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Manfred, long a detractor of the increasingly
popular defensive shifts, has "strong" support from MLB's
competition committee to put some form of limit on the
maneuvers, The Athletic's Jayson Stark reported Wednesday.
Shifts reportedly increased by 30 percent last season, and the
majors' overall batting average of .248 marked the lowest level
in 46 years. Batters also produced a .318 on-base percentage and
a .409 slugging percentage. In 2017, the figures were
.255/.324/.426.
Any change to the playing rules would need to be approved by the
Major League Baseball Players Association, which currently holds
no position on the issue, executive director Tony Clark said,
according to ESPN.
An unnamed front office executive told Stark regarding a rule to
limit shifts, "I think it's a layup to get approved by the
players."
While shifts are far more common today, with analytics showing
teams where they should place fielders to best defend against
each hitter, the tactic goes back at least to the 1920s. Such
notable batters as Ted Williams and Barry Bonds also were
subjected to defensive shifts long before the current trend.
--Field Level Media
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