Kershaw not crazy about defensive shifts
Clayton Kershaw, the three-time Cy Young award winner and former MVP, doesn't give up many hits of his own accord, so it bothers him a bit when an opposing batter sneaks his way on base by slapping a ball through a shifted defense.
"I think just mentally for me I can live with a hard-hit ball getting through a hole as opposed to a soft, cheap ground ball that goes through because no one is playing there because of a shift," Kershaw told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. "Mentally, it's just easier for me to swallow. You start making excuses in your head like, 'Ah, I made my pitch.' You just don't want to have that in the back of your mind. At least I don't."
Despite Kershaw's animus toward defensive shifts, the trend has become immensely popular throughout the major leagues in recent years, with the number of shifts reportedly reaching 18,000 in 2015, according to ESPN.
| Season | Shifts | % Increase (Year-to-Year) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 13789* | 69.52% |
| 2013 | 8134 | 77.71% |
| 2012 | 4577 | 94.19% |
| 2011 | 2357 | -4.34% |
| 2010 | 2464 | - |
*Full-year projections from Baseball Info Solutions, provided by John Dewan of ESPN Chicago
Interestingly, though, even with managers shifting their players around more than ever, balls put in play are resulting in base hits just as frequently as they did nearly a half-decade ago, when defensive shifts weren't nearly as popular (though league BABIP on ground balls to the pull side did drop dramatically in 2015).
| Season | Shifts | BABIP |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 13789* | .299 |
| 2013 | 8134 | .297 |
| 2012 | 4577 | .297 |
| 2011 | 2357 | .295 |
| 2010 | 2464 | .297 |
Either way, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts - who, after being hired this winter, said he'd use the shift prominently - suggested he'll re-calibrate his strategy when his ace is on the mound.
"So if he's not comfortable - especially a pitcher as accomplished as Clayton is - you've gotta have the buy-in," Roberts said. "If he's not comfortable and doesn't trust what we're doing behind him, then it doesn't work. Certain guys that we might shift for a certain pitcher ... we might not with Clayton if he doesn't feel comfortable with it. I just don't think it's the manager's call or the coaches' call if a certain accomplished pitcher doesn't feel comfortable."