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Why MLB teams are shifting on defense more than ever

So if you crave more action, don't place too much of the blame on the proliferation of the shifts. Sure, they are designed to take away hits, but the modern

Tom Verducci

Why MLB teams are shifting on defense more than ever
Why MLB teams are shifting on defense more than ever /
Few MLB teams use defensive shifts as often as Houston, which has benefited from its implementation.
Few MLB teams use defensive shifts as often as Houston, which has benefited from its implementation :: Elaine Thompson/AP
Left-handed pull hitters like David Ortiz are losing hits to defensive shifts on the right side of the infield.
Left-handed pull hitters like David Ortiz are losing hits to defensive shifts on the right side of the infield :: Winslow Townson/AP

So if you crave more action, don't place too much of the blame on the proliferation of the shifts. Sure, they are designed to take away hits, but the modern run-starved environment is less about what happens when the ball is put into play and more about how often it is not.

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Tom Verducci
TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.

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