Oakland Athletics Should Not Give Up on Sean Doolittle

Like thousands of other Oakland Athletics’ fans, I had to work Wednesday, so I could not watch the game live. Actually, I was giving midterms all day. (When it comes to exams, it is better to give than to receive.) I did listen to the game. Grading exams is kind of funny – when the A’s do well, my students do well. Based on yesterday’s game, my students are doomed.

The best thing about yesterday’s game was that it was over quickly. A’s fans were able to clear out before the Warrior fans descended on the Coliseum to celebrate a team that has learned how to win.

There were a few bright spots for the A’s. Marcus Semien managed to smack his fourth home run of the season to break up the shutout. Danny Valencia has a six-game hitting streak. Ryan Dull is pitching very well – so well that the A’s might want to start saving him for games where they have a lead.

Other than that, the A’s managed to make Matt Shoemaker, another mediocre Angels pitcher, look like the reincarnation of Cy Young. In my mind, every team is going to win 60 games and lose 60 games. It’s what you do with the other 42 that will make or break your season. Yesterday’s game was one of those the A’s were destined to lose.  ‘Nuff said.

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As I was passing out the exams on Wednesday, one of my students, Joaquin, told me, “I totally disagree with what you wrote about Tuesday night’s game.” (My first thought was, “Oh my God, someone is reading what I write.”)

Joaquin disagreed with comparing Sean Doolittle‘s problems with Ryan Madson‘s difficulties: “Madson got beat by Albert Pujols. That’s what Pujols does. Doolittle got beat by Giovanni Soto!”

Joaquin is ready for the Athletics to trade Doolittle or send him back to the minors to revert him into a first baseman. I’m not there…yet. I do have some thoughts on why Doolittle is giving up home runs. I blame it on the shift.

Managers have, I believe, lost sight of what the shift is supposed to do. When you have a great power hitter like Ted Williams, or a steroid machine like Barry Bonds, you employ a shift to take away their power. A team puts three infielders on one side of second base and concedes a single to the opposite field. The whole idea is that a team would rather give up a single instead of a home run.

But now, teams have computers and spray charts and sophisticated algorithms. Managers and coaches look at these charts that say 76.83% of the time, this hitter hits the ball in this specific direction. So managers try to improve their chances of getting someone out by putting three infielders in that general direction.

This is a crucial distinction. Managers used to use the shift only to take away a home run. Now the shift is employed to improve the chances of getting a hitter out…and therein lies the problem.

The shift only works if the pitcher pitches to the shift. If there is a right-handed hitter up (for instance, Soto) and there are three infielders to the left of second, there is an enormous hole on the right side of the field. This is especially true if the opposition has a fast runner representing the tying run being held at first base with less than two outs.

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In this situation, the pitcher’s hands are tied. He can not throw a slow breaking ball just off the outside corner of the plate, because the batter can just hit a slow roller to the right side and then there are runners on first and third. If the shift is on, a batter can eliminate half the plate. The hitter can look “middle in” because he knows the pitcher wants him to hit it to the left. The hitter can also eliminate breaking pitches because the pitcher can not afford a walk to put the tying run in scoring position. So with the shift, you have major league hitters sitting on a fastball in one area of the plate. That is how the shift turns an average hitter into a devastating hitter.

What is the answer? I would say that teams should never employ the shift unless they are willing to concede a single to the opposite field. Leave the infielders in their proper positions, and let the pitchers use all of the plate and all of their pitches.

And walk Pujols if first base is open.