July 23, 201412 yr Just saw this on Pardon the Interruption and thought I'd read the whole article. As shifts suppress offense, time has come to consider a rule change - MLB - SI.com Thoughts?
July 23, 201412 yr Just saw this on Pardon the Interruption and thought I'd read the whole article. As shifts suppress offense, time has come to consider a rule change - MLB - SI.com Thoughts? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Good pitching suppresses offense. Should they just go to pitching machines that throws straight 90 MPH fastballs?
July 23, 201412 yr I think a few stubborn hitters could eliminate shifting by learning to bunt. Agreed! If someone is willing to give you 1st base, learn to do what you need to do and take the base.
July 23, 201412 yr Pitchers can only throw fastballs now. Other pitches try to get the hitter out. What? :confused:
July 23, 201412 yr I think a few stubborn hitters could eliminate shifting by learning to bunt. Unless your winning 2-0 with 2 outs in the 5th inning
July 23, 201412 yr The shift,to me,is just part of the overall defensive strategy,such as moving the outfield in or out or bringing the infield to double-play depth. I have no problem with it.
July 23, 201412 yr Yes and go ahead and eliminate the trap in basketball, 3-4 in football and 5 infielders in softball.
July 24, 201412 yr Yes and go ahead and eliminate the trap in basketball, 3-4 in football and 5 infielders in softball. To be fair the NBA and NFL have made plenty of rule changes to traditional rules to benefit the offense . If the they can do it why not the MLB .
July 24, 201412 yr Author Craziest Idea I've heard in a while, did either of the guys support the idea? No. Not really. Wilbon was pretty much like many of the posters above...just hit it the other way! Tony said his initial reaction was the same. But, then he went on to say a lot of the other sports have made changes to make their games more exciting/competitive. (Dunking being allowed in college...no zone D in NBA...and of course, the countless NFL changes that have freed up receivers). The one point that he had at the end was this...in all of the other sports where these rules have already been changed, it's still basically 1 on 1, offense to defense. But, in baseball, it's 9 to 1. So, in that regard, he could see the potential for having the rule changed.
July 24, 201412 yr Author Just to toss this into the mix... For those who say it falls on the batter to hit it the other way...why can't the onus be on the pitcher to throw the ball where the batter can't pull it? Seems to me that allowing the shift is helping out the pitcher just as much as outlawing it could help the batter. Why aren't the pitchers being told to "man up"?
July 24, 201412 yr Sure the shift makes it tougher to hit. And really, beating it is not as simple as saying, "just hit it the other way. Pitchers pitch hitters so they have to hit into the shift. Tough to hit a ball down and in, the other way. But I have no issue with it, it's part of the cat and mouse strategy that baseball employs. I think the biggest thing affecting hitting, is the number of strikeouts. Big swings, poor knowledge of the strike zone, and there are a lot less balls put in play. Some of that goes back to much deeper pitching staff's, many more hard throwers, and quality relief pitchers. But still, there are just too many strikeouts.
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