Who’s on Third? In Baseball’s Shifting Defenses, Maybe Nobody
Some baseball positions as they have long been known are changing before our eyes. The cause is the infield shift, a phenomenon exploding this year as more teams are using statistical analysis and embracing a dynamic approach to previously static defenses.
.. The Pirates had mostly the same infielders those two years, and in 2012 they turned 339 double plays, 13th in the National League. But in 2013, with the shift, they turned 419, the fourth most in the league. Their pitchers’ earned run average dropped to 3.26 from 3.86.