6/16/23

OPEN THREAD -THE SHIFT - HELPING OR HURTING?



Baseball Is Unpredictable


Players greatly change, so the hitting variables change.

But last year, with the dreaded shift, the Mets hit .259/.332/.412.

No shift this year:

Hitting .240/.319/.394.

A lot worse.

Is the shift hurting? 

Or is it just that the Mets hitters are much lousier?

This year, top 5 offensive teams are scoring 5.54 runs per game.

Last year, the top 5 averaged 4.88 runs per game.

Big difference there.



10 comments:

Mack Ade said...

I hadn't considered this proponent.

Good observation

Tom Brennan said...

Whoever watches the games start-to-finish should weigh in. They’d be the best to answer knowledgeably.

Mack Ade said...

True but most.of who partipate here do so before noon

royhobbs7 said...

I'll tell you what's hurting: It's not the shift; it's Francisco Lindor. What an EFFin LOSER!!! He has yet to make good on the bet he made with McNeil. Lindor was supposed to buy J-Mac a car if he won the batting title (which he did). I guess Lindor has considerable financial constraints!!!

HE's JUST AN ASSHOLE!!!!

By the way, has anyone seen any raccoons in the Mets dugout of late? Lindor belongs in Cleveland. He's clearly out of his element here in NY!!!

royhobbs7 said...

Clearly not a fan!!!!

Tom Brennan said...

RoyHobbs, I largely agree. I think he is far too focused on HRs and RBIs, and to maximize those stats, you need to start 160 games, tired or not.

His current average and OBP would be disappointing if he was on a Pham-sized contract. He needs to hit more for contact. When he fanned swinging from his heels on a down the middle pitch when the Mets were trailing by one and bags full with one out in the 8th, it was a dagger in the team's heart.

I think his ego wanted the limelight big moment too badly. He is still owed just south of $300 million, too. Any divoce would be very costly.

Tom Brennan said...

Part of the Mets' hitting problem, of course, has nothing to do with the shift - they don't get to face the Mets' weak pitching staff.

Tom Brennan said...

Vogelbach shifted one over the fence. HRs beat shifts every time.

Rds900 said...

If Peterson faced the Mets on a regular basis, he'd win 20 games.

Woodrow said...

HRs are the coin of the realm in 2020s baseball. If you don’t hit them,no playoffs.