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Astros Starting Pitchers Affected by the Shift Rule

The Astros were prolific users of the infield shift on defense prior to 2023. Then MLB prohibited most versions of the infield shift in 2023. Based upon the Field Bible’s team stats, the Astros’ Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) was reduced by 27 runs due to the loss of the shift defense (35 DRS in 2022 for the shift defensive alignment minus 8 DRS in 2023 for the more limited shift). This implies that the Astros’ pitching staff lost the equivalent of nearly 3 wins.

I have written several articles about the trend over the course of the season: link, link, and link.