Mansolino on the shift

[LookinUp]

I support the idea of emphasizing athleticism. This and the larger bases should do that, I'm just not sure how much. If MLB wanted, they could go all-in on emphasizing speed, but they love the HR ball too. Those two things are incompatible for most players, so you'll never get that large shift back to athleticism, IMO.

[HakunaSakata]

I've read a handful of articles on the shift ban and more specifically on the potential players who might benefit the most and the consensus seems to be that it's going to be a  marginal projected increase in hits (+ eight or nine) for some of the  players who were shifted the most. On the extreme side, some  have suggested a player like Cory Seager would have had an additional 20+ hits (based on last year's data) which would be a much bigger change (roughly +.030 in batting average), but I'm a bit skeptical about the rule change being that much of a difference maker. 

In regards to Mansolino's comments about athleticism, I tend to agree with what most have already said. It seems like an exaggeration because I don't think teams were selling out 2B and SS (and 3B to a lesser extent) for power before the shift ban. I mean, without researching/googling it the only complete defensive hacks I can think of who teams have tried to shoe horn into 2B, SS or 3B in the last 20 years or so are Alfonso Soriano, Edwin Encarnacion and Miguel Sano. I'm sure I'm missing a few, but the fact that they aren't top of mind speaks volumes.