BRADENTON, Fla. — Facing Red Sox left-handed first baseman Mitch Moreland in the first inning Sunday, the Pirates deployed an extreme infield shift with third baseman Colin Moran standing near second base.
Meanwhile, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison and David Freese, starting at first in the split-squad game, positioned themselves in the right side of the infield. Moreland, a savvy 32-year-old veteran, laid down a bunt to the left side of the infield and the ball rolled into shallow left field to allow him to reach second with a double.
The play evoked a groan from the crowd at LECOM Park. However, it wasn’t the first time this spring the Pirates used an extreme non-traditional shift. They have experimented with different infield alignments this spring, following a Major League Baseball trend to which players are still getting adjusted.
“That’s what these games are for — to do things a little bit more unconventional to see how things can play out in the season and you can talk about doing shifts, practice with fungoes, bunt game reps, being in the shift with the ball hit in the hole, gives you familiarity,” Josh Harrison explained to DKPittsburghSports.com. “The game is changing, man. I’m a guy that I listen to information. I’m also going to apply it to my game.”
It’s not unusual for the Pirates to experiment during the spring, particularly with infield and outfield defensive alignments. In the information age, exhibition games in Florida present the analytics department with an opportunity to see which numerical trends actually translate on the field.
However, the Pirates are taking a different approach after a second consecutive non-playoff season. The analytics team is watching pitchers throw bullpen sessions and team fundamentals drills when infielders practice both traditional and non-traditional shifts. They’re encouraging players to express their opinions on what works and what doesn’t.
Although some players opt to not join the conversation, Jameson Taillon, who pays particular attention to analytical trends across baseball, tries to speak to staff members following each of his bullpen sessions to inform them of how each of his pitches are working and how his mechanics are looking on that particular day. For example, Taillon said his mechanics are much cleaner than a year ago, so he’s capable of doing much more.
Such information can be useful when the Pirates decide how to shift any particular player.
“I know we’re trying some different things out. Information is growing every day,” Taillon said. “There’s new numbers every year. The analytics department is like the players. They’re just trying to get better every year and get better at what they do. I’ve been happy with how they’re not afraid to own up if something didn’t work and they’re open to hearing what we have to say. I think we can look for improvement in that category for sure.”
The Pirates were one of the first teams to use infield shifts often, dramatically increasing them in 2013 after some experimenting the previous two seasons, and that trend continued through 2016.
They’ve had less success while shifting over the past two seasons. The Pirates’ wOBA, or weighted on-base average against, which assigns proper value to every possible offensive event that happens while a batter is at the plate, ranked ninth in MLB in 2016 when deploying any type of infield shift.
But it dropped to the second-worst in the league last season. On the other hand, their wOBA while using a non-traditional shift was much better. The Pirates recorded a total of 10 defensive runs saved the past two seasons. They saved a total of 127 runs during their three consecutive playoff seasons from 2013-15.
Infielders coach Joey Cora found no issues with how the Pirates did while shifting in 2017, citing the number of groundball outs the club's opponents produced.
“We were fourth in getting ground balls into outs in our league, so that's pretty good,” Cora said. “We did pretty good at shifting when we shift, and we’ll see what happens the rest of the way. There are always adjustments. I think we did OK.”
Making such changes can be met with resistance from players, though. Players and coaches have to buy into the change, which was a challenge for the Pirates when they used different infield alignments prior to 2013.
Jordy Mercer admitted such changes can be uncomfortable at first, especially on shifts such as the one deployed on Moreland’s bunt double. When they don’t work, frustration can be difficult to fend off.
The experiment has been met with mixed reactions thus far.
“It’s definitely tough,” Mercer said. “Your natural instincts still have to take over, though. You still have to read swings. You have to realize what the pitcher is trying to do to the batter. There’s a whole bunch of stuff involved, so you have to make an educated guess of where you’re supposed to be and if you see a swing or you see something you don’t like, we have the freedom to move left or right a couple steps and go from there.”
Adam Frazier said: “I’m seeing stuff on the TV now that says shifting doesn’t work, which is fine with me. At our natural position, I think instincts are better for everybody.”
It’s created a dialogue among players, but many are approaching the experiments with an open mind because such changes aren’t exclusive to the Pirates. According to FanGraphs, the Pirates shifted against 1,386 batters in 2017, which ranked second in the National League behind the Brewers. Ten different teams shifted against at least 1,000 batters last season, compared to only three in 2015.
Teams are no longer strictly shifting against pull-heavy hitters. Taillon recalled a game in Miami last season, when the Pirates shifted outfielder Christian Yelich twice. On one play, Taillon threw a pitch over the middle of the plate that Yelich hit hard up the middle, but Mercer was standing behind second base to make an easy catch. Later in the game, Taillon threw a well-placed inside fastball that Yelich fought off to left, beating the Pirates’ shift on the lefty.
“That’s tough. We notice the times it doesn’t work,” Taillon said. “That’s the easy way out. It’s easy to get [mad] at someone if it doesn’t work because it’s on them. I know exactly who’s doing the shift so I can walk in there and say, 'What the hell?' Then it’s easy to forget about the nine out of 10 times it helps me, so you have to remember that, too.”
The use of a shift is changing, though. Teams are now switching alignments pitch by pitch, depending on the count and the pitch that is being thrown. The Pirates’ pitchers received detailed reports about the outcome of different pitches in different locations against different hitters.
They’re paying attention to every detail. After all, the Pirates’ .334 batting average on balls in play with a shift deployed ranked worst in MLB in 2017.
“Game to game, pitch to pitch, it’s all going to change,” Taillon said. “That’s why we all have to be open about it. We have to use our eyes and ears to back up the numbers.”