Beyond the Box Score: How the shift can ruin a player

[weams]

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2015/7/14/8942627/jd-martinez-chris-davis-tigers-orioles-how-the-shift-can-ruin-a-player-most-shifted?utm_campaign=beyondtheboxscore&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

The largest differences in terms of percentage is line drives, the fly balls, then ground balls. Surprisingly, in terms of pull ratios, J.D. Martinez and Chris Davis are the most similar on ground balls. I'll take this moment to remind you that those numbers above are career values. In 2015, J.D. Martinez's pull ratio on ground balls is at 13.2, slightly higher than Davis', much higher than his own career value, and definitely worthy of shifting. Yet, each player's production on ground balls is very different due to the effects of the shift.

[33rdst]

Nice read. Thanks for the link. This is a nice comparison between a player who teams shift against less and one that is not shifted against almost always. My guess is the data is pretty consistent with the pre and post shift numbers for an individual player. Not a fan of the shift.

[LookitsPuck]

All the more reason not to resign him since he's not making the necessary adjustments (or not seeing the results) hitting oppo.

[sportsfan8703]

Davis is the rare LH hitter that doesn't like that inside pitch. He always wants to get his arms extended and have that extra bit of time to recognize the pitch. The book is out on him. Pound him inside. He either misses or hits into the shift. That's why Davis doesn't have a bad split vs LHP because he likes the ball breaking away from him. The book is out on him. Holes in his swing(inside), not great bat speed, and the shift makes him a .230 hitter.