(Image from ESPN, click for full video)
As part of the sabermetrics revolution in baseball, teams have begun employing more and more extreme shifts tailored to take away hitters’ favorite spots. The result has been ridiculous spectacles of entire sides of empty infield. On Sunday, young Orioles catcher Chance Sisco illuminated the risk in utilizing such a strategy.
With José Berríos pitching a one-hitter in the ninth inning, Baltimore Orioles catcher Chance Sisco stepped to the plate--one out, down 7-0 to the Minnesota Twins. The Twins then moved into a shift that left the third-base side of the infield empty. Sisco, seeing the sea of empty space, easily tapped out a bunt and strolled safely into first base. Berríos went on to complete a three-hit shutout, though not before loading the bases.
After the game, Sisco’s heady bunt received scathing reviews. Berríos was blunt, saying "I don't care if he's bunting. I just know it's not good for baseball in that situation. That's it." Twins second baseman Brian Dozier said the Orioles will "address it [Sisco’s base hit] and move forward." This reaction is simply ridiculous. Firstly, as the batter, it’s Sisco’s job to go out and get a hit if he can. A one-hitter is not sacrosanct, and there is no rule or courtesy--written or unwritten--that Sisco should help Berríos get outs, and nor should there be.
However, Sisco’s bizarre hit also demonstrates another interesting reality in today’s MLB. Highly specialized shifts are leaving whole areas wide open, creating opportunities for clever hitters to follow the simplest rule: Hit the ball where the fielders aren’t. I am not currently (nor will I ever be) a major league hitter, but I would think that a decent hitter could bunt or pull the ball into the massive open spaces shifts are creating. Teams have clearly decided that the strategy is worthwhile, and they look great when they work. However, implementing a shift means taking a chance, and with a mere bunt, shrewd hitters can make you pay for it.
(Quotes via ESPN)
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