The Yankees caught some folks off guard early in summer camp when they decided to employ a five-man infield. In the age of radical shifting concepts and heavily scouted batted-ball profiles, the Yankees’ analytics team and coaching staff are looking for every advantage possible. Let’s take a look at the roster factors that may make the five-man infield make sense and allow the Yankees to capitalize on their players’ skill sets.
The main characters in this story are Zack Britton and his turbo-sinker. Last season, 79.9% of the balls put in play off of Britton were hit on the ground, making him the ideal candidate for a radical defensive scheme.