Daily News | Defensive shifts ‘took a toll’ on Ryan Howard’s career, and he’ll be happy to see them go
Only David Ortiz faced more shifts than Ryan Howard, according to FanGraphs, which started tracking shift data in 2010.There were times, Ryan Howard said, that he tried to beat a defensive shift by simply driving the ball the other way.
Only David Ortiz faced more shifts than Howard, according to FanGraphs, which started tracking shift data in 2010. Between 2010 and 2016, 88% of the balls Howard batted into play came against a defensive shift. The shift — along with injuries — attributed to a dip in Howard’s offensive production over the second half of his career.
Defensive shifts were utilized last season at a record rate and batters’ success against them — .292 batting average on balls in play per FanGraphs — was 5% lower than 2019, the last previous full season. MLB, desperate to inject more action into games, is likely to either ban the shift or limit them starting in 2023.
“It’s going to be interesting now because I think it’s definitely going to change the numbers. They’re trying to get more excitement back into the game and more balls and play and more motion and everything. More hit and runs, more action. It will be interesting to see how the numbers change.”
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