Picking up where our last blog left off, we continue the discussion on using the Shift in baseball. Does the Shift really work? How frequently is it used? Let’s look deeper into the history of the Shift.
The Shift was first noted in the 1920s when teams were trying to stop the homerun hitter Cy Williams. They would reposition their outfielders to the right and deep because he was a lefty and a dead-pull hitter. He always hit the ball with power and rarely to the left field.
We then find the Shift documented again in 1941 when Jimmy Dykes, the White Sox manager, was trying to stop Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all time. This time the infield was shifted to the right instead of the outfield. The results? It didn’t stop Ted Williams in the first game. He went 2-for-5 even hitting a double down the open left-field line. But this approach inspired other teams to do the same and the infield Shift was born. Even with Ted Williams uncommon ability to place his hits to navigate the Shift, his overall batting average dropped some over time. The Shift added a new level of difficulty and could be effective if used in the right situation.
Knowing when to use Shift was hard for most teams. They just didn’t have the data. Ted Williams was a prolific hitter and stood out. But what about the hundreds of other players. Prior to 2010, teams were only able to employ the Shift against a limited number of batters. As technology improved and the ability to make effective data-driven decisions was realized, teams started collecting and analyzing more and more data. In 2011 MLB teams used 209 shifts. Ten years later, in 2021, teams used over 50,000 shifts. The results, a noticeable lowering in the batting average when hitting ground balls – a competitive advantage that helps win games. The early adopters of the Shift had a great advantage that forced their opponents to scramble and catch up.
When thinking about the impact of the Shift on baseball, it’s easy to see how important using analytics can be for a business. Having and using a BI platform will allow you to Shift and gain a direct advantage over competitors that are not. If you haven’t started, do so now. The cost of falling behind is too great, whether it be hits, games, or dollars. We are here to help.
