How Will The Shift Affect Pitchers' Value?

[Pickles]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I feel like this is a question we haven't discussed too much.  We have talked about how it will affect batter and fielder value quite a bit, and personally, I think  those questions are pretty straight forward and the answer comes down to gradation.

However, how the shift will affect pitchers seems far more unclear to me.  Generally, with the new clock, bags, and shift rules, I think it is going to increase offense, but that's true across the board for all pitchers.  What I am interested in is who is going to gain relative value?

If LH hitters gain an advantage, and that seems to me to be the primary beneficiaries of the change, doesn't that make LHP more valuable than before?  Or not?

If middle infield defense will  be prioritized, doesn't that benefit ground ball pitchers more?  Or not?  Because weren't they gaining even more of an advantage before?

Just some questions to ponder, which can of course also be applied to team composition and player acquisition.

[eddie83]

I did hear Scott Servais the Mariners manager on the radio today. He talked about how much more important range for a second basemen is now. 

[Pickles]

6 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

I did hear Scott Servais the Mariners manager on the radio today. He talked about how much more important range for a second basemen is now. 

That, and to a lesser extent SS, and the advantage to LHH seems the most obvious.

[jrobb21613]

 Its going to make pitchers that miss bats even more valuable. 

[Aristotelian]

I would think the change will hurt groundball pitchers, so high strikeout and flyball pitchers may be marginally more valuable. 

 

 

 

[Pickles]

20 minutes ago, jrobb21613 said:

 Its going to make pitchers that miss bats even more valuable. 

I think that's true, but that's largely universal, no?

[jrobb21613]

7 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I think that's true, but that's largely universal, no?

Correct. Pitchers that miss bats  just won't be impacted by it as much as pitchers who pitch more to contact.