Opposing teams have officially gotten desperate with their attempts to stop Florida slugger Joe Caglianone.
On Tuesday night, South Florida utilized one of the craziest shifts you will ever see whenever Caglianone came to the plate. The Bulls completely abandoned the left side of the infield and had four outfielders playing deep near the warning track. USF kept two players on the right side of the infield and put another in shallow-right field.
USF’s current defensive setup against Jac Caglianone: 4 outfielders and not a soul on the left side of second base. Whatever it takes I guess lol @bigdonkey47 pic.twitter.com/RrqIDv5tjy
— Jesse Simmons (@ItsJesseSimmons) May 8, 2024
Caglianone went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI, so the shift did not stop him. The homer was his 27th of the season.
USF is not the first team to use a dramatic shift against Caglianone, who is one of the best players in the country. Tennessee used a similar defensive strategy against Florida last week.
This shift on Jac Caglianone is crazy pic.twitter.com/6v1lsDSdLP
— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) May 4, 2024
Caglianone is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2024 MLB Draft and could go first overall. Fortunately for him, the shift has been banned by MLB. The shift also will not impact the Gators star if he continues to blast home runs into orbit.
