MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred could eliminate defensive shifts

On his first day in office as MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred said he would consider eliminating the defensive shift from baseball as part of a broader set of , according to an ESPN interview.

On his first day in office as Major League Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred said he would consider eliminating the defensive shift from baseball as part of a broader set of offensive-minded reforms, according to an ESPN interview. 

"Things like eliminating shifts, I would be open to those sorts of ideas," Manfred told ESPN's Karl Ravech.  

"We have really smart people working in the game. And they're going to figure out ways to get a competitive advantage. I think it's incumbent upon us in the commissioner's office to look at the advantages that are produced and say, 'Is this what we want to happen here?'" 

Manfred mentioned his top five priorities as incoming commissioner would include youth outreach, embracing technology and advancing the pace-of-play.

• CORCORAN: Why pitch clocks would be ugly and unnecessary step for MLB

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Watch a portion of Manfred's interview below. 

- Will Green