Jason Hammel Blames Shifts For Hits
7 years agoKansas City Royals starting pitcher Jason Hammel was victimized by some adjusted hitting by the Cardinals on Tuesday as they hit against the shift for a couple singles. In response, Hammel said after the game that he is now permanently against the shift. Manager Ned Yost responded later by pointing out to the media that the pitchers are given the option of vetoing all shifts prior to the game. Endless statistics have shown that shifts can lead to better performance by defenses, so if Hammel truly is going to veto all shifts moving forward, owners may want to prepare for the possibility that Hammel's current 5.70 ERA could actually get worse.
Source: Jeffrey Flanagan
Source: Jeffrey Flanagan