Ryan Howard: Banning defensive shifts ‘would help me out’

Not surprisingly, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard isn’t fond of defensive shifts.

Speaking to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, Howard believes the shift takes away up to 50 hits a year for him.

“[The shift can] take away 30, 40, 50 hits a year,” Howard said.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising what he thinks of a plan that’s been floated to limit their usage.

“That’s definitely something that would help me out,” Howard said.

It’s hard to have sympathy for Howard. Teams adjusted to the way he hits, and he never adjusted back. He’s only batting .195 this season and has batted .229-or-lower in four of the last five seasons, so his frustration makes sense.

Howard could try hitting to the opposite field, an approach that he had early in his career but got away from. He could drop down a bunt toward third base like this player once did to keep defenses honest. There are ways to adapt, but if you refuse to even try, yes, the shift is going to be very bad news for you.

H/T HardballTalk