Explaining baseball’s next experiment to limit shifts: The ‘pie-slice rule’

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

https://theathletic.com/3417955/2022/07/12/baseball-infield-shift-rule-change/

[Taylor]

Paywalled. I'm guessing the SS and 2B will be forbidden from entering the "pie slice" before the ball is in play?

[floplag]

This is why the whole thing is going to be a clusterfuck... MLB has to over think it.
It doesnt need lines on the field, thats absurd.
Its simple, we all know where the default spots are, 3B or 1B cant go past where the default 2B spot is, 2B or SS cant go to other isde of the bag.  Everyone has to have a foot on the infiled dirt if an infileder. 
You dont want to eliminate shifts, it part of the game, you just want to limit the joke they have become.
If they are trying to bring back the up the middle hit then add in you cant be behind the bag but for gods sake dont draw some absurd lines on the field!

[Blarg]

MLB needs to outlaw hitters that can't use all fields. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

45 minutes ago, Taylor said:

Paywalled. I'm guessing the SS and 2B will be forbidden from entering the "pie slice" before the ball is in play?

The article said starting July 22 in the Florida State League, they will put the pie lines on the field at 2B. Players must stay out of the pie shape area and no more positioning themselves on the OF grass. the idea is to open play to allow more hits up the middle. The said the changes may reach the ML next year.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

6 minutes ago, Blarg said:

MLB needs to outlaw hitters that can't use all fields. 

I hate the shift, it punishes LH hitters more the RH because you can't leave 1B unguarded when shifting against RH batters but the 3B can and does abandon 3B for LH batters

[Blarg]

The only reason the shift works is players suck at hitting. The quality of MLB players has nose dived over the years by teaching young hitters launch angle and pull hitting instead of bat control. 

[Taylor]

34 minutes ago, floplag said:

This is why the whole thing is going to be a clusterfuck... MLB has to over think it.
It doesnt need lines on the field, thats absurd.
Its simple, we all know where the default spots are, 3B or 1B cant go past where the default 2B spot is, 2B or SS cant go to other isde of the bag.  Everyone has to have a foot on the infiled dirt if an infileder. 
You dont want to eliminate shifts, it part of the game, you just want to limit the joke they have become.
If they are trying to bring back the up the middle hit then add in you cant be behind the bag but for gods sake dont draw some absurd lines on the field!

Always something to be outraged about. This is an experiment happening in a singular minor league. If it ends up being a cluster F, they won't bring it to the MLB.

[CaliAngel]

6 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

I hate the shift, it punishes LH hitters more the RH because you can't leave 1B unguarded when shifting against RH batters but the 3B can and does abandon 3B for LH batters

Then LH hitters need to hit the ball to the left side of the field. Ohtani and Rengifo did it last night and look how that worked out. 

It's stupid to remove shifts just because batters can't adjust. I'm a lefty and if I saw 3B completely vacant I'd keep bunting to 3B every at bat for an easy base hit until they stopped. 

We've seen how much the shift has screwed the Angels this year, if teams on defense decide they want to give up base hits on balls that would typically be easy outs, then let them. 

[well_red]

37 minutes ago, floplag said:

Its simple, we all know where the default spots are, 3B or 1B cant go past where the default 2B spot is, 2B or SS cant go to other isde of the bag.  Everyone has to have a foot on the infiled dirt if an infileder. 

From the article, they've tried forbidding 2B or SS from going past the 2nd base bag but it had no effect, because that's pretty close to where they'd line up in a shift anyway.  The pie slice keeps them out of the middle where they expect it to actually have an impact.  Also, yeah, they have to be on the dirt.

I don't like messing with the rules, but also don't like sharply hit balls up the middle becoming routine outs, or line drives to short right field from a lefty become routine outs.  Especially for lefties, they have little choice but to hit it in the air.  I like the article's analogy with the restricted zone in basketball, maybe that was controversial when it first came out but does anyone care anymore?

[Dtwncbad]

It’s not that hard.  The SS and 2B simply cannot cross that 2B bag until the ball is pitched.  The home plate umpire will be able to see it from his position.

If the defense breaches the rule, the play continues and the hitting team can either choose the outcome of the play or accept a ball in the count and replay.

(I am not saying I am for or against these kinds of rules, that’s a different debate.  Just saying IF they want to make a rule to limit the shift, this would be the easiest way to do it.)

