"The Shift," as employed by the Pittsburgh Pirates seems to be drastic, hitter by hitter, and shifting defenses in baseball is the latest fad.
Little by little, the Cincinnati Reds and manager Bryan Price are employing their version, although not yet as drastic as that designed by some of the other teams.
"We have a lot more intel on our opponents these days," said Price. "When we play the Pirates, the Cardinals, the Brewers and the Cubs, the teams in our division, we have a lot more information and data.
"We're just trying to do the best we can to be in the right positions to plug the gaps where guys hit the ball the most," he said. "It just seems to be a part of the game that most teams are not making an effort to clog the obvious holes exploited by most hitters."
With the extensive range of Cincinnati's infielders — shortstop Zack Cozart, second baseman Brandon Phillips and third baseman Todd Frazier — is a drastic shift needed.
"We want our players to start at the center point of where we think a batter might hit it and then move laterally side-to-side," Price said.
There is a movement in some quarters to ban "The Shift." While Price sees the reasoning he doesn't believe legislation is the way to go. The way to beat it is to hit the ball the other way or to lay down bunts.
"If the offense continues to play down the way it has, some things will be discussed because fans like runs and they like home runs," he said. "As baseball does, it has made an effort to circumnavigate the way a lot of runs were being scored.
"I get it. I get why people are frustrated. I get tired of seeing Jay Bruce smoke a ball to the right side and see some guy in short right field make a great play and throw him out. Yeah, I don't like that anymore than any other Reds fan."
Price believes the adjustments will be to see guys hit the ball to all fields, beat the shift with the bunts, play more small ball.
"That would make the defense come back and counter punch," said Price. "I think that's how the games works better than changing the rules. It will be a grass roots beginning and you are going to see more adjustments. The system will evolve."
Price cited an incident last week in which Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo came up late in the game with the Cubs down a few runs. The shift was on and Rizzo dumped a bunt for a hit down the third-base line.
"They were down a lot of runs and they needed baserunners, didn't need a solo home run," said Price. "He bunted for a hit and that, to me, is the first sign that teams are saying, 'We are no longer going to ground out into the shift.'"
The biggest shift against the Reds always comes against Bruce. Teams stick a defender into short right field and leave one defender on the left side, shifted toward second.
"The guy in right field isn't the guy that frustrates me the most," said Bruce. "It is when I smoke a ball right up the middle over second base and there is a guy standing right on second base waiting for it."
Bruce, though, isn't calling for legislation against "The Shift."
"You can't outlaw defense," he said. "It is the intelligence and the data they have available. It is tough because people don't want to see you hit groundballs to the shortstop, either. If you do that all year, completely play against 'The Shift,' and say I hit .285 with 17 home runs, then what. People scream, 'Oh, not enough power.' You are damned if you do and damned if you don't.'"
Just ask Joey Votto about fans criticizing his approach.
"My approach is to hit the ball in the gaps, from left center to right center," said Bruce. "So if I'm doing things the right way I will hit balls in the gap and the shift isn't going to matter."
Bruce knows "The Shfit" is affecting his batting average and he has talked to great hitters all around baseball and they tell him, "Take what they give you, but don't completely change your game. That's how slumps are incubated."
