Hinch thinks MLB overreacting to use of shifts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During the owners’ meetings last week, MLB commissioner Rob
Manfred acknowledged the game’s competition committee is in the “discussion-analysis” phase — but not a decision phase — of limiting or making illegal defensive shifts.
That seems “radical” to manager A.J. Hinch, whose Astros bunch generates discussions on the topic and is responsible for some of the most unconventional shifts in the majors.
“It’s probably not the problem, I don’t think the problem is the shift, I think the problem is the commitment to trying to beat it,” Hinch said Saturday. “You have guys that don’t want to hit the ball the other way, then we’re going to continue to shift. We’ve never had an offsides in baseball — that would be rare, that would be weird.”
The Astros have shifted more than any team in baseball during the last two full seasons, according to Baseball Savant, and are again atop the leader board 71 games into this one.
They created a stir during opening weekend by playing a four-man outfield against Rangers lefthanded pull spe- cialist Joey Gallo, vacating the entire left side of their infield.
“To me, shifts are designed to take away the strengths of the hitter or what the tendencies of the hitter are,” Hinch said. “If those tendencies could change, then the hits would change. But it’s not a fail-proof situation where we’re not giving up something — we’re giving up half the field sometimes to some of these guys.”
On his first day as commissioner in 2015, Manfred said he was open to banning all shifts.
“I think we can fix the game in a lot of different ways,” Hinch said. “I would hope that they would take a longer look at other things before they worry about where a certain player is standing on the field.”
Heat takes its toll on Gurriel, Stassi
Yuli Gurriel and Max Stassi
exited the Astros’ 10-2 win over the Royals on Saturday with dehydration symptoms, manager A.J. Hinch said.
The temperature at first pitch of the 1:15 p.m. game was 93 degrees. Stassi said he began cramping in the fourth inning but played through it.
When he launched a missile off Royals reliever Burch
Smith to lead off the ninth inning, Stassi’s body locked up and he could barely make it to first base. He was removed in favor of Brian McCann — the 34-year-old catcher’s first pinch-run appearance since 2014 — who Stassi said will “let me have it for a few days.”
“He may owe McCann dinner or something,” Hinch said.
Gurriel finished the game 0-for-2 and was replaced by
Tyler White at first base to begin the seventh inning.
First baseman’s routine pays off
Scoops with a surgically repaired hand have keyed Yuli Gurriel’s underrated defensive dominance through the Astros’ first 71 games, exploits manager A.J. Hinch deemed “Gold Glove caliber” Saturday.
“The progress has been incredible and his performance this year has been the best,” Hinch said.
Gurriel entered Saturday’s game against the Royals 18for-18 on scoops of throws at first base, according to STATS, all with the left hand in which he suffered a fractured hamate bone in the spring.
Only the Royals have more scoops at first base as a team.
“He has a routine that he does, last year he did it, this year he’s doing it, where he just has regular repetitions practicing that,” Hinch said. “He has great hands, and I think that comes from being a third baseman and a shortstop.”
Gurriel starred as a third baseman in Cuba before defecting to the United States in 2016. The soft hands and athleticism required there have moved across the diamond with consistent results.
“At first, it was difficult because I hadn’t played first base before, I was so used to playing third base. But day after day, it got easier and easier,” Gurriel said through a translator.