Like pitch clock, no shift but c'mon now with bigger bases....

Manfred got his palms greased by Statcast, who assured him that this analytical nonsense would attract the younger generation that they so desperately need to keep this sport alive. Not only did that not happen, they lost the only age group that casually still paid attention……RIP

Does anyone know, old enough to watch the big red machine if pete ran the "shift" or a version.  I am too kinda too young unless it was the game of the week and unless it was the reds i had no tv game on it

Banning the shift is ridiculous.

If MLB wants more offense the ban should be on multiple pitchers in an inning who did not start the inning. One pitching switch per inning, not including whoever started that inning - meaning you will only ever see two pitchers max per inning per team.

That puts more pressure on the manager, speeds up the game and yes, probably leads to more offense.

I hate seeing 4 pitchers in one inning, one to each batter. These rules (Including the million pitchers per game, larger bases, no shift) all allow the pussification of MLB.

First the juiced balls and now this. The league even talked about moving the mound back. Talk about coddling the batters.

Remember when Roger Marris was pissed and never wanted anything more to do with baseball after the league added more games? Pretty soon we are going to have 80 HR seasons with the shift gone and juiced balls.

The bottom line is MLB is doomed and will probably just be a 2nd or 3rd tier sport in US in the next 20 years (think golf, soccer, tennis, etc...) minimal fans, minimal market... today's fans don't have the attention span for MLB: they need NHL, NFL and NBA.

The thinking man's chess match that is MLB just eludes the youth of the USA today. They will never really get the sport. The pusification and coddling batters to get more offense just kills it for the real fan base perhaps delaying the inevitable crumble for an extra decade.

Just my two cents

@barneybeans

 I believe a rule is in place now that a relief pitcher must face a minimum of 3 batters or the end of an inning can end his stint.

The bigger bases will get rid of the bullshit when a guy beats a throw by 6 feet and his hand or foot comes off the bag as he's sliding. Sometimes yes it's legit that he's out. I think that's a little harsh. Ricky Henderson would have 200 fewer stolen bases in today's game

@7272

 The bigger bases are SOLELY implemented to shorten the distance in another futile attempt to create offense. 

@lennon65

 yup-miss the days of guys manning up in the box--bare hands---no armor/elbow guards etc. Mike Schmidt had to face guys like Nolan Ryan that pitched just as hard as today and were even wilder...https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/inside-pitch/mike-schmidt-wins-first-mvp; Didn't think the shift was terrible but the soft-as-- rules are-universal DH, guys that can't even lay down a bunt, might as well put a guy on 3rd in extras-hilarious trying to watch guys hack away since they can't bunt a guy on 2nd home with no outs; as Barney said a lot of the older guys like us love older school ball, but they are killing it off to try to satisfy the younger generation with little attention span/patience to understand the nuances of the game....

@undermysac