Infield shifts have become the norm in Major League Baseball.
In 2013, the last year the Red Sox reached the World Series, the trend was still in its relative infancy, with teams shifting 6,882 times. By 2015, just two years later, the number had more than doubled 17,826. In 2018, that number soared to 31,812.
Shifts against lefthanded hitters, especially in situations with the bases empty are now the rule rather than the exception.
But few teams shift as often on righthanded hitters as the Red Sox' ALCS opponent, the Houston Astros. They shifted 21.1 percent of all plate appearances with righthanded hitters, more than double the industry average of 8.9 percent. Only Tampa Bay (24.8 percent) and Minnesota (21.2 percent) shifted more in those plate appearances.
And that could play a big factor against a Red Sox lineup which is lined with righthanded stars such as Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts β typically, three of the first four hitters in the Boston batting order.
"Depending on the game situation,'' said Bogaerts, "if they shift too much on you, you should take advantage of it. You just need to try to put up good at-bats.''
Said hitting coach Tim Hyers: "I don't think it should impact those three, because all three use the whole field, especially Bogey and Mookie. If you look at the last time we played them (in September), Mookie hit so many balls right back up the middle and he's really good at going opposite field when he wants to. So, I don't think that affects them at all.''
But, Hyers acknowledged, some of the less-experienced hitters might have to make some adjustments.
"There are some guys where you just don't know how it will affect them over the course of a series,'' Hyers said. "But on our squad, I don't see too many guys that I'd be worried about, especially the guys who have been through the wars.''
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