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By Jeff Todd | at
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sportsjunkie24
Can’t mlb do something about shifts because the game in my opinion has gotten boring because of shifts
mauzam
Absolutely, they call tell the hitters getting payed millions of dollars to learn to hit or bunt away from the shift.
marco1968
Its not that simple. Half the shift is the way the hitter is pitched – you cant hit an inside sinking fastball to the opposite field. Not saying it should be against the rules or anything, but its just not a simple matter of “going the other way” when the pitcher is doing everything he can to make the hitter pull a ground ball. Chris Davis beats the shift by hitting over top of into the stands, and by talking a lot of walks. If you are (for example) Chris Davis that’s a pretty sound strategy.
staypuft
Explain.
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Blame the batters and hitting coaches for not learning to be better hitters. Shifts are easily exploitable unless you’re a stubborn hitter. Bryce Harper is willing to bunt against the shift – if one of the best left handed hitters in the game is not too full of himself to bunt against the shift, nobody should be.
aff10
Agreed. As soon as hitters prove they can hit the ball the other way, the pull side will open back up for them. Not sure if it’s ego or just a lack of confidence (in their ability to hit the ball the opposite way) that causes hitters to continue to pull the ball, but I’d be fine with a team lining up all 7 fielders behind the pitchers mound if they wanted. Hitters just need to adjust
Deke
It’s not that they can’t learn its that their entire career has been built on them pulling the ball.
It’s muscle memory and when you see a pitch inside you’re supposed to pull it. I agree that hitters should learn to hit to all fields but it isn’t as easy to do especially when the ball is inside.
Deke
Btw. That wasn’t meant to minimize your comment. You’re totally right I’m just saying it’s hard to erase 10 or more years of pulling the ball. Including those away.
JFactor
and when it’s inside you shouldn’t try to go the other way. Pull it and pull it hard.
If the defense is set up and the pitcher hits his spot, then that’s just good defense and pitching.
Pitching inside to a left handed hitter is very dangerous. Most lefties have a lot of pull power and if you miss middle in, well it’s probably going to be crushed, and if you miss too far in you are likely to hit the guy or lose the whole at bat in terms of setting a guy up.
I am strongly opposed to any rule that changes where the 7 defensive fielders can set up
If you are creative about where they should stand and it helps you, that’s simply management. It would be like creating a rule that all pitchers have to bat 9th, because a team develops a well above league average hitting pitcher and they bat him 5th
JFactor
You don’t change rules because teams are smart.
The art of hitting requires going with pitches. The art of pitching requires off setting a hitters timing, the art of defense requires the gathering of outs.
Be the best at your art
orangeblaze
If Gallardo really has tendinitis. Then it’s no wonder he has lost over 2mph on his fastball. I had a factory job when I was young. Where I was constantly twisting and tying thick plastic bags. I ended up with tendinitis in my wrist. With which I could barely lift anything let alone do my job well. I can totally see where a decrease in velocity would go with having tendinitis.
jdubs346
Degeneration injury, be worried, be veryyyyy worried