Major League Baseball implemented a number of new rules in 2023, and some believe the Boston Red Sox might be able to take advantage.
Among the major changes are three rules designed to improve pace of play while adding more excitement and leveling the playing field. First, the bases will be bigger, which will ideally encourage more stolen-base attempts. There's also a pitch clock, which is meant to speed up the game and help avoid the unnecessary wasted time that we've seen in years past. There's no more shift either.
Well, there isn't supposed to be one.
The rule states that two infielders must be positioned on either side of second base when the pitch is released and all four infielders must have both feet within the infield when the pitcher is on the rubber. The rules do not say anything about outfielders, which gave the Red Sox an opportunity to push the limits of the rule in their spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.
Joey Gallo, a notorious pull hitter, came to the plate for the Twins when the Red Sox moved center-fielder Adam Duvall to shallow right field and Raimel Tapia from left to center. Alex Verdugo stayed in right, leaving left field wide open and creating a custom shift for Boston.
Gallo ended up taking a walk, but the attempt was enough for former Red Sox third baseman and current NESN analyst Will Middlebrooks to form the opinion that the bending of that rule could benefit Boston.
"The Red Sox playing 81 games at Fenway is a massive advantage for them," Middlebrooks tweeted Friday. "The monster in left will allow the Sox to do this against any lefties they want to over-shift. Ball to left will most likely be a double, but it will force a big bopper lefty out of his normal approach."
The Red Sox have only utilized that alignment once this spring, but they would be smart to test it out further while the games don't count. Who knows, maybe they can usher in the era of the new shift. Having MLB ban the new shift is also on the table.
Boston fans will just have to wait and see.