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

31 minutes ago, CaliAngel said:

Then LH hitters need to hit the ball to the left side of the field. Ohtani and Rengifo did it last night and look how that worked out. 

It's stupid to remove shifts just because batters can't adjust. I'm a lefty and if I saw 3B completely vacant I'd keep bunting to 3B every at bat for an easy base hit until they stopped. 

We've seen how much the shift has screwed the Angels this year, if teams on defense decide they want to give up base hits on balls that would typically be easy outs, then let them. 

Or more likely they will ban the shift, it's hard enough to hit ML pitching let alone trying to direct the ball where you'd like it to go...

Edited July 15, 2022 by Ace-Of-Diamonds

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 hour ago, Taylor said:

Always something to be outraged about. This is an experiment happening in a singular minor league. If it ends up being a cluster F, they won't bring it to the MLB.

Lol, I can guarantee you that MLB is willing to bring clusterfucks to fruition 

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 hour ago, well_red said:

From the article, they've tried forbidding 2B or SS from going past the 2nd base bag but it had no effect, because that's pretty close to where they'd line up in a shift anyway.  The pie slice keeps them out of the middle where they expect it to actually have an impact.  Also, yeah, they have to be on the dirt.

I don't like messing with the rules, but also don't like sharply hit balls up the middle becoming routine outs, or line drives to short right field from a lefty become routine outs.  Especially for lefties, they have little choice but to hit it in the air.  I like the article's analogy with the restricted zone in basketball, maybe that was controversial when it first came out but does anyone care anymore?

What’s wrong with sharply hit balls up the middle being outs?

Sharply hit balls all over the field have been converted into outs regularly for over a hundred years. We simply became accustomed to certain types of batted balls regularly being hits and now they are not. The crazy thing is, other types of batted balls are now capable of being hits that didn’t used to be!

[AngelsLakersFan]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

It’s not that hard.  The SS and 2B simply cannot cross that 2B bag until the ball is pitched.  The home plate umpire will be able to see it from his position.

If the defense breaches the rule, the play continues and the hitting team can either choose the outcome of the play or accept a ball in the count and replay.

(I am not saying I am for or against these kinds of rules, that’s a different debate.  Just saying IF they want to make a rule to limit the shift, this would be the easiest way to do it.)

I look forward to the first ever fly out to center being called ball 4.

[CaliAngel]

1 hour ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Or more likely they will ban the shift, it's hard enough to hit ML pitching let alone trying to direct the ball where you'd like it to go...

That's what they get paid the big bucks for. 

They're professional ballplayers. They spend more than a full time job playing and practicing baseball. If they can't figure out how to direct the ball where they'd like it to go they don't belong up there. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 minute ago, CaliAngel said:

That's what they get paid the big bucks for. 

They're professional ballplayers. They spend more than a full time job playing and practicing baseball. If they can't figure out how to direct the ball where they'd like it to go they don't belong up there. 

They will still get paid once it's banned

[CaliAngel]

Just now, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

They will still get paid once it's banned

Which is why the game is the shape it's in. 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

1 minute ago, CaliAngel said:

Which is why the game is the shape it's in. 

personally l hate the shift and won't cry once it's a distant memory

[CaliAngel]

5 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

personally l hate the shift and won't cry once it's a distant memory

I hate it too but I hate the league over-regulating like this more.

And the players should be adjusting to the shift until teams stop doing it.

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

4 minutes ago, CaliAngel said:

I hate it too but I hate the league over-regulating like this more.

And the players should be adjusting to the shift until teams stop doing it.

Nah, they have years to adjust to it, but haven't. Just get rid of it. Bring back the game I grew up with, without shifts...

[CaliAngel]

3 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Nah, they have years to adjust to it, but haven't. Just get rid of it. Bring back the game I grew up with, without shifts...

They haven't but they should have. 

Starting rules to "make it fair to the batters" because they're too stubborn to adjust to something as dumb as a shift seems sacrilegious. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

13 minutes ago, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

Bring back the game I grew up with, without shifts...

I hate to break it to you but, it’s gone… 

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

2 minutes ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

I hate to break it to you but, it’s gone… 

The shift is going to go away. Mark my words...

[AngelsLakersFan]

Just now, Ace-Of-Diamonds said:

The shift is going to go away. Mark my words...

They are trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube