Rob Manfred proposes the elimination of Defensive Shifts

Newly installed Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has recently discussed the possibility of eliminating defensive shifts.

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The shift has been around a long time. Many managers used the defensive shift since the days of Ted Williams stepping up to bat, as discussed in Facing Ted Williams: Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived edited by Dave Heller.

Manfred was interviewed by Baseball Tonight‘s Karl Ravech about changes he would make to the game. The shift will giveth and the shift will taketh away.

“Things like eliminating shifts, I would be open to those sorts of ideas,” Manfred told ESPN’s Karl Ravech in the Sunday Morning Conversation.

It’s an intriguing idea. I don’t know how many times this season that I’ve seen Matt Adams lose a hit because of three infielders between first and second base. It’s usually involving a left-handed power hitter such as Adams or David Ortiz.

Interestingly enough, there are some sabermetrically inclined general managers that find themselves agreeing with the new commissioner’s proposals on shifts.

This is very telling: I ran Rob Manfred's idea to limit defensive shifts by two sabermetrically inclined GMs -- and both said they agree.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 25, 2015

Both essentially said same thing: The game is better when the casual fans gets the product they want. Big concern baseball isn't delivering.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 25, 2015

To paraphrase: Who do casual fans want to see compete, Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout or Andrew Friedman and Jerry Dipoto?
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 25, 2015

National League fans can take solace in the fact that Manfred isn’t thinking of bringing the Designated Hitter as a way of injecting offense into the game. Manfred tells the New York Times:

"“I can’t see the American League clubs giving it up, and right now, given the composition of our National League owners, I don’t see them buying into it. So I think we’re staying where we are.”"

We’ll still have nine players in the field and nine players in the lineup. Baseball needs to change, yes, but it won’t change that much.

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