Major League Baseball’s rule changes for the 2023 season will have a ripple effect on every team in the league, and the Boston Red Sox will not be exempt from the rule.
While some pitchers might be negatively impacted by the pitch clock, there will be some sluggers ready to take advantage of the banning of the shift.
Among those hitters most likely to reap the rewards of stationary defenders is Kiké Hernández.
“The Red Sox hitter most affected by the ban might be Kiké Hernández,” The Athletic’s Chad Jennings wrote Friday. “He’s seen a shift 51.1% of the time this season, which is a lot for a right-handed hitter (league average is 20.4% for righties).
Hernández has always been a pull hitter and can now stay fixated on the Green Monster without having to deal with an extra infielder should he hit the ball on the ground.
As you can see by his spray chart, a vast majority of his ground balls are hit to the left side of the field. He has three defenders on the left side of the diamond over half of the time which limits his ability to turn balls in play into hits. Assuming he stays true to the trends, shift banning should result in an increased batting average from Hernández next season.
The news is good for the Red Sox, as they locked up Hernández to a one-year, $10 million deal just days before the rule changes were announced.
