James Wagner writes about how the Nationals adopted a organization wide use of the defensive shift. Note that there is a lot of leeway in it’s use, right down to the players implementing them for a given batter:
Speier is in charge of the Nationals’ shifts, with help from first base coach Davey Lopes, who handles outfield positioning. He distills the information provided by the front office but ultimately consults with the infielders and the day’s starter before using them for that game.
“It all stems around the pitcher,” Speier said. “You look at all the numbers and you kinda use that as a baseline. Then you make the tweaks according to who is on the mound. For [the infielders], what makes it good is that they see pitches. I can go, ‘Hey, let’s pull the guy over and shift.’ Well, we’ve got our pitcher pounding fastballs away and the tendency may not be that. The guys [Murphy and Espinosa] have the freedom to float either side and the situations dictate. Overall, it’s been good.”
Like Speier, shortstop Danny Espinosa and second baseman Daniel Murphy referred to suggested defensive positioning against certain hitters as a starting point but they adapt based on what they are seeing.
That’s the way it should be. It’s a bit Bayesian, as infielders adjust their priors based on the game conditions and what the pitchers are throwing.
from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1Nybab9
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