By Tom Verducci
It didn’t take Royals manager Ned Yost long to answer when I asked him what could be done about the shift: “Ban it.” Like many people, Yost believes shifts depress offense and, because they reduce singles and prompt hitters to the hit the ball in the air, reduces the strategy of the game.
I have come to believe that at the very least baseball should adopt a rule in which all infielders must have at least one foot on the dirt portion of the infield. Years ago I believed rather than stifle innovation baseball should wait for hitters to adapt to the shifts by becoming better all-fields hitters.