Price for the same reason.

Maybe this is to blame for a lot of Kuroda's struggles this season? Apparently, not that I noticed, the Yankees did not do it in his last start and he pitched the game of his short season. Maybe we're onto something here and that ship has been righted.