Sox defensive experiments

Here's an interesting article from Bostonpressbox.com regarding the frequent defensive shifting utilized by the Red Sox. The Sox have moved the shortstop to the right field side of second base with regularity against left handed sluggers like Jason Giambi, Carlos Delgado, Rafael Palmiero, and . . . Aaron Guiel. While many fans will complain if the batter beats the shift with a hit the opposite way, this alignment should help far more than it hurts.

As Sox third base/defensive coach Dale Sveum puts it, “If they try to hit the ball the other way, you’re getting them out of their game anyway. It takes them out of their swing path way too much to try to do it. I’m sure they’ve tried to do it in their own minds, and it screws them up more than anything and takes them out of their normal approach to hitting.”