- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Why do MLB hitters refuse to beat the shift?
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:39 pm
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:39 pm
How hard is it to slap the ball the other way for a single? Why do hitters refuse to do it?
Instead of creating rules to ban the shift maybe PROFESSIONAL hitters should hit the ball the other way.
I just watched Carpenter, with 1 on and 0 out in the 10th inning, try and pull a ball into RF with 5 guys on that side of the field.
I don't fricking get it. Hit the ball the other way a-hole and get a guy in scoring position.
Instead of creating rules to ban the shift maybe PROFESSIONAL hitters should hit the ball the other way.
I just watched Carpenter, with 1 on and 0 out in the 10th inning, try and pull a ball into RF with 5 guys on that side of the field.
I don't fricking get it. Hit the ball the other way a-hole and get a guy in scoring position.
23
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:40 pm to TigerCruise
Simple
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:41 pm to Rockbrc
Mah sabermetrics tell me to hit the ball far fer homers. 
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:41 pm to TigerCruise
Didn't a player do this recently?
They shifted on him 3 times and all three times he just bunted or hit directly to left field.
Wound up getting a double on one of them because the pitcher was the only one there to chase down the ball into left field.
They shifted on him 3 times and all three times he just bunted or hit directly to left field.
Wound up getting a double on one of them because the pitcher was the only one there to chase down the ball into left field.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:43 pm to AlonsoWDC
quote:
sabermetrics
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:43 pm to dcrews
Pretty sure that was carpenter
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:44 pm to TigerCruise
With the shift a bunt is as win.
They’re usually trying to get power hitters to not hit for power.
“Hit the other way”
Yeah it’s pretty fricking hard to hit the other way when they pitch into the shift and getting a hit in the first place is pretty difficult.
They’re usually trying to get power hitters to not hit for power.
“Hit the other way”
Yeah it’s pretty fricking hard to hit the other way when they pitch into the shift and getting a hit in the first place is pretty difficult.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:47 pm to TigerCruise
quote:
How hard is it to slap the ball the other way for a single? Why do hitters refuse to do it?
It’s harder than you think.
If it was easy, they wouldn’t refuse to do it.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:48 pm to SammyTiger
Getting a hit when the entire left side of the infield is open shouldn't be impossible for a professional hitter.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:48 pm to D011ahbi11
I don't buy this excuse. Players at all levels can make contact to the opposite side of the field.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:49 pm to TigerCruise
This is the third or fourth time this thread has come up in the last few days. A simple answer is that it’s not exactly easy to just bunt a 93-95 mph fastball with movement that’s in on your hands the other way. Shifts are almost always implemented to the pull side. Why does everyone just assume that the pitcher will then proceed to pitch him as if the shift isnt there and allow him to push a ball the other way? He’s gonna throw inside and make the hitter pull the ball into the shift. Also, many dont want to frick up their mental process and mechanics at the plate on any given at bat. Bunting is easy, especilly in high school level ball like we’ve all played, but all of you keyboard heroes that think its so damn easy to push a bunt to a specific location of the field when a major league pitcher is throwing gas and offspeed stuff with so much movement that you can barely get the barrel on the ball, plus he’s constantly pitching you into the shift, are showing your ignorance. This is not that hard to figure out. If it were that easy to beat the shift by bunting, then players would beat the shift by bunting.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:51 pm to TigerCruise
you internet experts never cease to amaze 
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:51 pm to dnm3305
Who says you have to bunt? All you need is weak shite contact to the opposite field. There's plenty of MLB players that hit to all fields.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:51 pm to TigerCruise
quote:
Getting a hit when the entire left side of the infield is open shouldn't be impossible for a professional hitter.
It depends on what they’re getting pitched, honestly.
There’s a reason coaches look at statistical tendencies with players. Because it isn’t that easy.
This post was edited on 6/20/19 at 10:52 pm
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:53 pm to BluegrassBelle
Then maybe the era of the straight pull hitter is dead. Unless you're cranking out 40 HRs you're going to bat .225 against the shift.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 10:56 pm to TigerCruise
I imagine it’s way harder than the average internet poster thinks it is.
This post was edited on 6/20/19 at 10:58 pm
Posted on 6/20/19 at 11:03 pm to TigerCruise
The Phillies minor league hitting coordinator says this
LINK
Do you think you know better than he does?
LINK
quote:
To anyone that says “just hit a grounder the other way!” in response to infield shifts, I invite you to come hit of our machine at 94 mph and show me how easy it is to place balls wherever you want
LINK
Do you think you know better than he does?
LINK
This post was edited on 6/20/19 at 11:04 pm
Posted on 6/20/19 at 11:07 pm to D011ahbi11
What’s funny is apparently hitters are adjusting:
The hitters are gonna be alright (FiveThirtyEight)
quote:
But in all the hand-wringing over the shift, one detail has been overlooked: Batters have adjusted, and they’ve done it without league intervention or legislation. What’s more, there’s reason to believe shifts are actually encouraging increasingly efficient offensive behavior.
quote:
In addition to MLB-wide trends, I looked at the behavior of the regularly shifted-upon batters in 2018 to see how their approaches changed. 3 This group combined for a 42.5 percent ground-ball rate when facing shifts and a 44.1 percent rate when not facing shifts.
quote:
Not all hitters try to adapt — Bryce Harper, for example, has a career 1.4 ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio both when facing a shift and when not facing a shift. But those who do, Joey Votto, tend to go high. Votto’s career ratio when not facing a shift is 1.57 ground balls to fly balls, but that drops to 1.44 against the shift. “I’ve tried to avoid the right side of the infield shift,” Votto said in 2017. “I’m not excited about hitting balls to that side because I could hammer a one-hopper to the second baseman or shortstop, or whoever they have stationed over there. … Personally, I embrace the fly-ball thing just because of that reason.”
The hitters are gonna be alright (FiveThirtyEight)
Posted on 6/20/19 at 11:08 pm to TigerCruise
Maybe your shitty Cardinals should learn to not get picked off of second base to end the game.
Posted on 6/20/19 at 11:15 pm to FulshearTiger
They could bunt it that way, but it would be against baseballs unwritten rules. Their scared to get the next at bat thrown at their head.
Page 1 of 5
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News