Question for Cards fans

by Matt Swartz on Aug 13, 2010 11:09 PM EDT

My name is Matt Swartz, and I’m an author at Baseball Prospectus. I’m doing some research on the infield shift (where three infielders play on the right side of second base for a left-handed hitter), and the data is a bit hard to come by. Since I know what a great resource the SBNation blogs are, being a former writer at one myself, I thought that some of you could give me some help.

I am curious who has gotten shifted against on your team MOST of the time, AND who your team regularly has shifted against in your division over the last 18 years. To jog your memory I am listing the lefties and switch-hitters that your team has had in the last 18 years that have hit at least 20 home runs.

Thank you for your help.

LHB

Rick Ankiel
Chris Duncan
Jim Edmonds
Tino Martinez
J.D. Drew
Ray Lankford

SHB

Fernando Tatis
Mark Whiten

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Take this all at face value. I'm trying to go off memory alone.

Fact: Tatis was a RHB only when he was a Cardinal.
I don’t remember anyone shifting on Tatis, Whiten, or Lankford. Shifts like that did not occur nearly as often back in those days…(he says as if that was SOOO long ago.)

I believe that Drew and Martinez occasionally got shifted, but not all that often.
Edmonds got shifted in the infield a bit more (although the OF played him to go the other way more often.

Funny as it sounds, Ankiel and Duncan are more recent and I don’t have a clue.

by stlfan on Aug 14, 2010 12:02 AM EDT reply actions

to my knowledge, Tatis has been a righty his whole career.

Chris Duncan hit 22 homers in 2006.

@zoomzoomj88
Fire Tony LaRussa

by zoomzoomj88 on Aug 14, 2010 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

i don't recall any Cards getting major shifts...

… teams would shade Edmonds a bit, but not put on the Williams-style shift.

TLR hasn’t done it much either. Some with Ryan Howard. I think Bonds too. Maybe Prince Fielder?

by kindred on Aug 14, 2010 12:43 AM EDT reply actions

Not sure

I might be making this up, but didn’t we put the shift on for Berkman fairly often?

by leefyg on Aug 14, 2010 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

no, i think that's right

Fire TLR.

by tehzachatak on Aug 14, 2010 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

I remember a pretty extreme one for Mo Vaughn

They say that it's never too late, but you don't get any younger...

by Valatan on Aug 14, 2010 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Teams play a shift on Albert sometimes, but never three infielders on one side of the diamond.

by spants on Aug 14, 2010 11:18 AM EDT reply actions

Didn't we shift

On Griffey Jr?

The player I would like least at #9 would be my sister’s cat, Captain Creamsicle. She does have a great work ethic and agility, but I’m really concerned that at 9 lbs., she’s too small to play safety in the NFL. She also bites way too often on play action and is easily distracted by someone waving string in the crowd. Lastly, her wonderlic score was pretty awful, answering "meow meow meow" for most of the questions- Dr. Brackish Okun

by mob16151 on Aug 15, 2010 7:30 AM EDT reply actions