Mets' Francisco Lindor excited for life after the shift
As part of several new rule changes for 2023, MLB has banned the shift, and no player might be happier about it than Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
On "Mets Hot Stove" with host Gary Apple, Lindor reflected on his resurgent 2022 season, the team's hiring of Carlos Beltrán and his outlook for his third season in Queens.
For the four-time All-Star, one of the most exciting aspects of the season is the increased freedom he'll have on defense. Watching clips of past greats is helping him prepare for life after the shift, as it gives him ideas for future moves he'll try to incorporate into his game.
"I was watching a lot of videos of Jimmy Rollins, [Barry] Larkin, [José] Reyes, and different guys that they dive, get up and throw the ball, and I was counting their steps, and it was like six, seven steps," Lindor said. “They were catching the Jeter play, catching the ball, jump, throw, and it was like, that was fun.”
The 29-year-old has been vocal about wanting the shift banned for some time, mainly because it has gotten out of hand.
The shift dates back over a century, and one of the first instances occurred in the 1920s. Back then, National League managers sought to contain Phillies outfielder Cy Williams, one of his era's most prolific home run hitters, by shifting during his at-bats.
Small market teams such as Oakland and Tampa Bay capitalized on the shift in the 2000s, but teams truly embraced it in recent years.
Last season, 33.6% of plate appearances across the league had the shift deployed, up from 30.8% in 2021, according to Baseball Savant.
The pandemic-shortened 2020 season saw the highest use of the shift, 34.1%. Although the last two seasons have featured less shifting than in 2020, it was still a significant increase from 2017, when the league average was 12.1%.
While the shift will benefit hitters, especially left-handed ones, the switch-hitting Lindor remains focused on what the rule change will allow him to do defensively.
"I'll probably be making more diving plays and more extraordinary plays," he told Apple.
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