Why banning the shift is the best thing baseball could've done

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Now that baseball is planning on banning the shift for what’s left of the 2022 season, articles bashing the move are all over the web. I’ve personally defended the shift remaining in baseball, but now that I’ve taken some time to think this out, it’s clear the shift has no business in this game.

And don’t worry, I’ll explain exactly why the game will be better off.

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FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, the sun sets behind Citi Field during a baseball game between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs in New York. Major League Baseball players ignored claims by clubs that they need to take additional pay cuts, instead proposing they receive a far higher percentage of salaries and a commit to a longer schedule as part of a counteroffer to start the coronavirus-delayed season. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

MLB owners and the union ultimately decided that the shift was compromising the integrity of the sport. They both thought the defensive strategy of a shift was far too overpowering and that offenses weren’t going to be able to exploit it. Technically, they’re wrong because it’s always physically possible to defeat a defensive coverage — but is ‘hitting it where they ain’t’ plausible? Would it be realistic for hitters to hit 100-mile-an-hour fastballs the other way with consistency? It’s a question the owners and players association had to weigh when they voted on this issue.

Old school fans of baseball seem to be echoing the same talking point: They used to go the other way, so we should be able to ask players to do the same today.

St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina celebrates after