[lex24]

Trivia: who is the most shifted against player in MLB? (over 95% of the time). Forget four outfielders, he routinely faces 5-6 fielders on the outfield grass.

Brandon Belt?

Very good guess, but no. Belt was shifted against 82% of the time last year.

Joey Gallo

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It only took me watching a few games the first week to tell the ball isn't traveling as far as in recent years. The Humididor in every stadium is having a definite impact. I did hear though that the expected BABIP is actually .250.

This would support two ideas:

1. Balls are being hit hard but not going as far
2. The defensive shifts and alignments are taking a lot of hits away*

* This isn't just infield shifts, it's also outfield positioning and sometimes using four outfielders.

This isn't going to be the new normal. Players aren't going to suddenly start swinging differently. MLB doesn't want a game with a league-wide .368 slugging percentage. MLB has supposedly been mixing two different balls so presumably they will stick to the more lively one, and adjust the humidor settings (or humidor use itself) if necessary.

Trivia: who is the most shifted against player in MLB? (over 95% of the time). Forget four outfielders, he routinely faces 5-6 fielders on the outfield grass.

Brandon Belt?

You are right about hitters not changing swing.  Not until the game changes again, the shift goes away and some value returns to making contact. At this stage it’s all about getting a ball in the air hitting for power. Nobody seems to care how many times a guy strikes out. Course maybe they care a little bit more when they strike out with the bases loaded and one out. But maybe again that’s just me. Hitting instructors beginning as early as high school I’m sure are teaching to try to drive the ball up the gaps launch angles etc. The old day of making contact protecting with two strikes trying to drive the ball back up the middle are gone.  

So of course there’s been an adjustment in teaching. Hard for me to tell which came first the teaching adjustment or the metrics. I’m assuming the metrics and they adjusted to the metrics. Thus,  we have the game now that is before us. One that is in my opinion quite a bit less interesting. But I’m a junkie .  So, I watch it anyway

[lex24]

Trivia: who is the most shifted against player in MLB? (over 95% of the time). Forget four outfielders, he routinely faces 5-6 fielders on the outfield grass.

Brandon Belt?

Very good guess, but no. Belt was shifted against 82% of the time last year.

Joey Gallo

---

It only took me watching a few games the first week to tell the ball isn't traveling as far as in recent years. The Humididor in every stadium is having a definite impact. I did hear though that the expected BABIP is actually .250.

This would support two ideas:

1. Balls are being hit hard but not going as far
2. The defensive shifts and alignments are taking a lot of hits away*

* This isn't just infield shifts, it's also outfield positioning and sometimes using four outfielders.

This isn't going to be the new normal. Players aren't going to suddenly start swinging differently. MLB doesn't want a game with a league-wide .368 slugging percentage. MLB has supposedly been mixing two different balls so presumably they will stick to the more lively one, and adjust the humidor settings (or humidor use itself) if necessary.

Trivia: who is the most shifted against player in MLB? (over 95% of the time). Forget four outfielders, he routinely faces 5-6 fielders on the outfield grass.

Brandon Belt?

You are right about hitters not changing swing.  Not until the game changes again, the shift goes away and some value returns to making contact. At this stage it’s all about getting a ball in the air hitting for power. Nobody seems to care how many times a guy strikes out. Course maybe they care a little bit more when they strike out with the bases loaded and one out. But maybe again that’s just me. Hitting instructors beginning as early as high school I’m sure are teaching to try to drive the ball up the gaps launch angles etc. The old day of making contact protecting with two strikes trying to drive the ball back up the middle are gone.  

So of course there’s been an adjustment in teaching. Hard for me to tell which came first the teaching adjustment or the metrics. I’m assuming the metrics and they adjusted to the metrics. Thus,  we have the game now that is before us. One that is in my opinion quite a bit less interesting. But I’m a junkie .  So, I watch it anyway