CINCINNATI - Larry Bowa, like any good baseball man, watched baseball this week when the Phillies did not play. He saw Chase Headley, the Yankees third baseman, beat the shift three times with a bunt and two well-placed ground-ball singles. He caught highlights of Boston catcher Sandy Leon dropping a bunt against the shift and then scoring on a pivotal two-run homer by the next batter.
The Phillies were one of the least shift-happy teams in 2016. They will adhere to that strategy again in 2017, and Bowa wonders if more teams will follow.
"I just think these hitters now, they keep hitting into a shift," said Bowa, the Phillies bench coach and infield czar.