For major leaguers, it’s as new-age of a hitting conundrum as conundrums come. When the opposing defense moves infielders from their traditional spots and into a batter’s hottest spray zones, is it better to stick to the usual approach or adjust your swing in an attempt to beat the shift?
It’s a question that made its first prominent appearance in the baseball consciousness in the 1940s, when teams placed six fielders on the right side of second base in the “Ted Williams Shift” that was designed to limit The Splendid Splinter’s ability to pull the baseball.